Why Every Home Needs a Pull Up Rack (80 Reasons)

June 04, 2025 4 min read

If you could only have one piece of calisthenics kit at home, what would you choose?

Our vote would go to a pull up rack. But not just any pull up bar. We’d want one that does a lot more than pull ups… 80 times more. Here’s why we think every home needs a Gravity Fitness Portable Pull Up Rack – and how you can do 80 (yes really!) exercises on this one bit of kit.

Is a Pull Up Rack Good For Home Calisthenics?

A pull up rack is a great choice for home training. Pull ups are arguably the best upper body exercise you can do – they work lats, rhomboids, traps, biceps, shoulders, forearms, and core. But if you get a pull up rack (not a pull up bar), you can do so much more. Scroll down for our list of 80 exercises to do on our Portable Pull Up Rack or watch the video here.

Why is the Gravity Portable Pull Up Rack Different to a Pull Up Bar?

A standard pull up bar typically mounts in a doorway, offering one fixed position. It’s great for the basics, but it has limits.

The Gravity Portable Pull Up Rack is freestanding, so you can use it anywhere – at home, in the garden, or even take it with you to an outdoor space (it packs down into a carry bag). Beyond pull ups, it's designed for levers, dips, muscle ups, and loads of other exercises that door-mounted bars can't handle.

Set it high for standard pull ups and hanging work. Drop it to mid-height for inverted rows and dips. Lay it on the ground for push variations. Each configuration gives you a different piece of equipment. And you don’t need to drill holes or use a door frame.

5 Benefits of Doing 5 Minutes of Bodyweight Training a Day

One big benefit of having a pull up bar or pull up rack at home is accessibility. You can bang out a few reps every time you go to make a coffee or take a 5-minute “exercise snack break” when you’re working from home.

Quick blast of exercise – instead of finding time for a long session, do several short bursts during the day
Compound benefits – consistently doing a few minutes of bodyweight training soon add ups
Stretch out – quick exercise breaks if you’re working from home help stretch and decompress the back
More movement – a few minutes of bodyweight exercises add movement to a sedentary day
Mental reset - breaking up the day with physical challenges improves focus and productivity

Movement quality improves with frequent practice too. You could work on pull up progressions Monday, practice L-sits Tuesday, focus on dip form Wednesday to build your skills without fatigue.

What's the Best Calisthenics Equipment for Home?

The Portable Pull Up Rack ticks the boxes of movement variety and progression. You can do pulling exercises (obviously), pushing through dips and elevated variations, core training through hanging exercises, and lower body work through supported movements. It’s quick to put up and take down, packs away into a carry bag, and can store away or travel with you.

Instead of having multiple pieces of equipment at home, this one bit of kit provides years of training potential and grows with you from assisted movements through to advanced skills.

80 Exercises You Can Do With the Gravity Fitness Portable Pull Up Rack

Check out our video of 80 exercises you can do with one Portable Pull Up Rack. All the videos are taken from the Gravity Fitness calisthenics app.

[WATCH THE VIDEO]

The 80 exercises includes pulling exercises like chin ups, pull ups, archer pull ups, and commando pull ups, levers including front levers, back levers, and progressions, core movements like toes to bar, leg raises, hanging L-sits, and windshield wipers. There’s advanced strength holds including one arm deadhangs, and hanging L-sits, gymnastics-style movements like muscle ups, skin the cat, and ice cream makers. The list also has assisted variations using bands or towels, negative reps for strength building, and grip variations to target different aspects of pulling strength.

Here's what you’ll find in our video: