I was asked to do a review of the Pull Up Mate just prior to the the second national lockdown. Now, all gyms in the country are closed and getting a workout in is going to be a challenge for many of us. At the time of writing I still have no idea how long it will be before anything opens up so I was pretty excited to get a new piece of kit to play with.

The Pull Up Mate itself is made very well, has a low footprint when stored , is incredibly easy to set up and is stable enough to support my 70kg frame hanging and swinging off it. However if you are over 110kg this might not be for you.

Having set it up a few times in various locations around the house it now lives outside in my garden. For me, having the big red and black contraption visible through the patio doors has been a good motivator. If I see it ill use it, whether its for a full workout or a few pull ups in between sets of home schooling. Despite being subjected to rain, snow and the occassional thunder storm it is still in pristine condition so it appears to be weather proof provided you dont scratch up the powder coat.

Home back workouts with less risk of death

Training the back muscles can be problematic when working out at home, as not everyone has a lat pull down or cable sysytem lying around. Doorway bars are an option but after a couple of decades doing jiu jitsu my elbows hate any variation that is not wide grip and overhand. The door way bars never allowed me to get the width I preferred and I always felt like I had do weird things with my neck in order to get my chest to the bar without braining myself on the door frame.

Thankfully the Pull Up Mate allows for a tonne of gripping options including wide and neutral grips. Supine rows are also available, with a quick change in the systems orientation, for more posterior chain goodness.

Beyond pull ups
Pull ups and supine rows are great and all, but if I have a piece of equipment takeing up space I want it to have a bit more versatility. The different orientations allow for decline, incline and other types of push ups and with a few adjustments the pull up mate quickly becomes a sturdy dipping station.

Probably my favourite type of movements to perform on the Pull Up Mate, at the moment are the core variations. L-sits, leg raises, windscreen wipers, front levers all that good stuff.
I even thought I had invented a really cool shoulder exercise until I found out I wasn’t that original.

Im pretty sure I could shoe horn some lower body movements into a workout using the pull up mate but it would feel kinda forced.
I have recently had a look at the companys online information and there is something like 230 possible exercise variations some of which can be seen here.

As I continue tinkering, I am keen to add some of the more gymnastic movements, seen in the above link, to my training. Hopefully my attempts to become more ninja go better than the Italain and kombucha making.