Pull-up bar in Lyon – get equipped without drilling

Building back muscles in a Lyon apartment

Lyon has a peculiarity that its inhabitants know well: a large part of the housing stock dates from the 19th century. Croix-Rousse, Presqu'île, Guillotière — old buildings dominate, with their thick load-bearing walls and solid wood door frames.

This is good news for anyone who wants to install a pull-up bar. These old doorframes offer a clear ledge and a solid structure, exactly what a pressure bar needs to hold without drilling.

Measure before ordering

Doors in old Lyon buildings are often narrower than current standards: frequently between 70 and 78 cm of interior opening, where a recent construction is around 83 cm.

Measure the interior width between the two uprights, at the top of the opening. In the vast majority of Lyon homes, size S (60 to 105 cm) is suitable. Reserve size M for wide living room doors.

The problem of neighbors

In an old building, wooden floors transmit everything. The pull-up bar here has a decisive advantage over jump rope or burpees: the exercise generates no impact on the floor. You hang, you pull, you go down. Nothing falls, nothing vibrates.

It is probably the most suitable equipment for apartment living, all neighborhoods combined.

A point of vigilance

Be careful with recent renovations. Many old Lyon apartments have been redivided, and some recent partitions are made of plasterboard without reinforcement. Tap on the frame before installing: a hollow sound should make you give up on that door and choose another one.