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How Do I Choose the Best Home Door Gym?
A home door gym allows a user to do basic exercises using various types of apparati that connect or otherwise secure to a door in the home. Choosing the best home door gym starts with determining what your fitness goals are, as well as how much space you have in the home or apartment to do those exercises. Some door gyms mount in the door and allow you to do pull-ups, chin-ups, and even sit-ups, while others feature elastic bands that allow you to do curls, leg lifts, and other resistance exercises. The best design will depend on what your goals are.
You should not expect to be able to do an exceptionally strenuous or varied workout using a home door gym; these devices are designed to provide a basic workout in a small amount of space, so you will only be able to do certain exercises that can keep you fit during a home workout. It is best to use the device as a supplement to other types of workouts rather than the main mode of exercise, though it is certainly possible to design a light to moderate workout based solely on these devices. Think carefully about how much versatility you want in terms of different exercises, as well as how much space you have to perform those exercises.
If you are looking for more versatility, choose a home door gym that uses elastic resistance bands that attach to a frame, which in turn mounts over the top of the door. Make sure to choose a model that secures adequately to the door and will not loosen or move as you perform exercises. The bands themselves should be adjustable or replaceable so you can add or reduce resistance as necessary. The best home door gym will feature resistance bands that are comfortable and easy to use; look for bands with comfortable handles built into one end.
You can, conversely, choose a chin-up bar or apparatus to allow for other types of exercises. These bars may affix with screws to the door frame, or they may use leverage against the surrounding wall to keep the unit in place. The latter is useful for adjusting the height of the home door gym, thereby allowing more versatility because you will be able to position the bar low in the doorway as well to facilitate sit ups and other exercises that require the feet to be stabilized.
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Discussion Comments
For me, portability and an easy install is just as important as durability in a door gym.
I have a decent one right now that is fairly simple and affordable. The best part about it is that it installs very quickly and easily. It came with detailed instructions, but I didn't even need them. I just looked at the picture and figured out how to attach it.
I also like that it doesn't leave marks on the door when it's removed because I like taking mine to the office when I work on weekends to get some extra exercise.
@ZipLine-- You should have gotten one that attaches to both sides of the door frame, instead of just the top trim. This reduces the weight and pressure and prevents damage to the door. It's dangerous to use a door gym when the door is not suitable because you can get severely injured if the equipment comes undone during an exercise.
The door gym I have is very safe. It has several safety tabs that make sure the equipment do not slide off of the door. I think this is a must have if there are kids at home interested in the door gym. I have a young son who likes to do chin-ups on it and I have to make sure he will be all right using it.
I had a bad experience with a door gym before. It was attached to the door frame, which apparently wasn't too strong because my weight and the weight of the door gym made the frame crack after several weeks of use.
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