Custom Made Texas-Strength Monkey Chin/Pull up Bar

[NoKittyNo]

Hello all!

I just wanted to show you guys a custom fit Monkey Bar attachment I got for my Powertec Powerack.

I was/am not a huge fan of the Chin Up bars sent with the original Powertec rack and had been aching for a Straight and Variating combination. In the meantime what I had done was taken a Standard Barbell and viced it on with Spinlocks and weights for a count-weight effect. It served me very well for months,...

Now I can't recall how I went about the Texas Strength Site - but low and behold on their Rack Home Page,

http://www.texasstrengthsystems.com/powerracks.html

I saw this Monkey Bar setup and I really really wanted it, lol. Now previously I had considered buying an Elite Swiss bar and setting it atop the rack for the same purpose, or even fabricating my own as I did the barbell straight bar,.. but when it comes down to it cost wasn't acceptable for such a purpose, as well as I lack any skills for fabricating from wood, metal,.. any of it.

Fast Forward to now. I have sitting atop my Rack a perfectly fitting Monkey Variation Bar, with a regular Width one, a Fat Bar and angled grips. I have to tell you, it's probably one of my most favorite pieces of equipment to date.. I just love it.

I had previously wanted an Elite rack for the purpose of honestly.. the Monkey set up, but seeing as it's 2,000+ for such a thing was insane, so I figured i'd get my Powertec and figure something out.. When I e-mailed Elite asking if they could sell me the Monkey Bars alone - I was told no, they were specific to their racks.

So when I found this Texas Strength Site and e-mailed them, I expected the same monotone response. Little did I know i'd get an e-mail from Wes that they would/could fabricate me a custom made one for my rack. All I had to do was give exact measurements of the top and cross bars, etc..

It took a few weeks for the entire process - but it was the Holiday's after all in-between, but I want to give big reps to the company for seeing me through it all and sending me a product I am so happy with I could cry from joy,..(lol, jk) The entire unit was about 223.69CND(215 American) for the item, them welding it for fit, and the shipping. (all together cheaper than the Swiss bar and more reasonable for reasons sake! lol).

I attached some pics.. of my previous set up of the Barbell viced and topped with Grip tape, and the new Texas Strength Monkey Chin Up Bar.

I thought i'd share this.. for anyone else who has Pull/Chin up woes and envy for the similar set up..










Thanks for checking out my post.

[RBLOCK]

Awesome. I have that rack and I want monkeybars too!

[jormone]

Very nice, though a bit pricey considering the price of the rack itself.

Wide grip pullups can strain the wrists; it would be nice to get the benefits of the bent bar style (elitefts)




which is also used on Force usa racks but with different grip positions (also seems to have knurling):



(Any other monkey bar styles out there?)

Could be a good business opportunity to offer monkey bars to power racks that lack them.

[NoKittyNo]

Very nice, though a bit pricey considering the price of the rack itself.

Wide grip pullups can strain the wrists; it would be nice to get the benefits of the bent bar style (elitefts)




which is also used on Force usa racks but with different grip positions (also seems to have knurling):



(Any other monkey bar styles out there?)

Could be a good business opportunity to offer monkey bars to power racks that lack them.

I am very pleased with the setup. I actually have no problems doing any form of wide grip pullups on a straight apparatus. When I attempted them on angled sets I would receive alot of discomfort in my wrists and especially rotator cuff. Mainly on the Powertec original one. I think it's really less ergonomic as it stands than beneficial. I only used the original PT racks for hanging knee ups and such, lol. Pull ups were previously done on my barbell straight bar.

I agree on the marketing for chin up stations. I think more company's should offer custom made ones, .. really worth it IMO. No two people are like, and so many set ups are, I am glade company's like TSS offers such a service.

[Trevy-trev]

that's awesome man.

priced a bit steep but I understand for it being a one off, custom deal and all.

Very cool of Texas Strength to do that for you.

I would love to get my hands on one of those for my p-tec but won't be having that kind of money for one for a while.

*EDIT*

just saw your post above


I have the same issue, I've tried a few different angled pull up bars and they all bother my shoulders, straight bars feel most comfortable to me.

[RandyBA]

Looks like a sweet set up. Does the monkey bars just set on top or do they bolt on some way?

[NoKittyNo]

Looks like a sweet set up. Does the monkey bars just set on top or do they bolt on some way?

It just sits ontop. Its secure and your own weight is a counterpart on it being stable, no real play and I finally feel like I'm getting a proper position on my chin ups.

I love it.

[RandyBA]

awesome, looks good.

[billy]

Seems like there is no knurling. Any issues with grip?

[NoKittyNo]

Seems like there is no knurling. Any issues with grip?

No grip issues whatsoever. Actually previously on my custom barbell I was using there it had grip, which was fine but at the time I had been using gloves for over a year bit I've been trying to stray from a dependency on gloves so I picked up chalk.

I would use the chalk with the knurl on the barbell which kinda was overkill. Now coming from the state of gloveless conditioning I have no problems with this chin up station. I find the paint they coated it wit seems to have kind of a. . . Slight grippiness to it. Also to note I use chalk so my performance isn't hindered at all.

I recommend if you can build your way up do chalk and bare hands. My grips improved overall from not depending on gloves and grip tape.

[zunker403]

I just wanted to add that it was $215 because it was shipped to Canada via Fedex. The actual item itself was only $100. Within the states, it would be about $30 to $40 to ship. If anyone has any questions about any other custom items, feel free to email me @ wesz@texasstrengthsystems.com

Hope everyone's training is going well at the start of the new year,

Wes

[Jimbo.]

Thanks for the heads up on this! I emailed Wes last night and should have one of these within the next month or so. It sounds like they build everything to order and I don't think it is a very big operation, probably the reason for any delay. I am looking forward to adding this chin up bar to my rack though, as I have been placing my multi grip bar on top of my rack for different grip options. This seems like a much better solution.

[NoKittyNo]

Thanks for the heads up on this! I emailed Wes last night and should have one of these within the next month or so. It sounds like they build everything to order and I don't think it is a very big operation, probably the reason for any delay. I am looking forward to adding this chin up bar to my rack though, as I have been placing my multi grip bar on top of my rack for different grip options. This seems like a much better solution.

I only posted because I know others like myself are itching for some more pull up options, and those with the Powertec Powerack and just left out of the chin up/pull up wars with a sub-par addition. I know others have countered this by buying separate chin up stations, or using plumbing tubing and mount it atop the powerack one, - and (see pic 1)even I found an alternative with the straight barbell. But the Monkey setup takes the cake.

I don't know how deep their clientel buisiness is but I hope it is deep, really good business IMO. I've ordered general things from New York Barbells and have had alot of issues :\ I think they have nice stuff, but after my last order from them(to correct another one) I think that would be my last, unless they had some select equipment noone else did. Could just be a one/two time experience,..

Anyway,

It really is a great solution, I am excited for you now! Lol. I was excited for me and now you, I love it so I am sure anyone else would.

Maybe let me know on this thread how you like yours..

[Jimbo.]

I only posted because I know others like myself are itching for some more pull up options, and those with the Powertec Powerack and just left out of the chin up/pull up wars with a sub-par addition. I know others have countered this by buying separate chin up stations, or using plumbing tubing and mount it atop the powerack one, - and (see pic 1)even I found an alternative with the straight barbell. But the Monkey setup takes the cake.

I don't know how deep their clientel buisiness is but I hope it is deep, really good business IMO. I've ordered general things from New York Barbells and have had alot of issues :\ I think they have nice stuff, but after my last order from them(to correct another one) I think that would be my last, unless they had some select equipment noone else did. Could just be a one/two time experience,..

Anyway,

It really is a great solution, I am excited for you now! Lol. I was excited for me and now you, I love it so I am sure anyone else would.

Maybe let me know on this thread how you like yours..

I said the same thing about NYBB after my last order with them. I ordered plate storage for my rack and they sent me the wrong piece several times befoe getting it right. I like my cage but I won't mess with them anymore.

TSS is a fairly new company and I think run out of a house, but if they keep it up I am sure they will continue to grow. They are local to me so I will be able to just go pick it up when its complete. I am looking forward to my new toy, I had to put off upgrading my cage so this should help off set that and keep me happy for a while longer. I'll try to remember to bump this thread when I get mine.

[NoKittyNo]

I said the same thing about NYBB after my last order with them. I ordered plate storage for my rack and they sent me the wrong piece several times befoe getting it right. I like my cage but I won't mess with them anymore.

TSS is a fairly new company and I think run out of a house, but if they keep it up I am sure they will continue to grow. They are local to me so I will be able to just go pick it up when its complete. I am looking forward to my new toy, I had to put off upgrading my cage so this should help off set that and keep me happy for a while longer. I'll try to remember to bump this thread when I get mine.

I ordered a few things from there: Extra J hooks for the Ptec rack, Dip handles and Bar Holder(mounted on rack, horizontal). Yeah, I had a Standard Barbell Vertical Stand sent to me,.. when I(100%) am sure I ordered the proper Rack Bar Holder(mounts on rack through holes to hold about 4 bars). So I had a standard Vertical bard holder and an entire set of olympic bars that were physically too obese to fit into those crevices, Lol.

I couldn't bother with the cost of re-shipping so I just sold it locally, now if it were an Olympic one I wouldn't of been so upset about it, i'd make do and just use it!

What I ended up doing was ordering again(:\) the Rack Bar Holder.. and added the TDS Storage rack with Plate holders. now THAT thing was great, but I was holding my breath as I opened the box when it got here.. lol.

Just to hijack my own thread with a small complaint on a company's site...(lol) Treadmill Factory: good prices, great shipping.. Billing is retarded.

I've ordered multiple things on there, and if something was "Out of stock" I had the option to continue with the rest of the order and exclude it - or wait. When I chose Exclude and continue the next day I get an e-mail saying my Credit Card was declined when I had way more than sufficient funds for it. This happened MULTIPLE times, and I even asked a rep if this could be a glitch in their system - they said it was not. So I gave up on ordering from them and just let my orders go and shopped around. Too much of an annoyance.

Anyway - yeah, def. update on yours.. Lucky to pick it up though. Lol.

[digmz]

I was/am not a huge fan of the Chin Up bars sent with the original Powertec rack and had been aching for a Straight and Variating combination. In the meantime what I had done was taken a Standard Barbell and viced it on with Spinlocks and weights for a count-weight effect. It served me very well for months,...

Now I can't recall how I went about the Texas Strength Site - but low and behold on their Rack Home Page

Sounds great man! I've been agonizing over the same thing......wanting to purchase the Powertec rack but not feeling enthused about their pull-up bar. One question though, going by the pics you posted (first 3 in particular), I can clearly see the two drilled holes on the back (top) cross beam/bar that are meant for the optional lat unit. Now, if those holes are "3 1/2 hole center", can we not mount NYBB's C-0170-B Chin & Pull-up Bar Attachment to it? It seems pretty logical.

Little did I know i'd get an e-mail from Wes that they would/could fabricate me a custom made one for my rack. All I had to do was give exact measurements of the top and cross bars, etc..

After seeing your post, I'm pretty convinced. I'm planning on purchasing the Powertec rack AND the monkey pull-up / chin bar from TSS but would like them to arrive around the same time. What are the measurements of the top and cross bars of the rack?

[NoKittyNo]

Sounds great man! I've been agonizing over the same thing......wanting to purchase the Powertec rack but not feeling enthused about their pull-up bar. One question though, going by the pics you posted (first 3 in particular), I can clearly see the two drilled holes on the back (top) cross beam/bar that are meant for the optional lat unit. Now, if those holes are "3 1/2 hole center", can we not mount NYBB's C-0170-B Chin & Pull-up Bar Attachment to it? It seems pretty logical.




After seeing your post, I'm pretty convinced. I'm planning on purchasing the Powertec rack AND the monkey pull-up / chin bar from TSS but would like them to arrive around the same time. What are the measurements of the top and cross bars of the rack?

You could probably fabricate an alternative with the Lat holes, as long as they lined up.

Well when I measured my Powertec Rack my measurments were as follows:

(exact paragraph I sent to TSS to Wes)

Okay well, I attached a PDF formatted file for the measurements, as well as a few others formats with picture layouts for clarification of the Powertec Power Rack, but will also include them in this reply.

From the TOP of the racks INSIDE,(Side-Side. Width) Bar-Bar is 44 1/2''.
From the TOP of the rack OUTSIDE, (Side-Side, Width)Bar0Bar is 49 1/2''
From the TOP, Back to front, of the Bars is 25 1/2''.
If you were to go paralell, from back to front - across length, 51 1/2''.

.. I even included a pic I did with Paint, Lol, here.



Same one I sent to TSS.

[digmz]

You could probably fabricate an alternative with the Lat holes, as long as they lined up.

Well when I measured my Powertec Rack my measurments were as follows:

(exact paragraph I sent to TSS to Wes)

Okay well, I attached a PDF formatted file for the measurements, as well as a few others formats with picture layouts for clarification of the Powertec Power Rack, but will also include them in this reply.

From the TOP of the racks INSIDE,(Side-Side. Width) Bar-Bar is 44 1/2''.
From the TOP of the rack OUTSIDE, (Side-Side, Width)Bar0Bar is 49 1/2''
From the TOP, Back to front, of the Bars is 25 1/2''.
If you were to go paralell, from back to front - across length, 51 1/2''.

.. I even included a pic I did with Paint, Lol, here.

About the lat holes on the rack, they should and will line up if they are 3 1/2 " hole center (from center of one hole to the other) as indicated on New York Barbell's site. I haven't purchased the rack yet so am unable to confirm those measurements.

You just went above and beyond my expectations. I truly appreciate it! If ever there was any confusion, that "paint" jpeg would certainly clarify things. lol It's great! This will be very helpful to a lot of people. Thanks again!

[NoKittyNo]

About the lat holes on the rack, they should and will line up if they are 3 1/2 " hole center (from center of one hole to the other) as indicated on New York Barbell's site. I haven't purchased the rack yet so am unable to confirm those measurements.

You just went above and beyond my expectations. I truly appreciate it! If ever there was any confusion, that "paint" jpeg would certainly clarify things. lol It's great! This will be very helpful to a lot of people. Thanks again!

Glad I could help.

[Alchematron]

OP or anyone, how has this bar been working for you?

I assume you are able to work different muscle fibers with this type of bar?

Anyone know if Powertec may offer an option like this?

What's the issue with the stock bar?

Thanx

[cgc]

I normally hate bumps of old post...

But my wife still owes me an anniversary gift for this year.....and I think I found what she may be getting me....

[kak39]

I ordered one from Texas Strength Systems about 3 weeks ago. The wait is killer!!

[NoKittyNo]

I ordered one from Texas Strength Systems about 3 weeks ago. The wait is killer!!

It's worth the wait! I remember when I received it I was actually just about tuckered out and done my workout, and downstairs came my Package from my brother. I unwrapped it(boxed and packaged well) and tossed it ontop my rack. I ended up extending my workout just to cater to it. Lol. Love it - you will too.

[cgc]

I'd actually like to have one made with bolt holes in it so I can just replace the pull-bar totatly on the front of my power line.

It's not the deepest of racks, so I think it would be better to just replace the stock bar if possible...

Hmmmm...I really may have to pull the trigger on this and put some other stuff on the back burner....

[Jimbo.]

It really is a nice addition, I always look forward to my daily pullup routine since I got it. It actually helped to motivate me to get better at pullups and I have been running the Recon Ron program for several weeks now. So far so good, the grip variations keep it interesting.

@cgc, I was worried about having enough room for it as well in my cage but it really is no problem. I just keep it pushed all the way back. I think we have the same amount of clearance in or cages, 2 feet.

[Keetman]

I'd actually like to have one made with bolt holes in it so I can just replace the pull-bar totatly on the front of my power line.

It's not the deepest of racks, so I think it would be better to just replace the stock bar if possible...

Hmmmm...I really may have to pull the trigger on this and put some other stuff on the back burner....

Hey CGC, I can see why someone would want this, I'd do the same if I was in this position. I'm wondering from your previous posts though, how tied you are to that powerline rack. I get the opinion that if the stars align correctly for you.....its out the door.

There's nothing wrong with paying the premium for a cool monkeybar, but do you want to do it before you've decided if you're keeping the rack for awhile? I guess you might get lucky and it fits a new rack, but who knows. You're certainly not going to recoup the costs (unless you get lucky and find somebody that knows its value) when you sell.

Just some thoughts.

OP, I forgot about this thread and tried to rep you....I've already repped your original post. This is a great thread and deserves to be bumped! Great idea, great company, great service, and he even came here and said hello.

[tombro]

for an extra 100 bucks u coulda just got the elitefts swiss bar and threw that on top, plus took advantage of the other 3458513 exercises you can do with it.
i am falling in love with my swiss bar all over again because i recently discovered that it works wonders for front raises, and you can hit the front delt in three positions, amazing

[cgc]

@cgc, I was worried about having enough room for it as well in my cage but it really is no problem. I just keep it pushed all the way back. I think we have the same amount of clearance in or cages, 2 feet.

Yeah, I've never had an issue with the 2' working space inside the rack.
With the monkey bar though, I wasn't sure how kipping pullups would go cause I got a big mellon...lol

<<<< That picture doesn't do justice...but I got a big head and I'm not real keen on playing bumper pool with it in between the braces/pullup bars...lol.

Hey CGC, I can see why someone would want this, I'd do the same if I was in this position. I'm wondering from your previous posts though, how tied you are to that powerline rack. I get the opinion that if the stars align correctly for you.....its out the door.

There's nothing wrong with paying the premium for a cool monkeybar, but do you want to do it before you've decided if you're keeping the rack for awhile? I guess you might get lucky and it fits a new rack, but who knows. You're certainly not going to recoup the costs (unless you get lucky and find somebody that knows its value) when you sell.

Just some thoughts.

100% honest here...I go back and fourth.
Yes, if I got the spare cash I would LOVE to have a new rack. BUT, I also go back and fourth about just modifying the Powerline as I can do that a bit at a time as opposed to dropping a larger sum of money.
As much as I jab my rack, it does it's job but some "frills" would be nice.

It's a debate I have pretty frequently. Also, with the monkey bar I figure I could at least get half of what I paid for it back if I sold the rack separately (should recoup 100% of what I paid for the rack).

I certainly appreciate the input though. But yeah, it's something I debate and juggle numbers around in my head every time I see something cool like this....or browse the rack sticky up above...lol.

[Jimbo.]

for an extra 100 bucks u coulda just got the elitefts swiss bar and threw that on top, plus took advantage of the other 3458513 exercises you can do with it.
i am falling in love with my swiss bar all over again because i recently discovered that it works wonders for front raises, and you can hit the front delt in three positions, amazing

I did this before with my swiss bar and it really is not the same, It does not feel very sturdy and you cant keep the bar from rotating some. It is a much better experience with the TSS bar.

Hey CGC, I can see why someone would want this, I'd do the same if I was in this position. I'm wondering from your previous posts though, how tied you are to that powerline rack. I get the opinion that if the stars align correctly for you.....its out the door.

There's nothing wrong with paying the premium for a cool monkeybar, but do you want to do it before you've decided if you're keeping the rack for awhile? I guess you might get lucky and it fits a new rack, but who knows. You're certainly not going to recoup the costs (unless you get lucky and find somebody that knows its value) when you sell.

Just some thoughts.

OP, I forgot about this thread and tried to rep you....I've already repped your original post. This is a great thread and deserves to be bumped! Great idea, great company, great service, and he even came here and said hello.

I totallly agree with you but just wanted to note that Wes only charges $100 for the bar. OP paid so much more because it was shipped to Canada. I doubt the shipping would be that much to cgc, I could be wrong though.

I kind of went through the same dilemma, but in the end I could not pass up on the chance to give myself a better chinning experience, even if I get rid of this cage soon. I figure a custom chin up bar will just help with recouping a decent price when I sell it.

[Keetman]

100% honest here...I go back and fourth.
Yes, if I got the spare cash I would LOVE to have a new rack. BUT, I also go back and fourth about just modifying the Powerline as I can do that a bit at a time as opposed to dropping a larger sum of money.
As much as I jab my rack, it does it's job but some "frills" would be nice.

It's a debate I have pretty frequently. Also, with the monkey bar I figure I could at least get half of what I paid for it back if I sold the rack separately (should recoup 100% of what I paid for the rack).

I certainly appreciate the input though. But yeah, it's something I debate and juggle numbers around in my head every time I see something cool like this....or browse the rack sticky up above...lol.

Hey big head guy.........


I don't know what your time is like. Can you start flipping some stuff for a bit to get some cash for a new/used rack?

I do have experience with the powerline rack and understand your thoughts 100%. It works fine, but it would always leave me wondering.........

Seems like about 6 months of active CL perusing and flipping would solve all your problems. If you're happy-ish with the powerline, you're going to be ecstatic with a jump up in quality to even a powertec, bodysolid, or bodycraft.

I'm not trying to spend your money though.....well, ok...maybe I am a little.