You could write a whole e-book about the perfect height for a pull-up bar. This guide from klimmzugstangen.de keeps it short and just covers the main points. By the end of this guide, you'll know what the perfect height for a pull-up bar depends on and why it's important for your pull-up bar, too.
Body Height and Arm Length, from Elbow to Fingertips
The perfect height for a pull-up bar depends on your own height. Specifically, it's your height plus your arm length, measured from your elbow to your fingertips.
Perfect Pull-Up Bar Height = Body Height + Arm Length from Elbow to Fingertips
Example Calculation
Let's say your arm length from elbow to fingertips is 15.7 inches (40 cm) and you're 5' 11" (180 cm) tall. Then the pull-up bar should hang 7' 2.5" (220 cm) above the floor. That would be the perfect height for your pull-up bar. It would also be the perfect height for your pull-ups!
Why?
The best way to do pull-ups is with your legs straight and without touching the floor. When is that the case? When your arms are fully extended during the pull-up and your legs don't touch the ground.
It basically looks like the picture below, with one key difference: the legs are straight.
The person in the picture has to bend their legs quite a bit to avoid touching the floor. If their legs were completely straight, the required height under the pull-up bar would be exactly the distance defined above: body height plus arm length from elbow to fingertips.
Alternative Way to Measure the Perfect Pull-Up Bar Height
There's another way to find the perfect height. You just have to stand on your tiptoes, stretch your arms and fingers up, and measure your total height, from your toes to your fingertips.
This total height would be pretty much the same perfect height defined above. The difference should only be a few centimeters.
Perfect Height for a Door, Ceiling, or Wall Pull-Up Bar
Most of us won't have the perfect height for a doorway pull-up bar. According to the German standard for interior doors (DIN 18101), our doors are a maximum of 6' 11" (211 cm) high. Assuming you have an arm length of 15.7 inches (40 cm) from elbow to fingertips and you mount your doorway bar at the very top, you can be at most 5' 7" (171 cm) tall (6' 11" - 15.7" = 5' 7") to have the perfect height under the bar.
Based on height distribution, and assuming everyone has a doorway bar at home, only 11% of men would have the optimal height for it. From a man's perspective, there isn't much going for a doorway bar. It looks better for women: 75% would have a perfect height under the doorway bar.
It's a completely different story with a ceiling or wall-mounted pull-up bar. According to building codes in Germany, the clear height in our living spaces is at least 7' 10.5" (240 cm). Let's assume 8' 2.5" (250 cm) for the following.
A ceiling-mounted pull-up bar from klimmzugstangen.de is usually 11.8 inches (30 cm) from the ceiling. With a wall-mounted pull-up bar from klimmzugstangen.de, a distance of 9.8 inches (25 cm) below the ceiling is also possible.
All in all, if you are 5' 11" (180 cm) tall and your room height is 8' 2.5" (250 cm), then the D4 pull-up bar, for example, would ensure a perfect height for your pull-ups! With a wall-mounted pull-up bar, for example, the W4, you could even be 6' 1" (185 cm) tall.
If you're shorter than 5' 11" (180 cm), that's not a problem either. You can easily make up for a few inches in height by jumping up to the bar. If you're significantly taller than 5' 11" (180 cm), say 6' 7" (200 cm), then I'd recommend finding a room with high ceilings to mount your pull-up bar.
Conclusion of this Guide
The perfect height for a pull-up bar can be figured out very easily. Just add your height and your arm length (measured from elbow to fingertips) together—and there you have it, the perfect height for your pull-up bar! You can also stand on your tiptoes, stretch your arms and fingers up, and then measure yourself. That should give you more or less the same perfect height.
If you have a doorway pull-up bar, you most likely won't have enough height for your pull-ups. This is especially true if you're taller than 5' 7" (171 cm) and have standard doors at home.
With a ceiling or wall-mounted pull-up bar from klimmzugstangen.de, a normal height, and a normal room height at your place, you'll automatically have a perfect height above the floor. Of course, that's no coincidence. We at klimmzugstangen.de can not only weld but also do the math, and that includes probabilities.
Image sources: Wikipedia, Unsplash.
Original: Perfekte Höhe für eine Klimmzugstange Translation: The Perfect Height for a Pull-Up Bar Original: Wir haben die perfekte Höhe für eine Klimmzugstangen entwickelt und mit klimmzugstangen.de auch natürlich beschreiben. Translation: We've figured out the perfect height for a pull-up bar and, of course, described it at klimmzugstangen.de. Original: Dieser Blogbeitrag beschreibt, was zu tun ist, wenn Kindergeburtstag nun viel anstrengender ist. Dafür lohnt sich das aber. Translation: This blog post describes what to do when a child's birthday party is now much more exhausting. But it's worth it.
