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Home workouts can be great. Their fatal flaw? Hitting your back muscles — here's how to turn the tide at home

When it comes to no-frills home training, the humble pull-up rack – or pull-up bar, if you’re short on space – is hard to beat. Simple, adaptable and totally unforgiving, it allows you to cultivate total upper body strength by pitting downward force of gravity against your own weight.

Not only will the pull-up rack smoke your abs, chest and arms, it's especially great for growing a strong, broad back, which can be tricky without access to barbells, benches and cable machines. It’ll also deliver an ego boost, because let's face it: there's no greater feeling than passing the bar with ease.

First and foremost, you can't do pull-ups without them. Dubbed the ‘upper body squat’, pull-ups test every muscle fibre in your upper-body, and can be scaled up and down to suit your individual strength. Unfortunately, mimicking the same impact as traditional pull-ups can be hard to achieve without the right kit, especially if you’re short on space.

'Pulling movements that work the muscles of the back are notoriously difficult to work into your routine if you’re training with a zero kit approach,' says MH fitness editor Andrew Tracey. 'This leaves a lot of trainees stuck performing endless push-ups, burpees and squats. This can leave your programme – and body – unbalanced at best, and lead to injury at worst.

'Adding a pull-up bar to your work(out) from home arsenal will increase your movement selection 10-fold,; he continues. 'Not only will you unlock pull-ups and chin-ups – upper body-building royalty – into your repertoire, but you’ll also be able to add straps or rings, adding endless variety to your training.'

Suspension trainers — such as the TRX — are another option, but can often tip over into the triple-digit price range, so it could make more sense to invest in a pull-up rack or bar if saving cash is a concern. Handily, most of the pull-up racks and bars below can be stowed away after use, meaning that you needn't be ducking underneath a metal frame every time you put the kettle on.

If you only plan on repping out one exercise, you’re wasting potential gains, because there's more than one way to pass the bar. As well as the various pull-up variations available, there's a huge variety of calisthenics training moves you can tackle on a pull-up rack, from hanging shoulder shrugs to L-sits and muscle-ups.

Pull-up bars either attach to your door frame or require mounting on a wall or ceiling, whereas pull-up racks are freestanding units. Each option has its own distinct benefits and drawbacks, but ultimately, the best bit of kit is the one you actually use. There's little point splashing out on a pricy pull-up rack, only to wind up using it as a pitstop between the wardrobe and the washing basket for clothes you’ve worn once.

On the one hand, pull-up bars can be placed almost anywhere – transforming any door, ceiling or spare wall into a home gym – and they’re often the most wallet-friendly choice. However, they do have a tendency to restrict your range of motion and therefore your workout (as anyone who has ever attempted windshield wipers in their bedroom doorway will attest).

Mounted bars are more versatile than their door-filling counterparts, and can usually accommodate a heavy load – ideal if you’re thinking of adding external weights – but you’ll need to know your way around a Black & Decker to secure it safely in place. Door frame bars, meanwhile, require little DIY expertise, but they’re more liable to dislodge mid-rep, taking your rental deposit and dignity along with them.

With a pull-up rack you can expect to spend a little more, but they don't require any drilling. They’re usually customisable, so you can perform a far wider range of exercises, including dips, leg raises, incline press-ups, and front levers. On the flipside, a pull-up rack will take up far more space, and they tend to have a smaller maximum load than mounted pull-up bars.

Grab the handles of the pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended. Your hands should be around shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, exhale and drive your elbows towards your hips to bring your chin above the bar. Lower under control back to the start position.

Grab the pull-up bar with a shoulder-width grip, palms facing you. Pull yourself up until your chin is level with the bar, then slowly lower until your arms are fully extended

Hang with a shoulder-width grip, palms facing forwards, and pull your weight straight up. Through the top half of the move, shift your weight to the right and aim your chin towards your right hand. Lower, and repeat to the left side.

Create an "active" hang under the bar by squeezing down your lats and shoulders. From here, generate the kip swing by tensing your glutes and abs, while thinking about opening and closing your shoulders. Your legs should move in front (the hollow position) and behind you (the arched position), but your torso should stay centred. Pull down on the bar using your back and shoulders, your arms straight. Lift your hips to reach your hands, then drive your head forward over the bar. From the bottom of a dip position, call on the strength you built in the final progression move to press your body upward. Keep your core tensed and your legs in front.

Hold the pull-up bar with your palms facing you. Lift yourself off the floor but keep your arms extended and your torso stable, then slowly bend at the hips and lift your legs until they are parallel with the floor.

Grip the bar with an overhand grip and your palms facing away from you. Move your feet off any support you may be using, so you're hanging on to the bar. Keep your arms straight and hang for three to four total sets. Aim to increase the time you spend hanging each week.

Back to the king of bodyweight exercises. If you can comfortably rep out two to three sets of 10-12 pull-ups, you may want to consider cranking up the resistance to continue challenging yourself. On the flipside, you can regress the movement to build strength up to full sets. Handily, either tactic can be deployed at home.

You can add resistance bands to make pull ups easier, using the elasticity of the band to help you move upwards, eventually progressing to smaller bands and, later, none at all. To make pull ups harder, add extra load with a dip belt or a weighted vest. Once you hit failure, you can drop the weight (safely, mind) and continue repping out pull ups with just your bodyweight.

Inevitably, there are a few factors to consider before you part with your dough: do you have enough space for a freestanding pull-up rack, or just enough room for a telescopic pull-up bar? Can you use screws, or will a hanging pull-up bar suffice? Where will you store it when you’re not working out? And, crucially, if you plump for a pull-up bar, will your doorframes be strong enough for the weight of your body?

No matter your choice, we’ve covered all options below with a selection of pull-up racks and bars that are safe, perfect for home workouts and won't break the bank. It's time to do some homework.

Sure, she isn't pretty — but this Adidas at-home ‘door gym’ takes some beating when it comes to a) value for money and b) pull-up variations. Helping you attack your back through three different handle formations, this pull-up bar counterbalances against a door frame and supports weight up to 110kg.

If you’re after a durable CrossFit set-up, shoot your shot with OneTwoFit's wall-mounted pull-up bar. The six-hole design will lend itself nicely to whichever pull-up or chin-up stance you opt for. It's ideal for CrossFitters, giving enough space for toes-to-bar, kipping pull-ups and, when facing the wall, muscle-ups. It supports 200kg of user weight.

This Domyos option is a strong contender for a no-frills, telescopic pull-up bar. It's designed to hold weights up to 100kg – 120kg with optional screws – comes with a tool-free mounting system and, with a compact design, is easy to stow away when it's not in use. While it's perfect for basic needs, the lack of grip positions limit the range of exercises you'd be able to perform with it.

Granted, it’ll take a bit of assembly, but this multi-function pull-up rack has everything you need for a spicy push-pull session. The durable steel frame is designed to support weights of up to 120kg, and yet light enough to move if needed – with a net weight of 21kg.

Another solid pull-up bar from Decathlon, which supports several grip options: hammer, wide and standard. It slips effortlessly between a door frame without the need for screws to hold it in place. If you need it to support heavier weights (up to 130kg) it comes with two safety clamps for added peace of mind.

If you’re looking for a dual-function pull-up rack, this sturdy JMC model will fulfil your bodyweight and barbell-orientated needs. Between them, perfectly-executed squats, bench presses and pull-ups will hit just about every muscle in your body. And with a maximum load of 350kg, you’re free to focus on your form.

Designed to be entirely modular, Bulldog's wall-mounted pull-up bar gives you 90cm of clearance from the wall, helping you work on your pull-ups, plus the progressions that can graduate into a muscle-up or three. It comes with wall fixings as standard and comes treated with two weather-proof coatings to withstand the elements when used outdoors.

Go hardcore on your home workouts with Sfeexun's three-position pull-up bar, which is designed to save as much space as possible by fixing to your ceiling. This pull-up bar supports a maximum user weight of 300kg and comes with three handle positions to help maximise your bodyweight work.

This hefty Sportsroyals pull-up rack is made with heavy square steel and can hold a maximum weight of 200kg. With ergonomic arm support, foam-wrapped hand grips and fully-adjustable height and backrest, this multi-functional kit is built for comfort and durability.

Designed to be more sturdy than a traditional telescopic pull-up bar, this bar uses hinges at either end to ensure added stability. To extend its width, all you need to do is twist.

If you’re after for a reliable, ergonomic pull-up rack that offers bang for buck, look no further than this Pro Fitness model, which can hold up to 110kg. The push-up handles at the base are designed to allow a broader range of motion, protecting your wrists to max out your gains.

This 32-inch-wide pull-up up bar is the ultimate back-to-basics piece of home gym equipment. For less than £35, you’ll be buying a sturdy and heavy-duty steel bar that will support any weight up to and including 130kg.

If it's variety you’re after, this option from JX Fitness could be an option. Combining a freestanding pull-up bar, an inverted press-up bar and a dip station, it's an impressive pull-up rack. We can't vouch for its quality, but it works across five different adjustments and is made with a steel tube frame for added stability and safety.

If you’ve got enough space, but don't want to commit to a full power rack, this portable squat and pull-up rack from Bulldog is the ideal choice. It has a single pull-up bar for pull-ups, bar dips and bar muscle-ups, and can be fitted with gymnastic rings for ring dips and press ups. It also breaks down quickly and can be stowed away in minutes.

Boasting all the bells and whistles – including a bench and punching bag – this pull-up rack offers a variety of grip positions so you perform pull-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups, push-ups and vertical knee raises. All handles are covered with rubber to help prevent slippage and protect your hands.

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