Designing the UXS

Update: The UXS has been completely redesigned and a new model with better ergonomics, additional handles for more exercises, and other improvements will be available in January 2013.

When performed correctly, chin ups and parallel bar dips are two of the best exercises for increasing the strength and size of the major muscles of the upper body. They’ve been cornerstones of my workouts for years and when we started looking at new equipment for our home training studio a chin/dip station was at the top of the list.

Although we already had both a power rack with a chin up bar and adjustable dipping bars and a selectorized multi-exercise machine for performing weighted chin ups and dips, there were several things about each of them I didn’t like. The chin up bar on the power rack was too thin and the width of the adjustable dipping bars wasn’t right. The chin up bar on the multi-exercise didn’t allow for a wide enough grip for pull ups and the dip bars weren’t thick enough either.

Unfortunately, almost every other commercial body weight exercise station I looked at had similar design flaws. Among other things, the bar diameters and dimensions were all wrong and most did not feel very strong or stable.

For a while I considered modifying the selectorized machine, adding larger-diameter dipping handles and altering the carriage to widen the parallel pull up bars. The more I thought about it the more things I wanted to change, and eventually I decided it made more sense to just design my own entirely new station.

An improved chin up and dip station wasn’t enough to justify the time, effort and expense of developing a new piece of equipment, though, especially considering we already owned two to perform chin ups and dips on. It wasn’t enough to just be better, it had to do more. If it could be used to perform several additional exercises it would save us money by eliminating the need for more equipment and allow us to make optimum use of our limited floor space.

I started by considering other bodyweight exercises that required or could be made safer or more effective with equipment and what was needed, focusing primarily on the upper body;

• Chin ups and pull ups require an overhead bar
• Dips required parallel bars at around mid torso height
• Inverted rows and arm curls require a bar just out of reach while laying on the floor
• Various types of push ups can be performed over a greater range of motion or with more wrist comfort on elevated handles

The bars for pulling and hanging exercises needed to be thick enough to be comfortable to grip without being too thick to grip securely. The bars for pushing and support exercises needed to be even thicker to distribute force over a larger area of the palms. They also needed to be angled for two reasons; for a more comfortable wrist position during parallel bar dips and push ups and to provide varying widths to accommodate different sized users.

The angle was especially important for the chinning bar. Allowing an angled grip made it possible to use any hand spacing desired during chin ups or pull ups without the wrists being supinated or pronated to an uncomfortable degree.

Each of the bars had to be high enough to allow adequate clearance over a full range of motion for taller users without being too high for easy entry and exit for shorter users. It had to be possible to reach the chin up, pull up and dip bars from a standing position without having to jump so the bars could be gripped correctly at the correct position. The heights were based on what an adult male of average height could reach standing flat on the ground, and by stepping on the push up bars even users only 5? tall can reach the chin up and pull up bars.

A roller pad at the front of the station can be leaned against to maintain balance during squats, similar to wall squats with a stability ball but safer and easier to get into and out of position to perform. The pad can also be used to alter the body angle during push ups and rows or used in combination with the push up and row bars to perform knee extension and flexion exercises.

I was very excited about the ability to perform these leg exercises as it made it possible to effectively train the entire body on the station – a huge plus when space is limited.

A rounded step towards the front provides both a comfortable platform for heel raises and a brace for the feet during “shoulder push ups” and other exercises.

Although the station was designed with a single user in mind it is possible for two or three people to perform certain exercise combinations on it simultaneously, making it a versatile tool for couples and small group training.

The station is constructed of heavy gauge steel tubing and plating for extreme strength and stability. It will not flex or wobble at all during use like most other body weight equipment.

Considering the heavy use I anticipated it would receive I wanted the finish to be as wear resistant and easy to clean as possible, so a powder coat finish and BoltaFlex upholstery were chosen for both durability and appearance.

Although it is not a standard feature, I added 1/8 inch metallic pinstriping around the exact center of all the bars to use as a reference point during instruction and for consistent hand positioning between workouts.