indoor climbing
Wall bars in the children’s room: The fun and fitness tool in a trend check
A wall bars in the children’s room not only has a high fun factor. It is also a versatile piece of fitness equipment for the whole family. The most important buying and training tips.
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Do your kids want more action in the children’s room? can they have With a wall bars for the home. The fitness classic is not just a simple training tool. It also brings lots of fun for the whole family.
In the hot phase of the corona pandemic, fitness equipment for at home was very popular. Gymnastic mats, kettlebells, pull-up bars, small weight benches, cross trainers or the classic ergometer were bought new or taken out of the basement and dusted off for the workout. The wall bars are a bit bulkier than dumbbells and the like, but unbeatably versatile. Best of all: the sporty ladder brings fitness fun for the whole family. And with a little imagination and skill, it can be installed in the children’s room to save space. And that’s just one reason why the climbing tool is currently becoming a trend in children’s rooms. In this article you will find out which models and materials are available, what is important during assembly, which accessories can be used to expand the wall bars and how you can train effectively and with fun.
Wall bars for the children’s room: which models are there?
Basically, a rung or climbing wall is nothing more than a very wide ladder. The (eight to ten) rungs do not have a rectangular cross-section, but a round or oval one. Why? They are used as a kick when climbing and as a grip when playing or exercising. Wall bars are usually not free. They are attached to a wall or the ceiling. More on that later. Most climbing walls are designed for room heights between 200 and 240 centimeters and are made of wood. Some manufacturers use metal and steel. Classic wall bars are offered in the basic version, i.e. without attachments or accessories. Important: Many models come in two parts and are placed on top of each other on the wall. If you spend a little more money, you get the wall bars in one piece and a bit more stability for the more euros invested.
Safety first: How do you properly install wall bars?
It doesn’t matter whether it’s just the children or adults who want to let their legs dangle: A wall bars must be mounted securely on a solid and, if possible, load-bearing wall. This works best with adequate fastening material. First check whether the wall bars come with dowels and screws. This is not always the case. Mounting brackets are usually included in the scope of delivery. These should be attached to the wall first. Use screws with a thread size of at least eight millimeters (M8). Make sure you have suitable dowels, a hammer drill and high-quality (masonry or concrete) drill bits on hand. Fix the wall bars at at least six points. For walls that consist of two parts, four brackets (two at the top and two at the bottom) should be screwed on.
Some wall bars are additionally secured with two cross braces at about the height of the bottom and top rung. This also has the advantage that the distance between the rungs and the wall of the room is slightly larger and the rungs can also be gripped more easily by adults. But the same applies here: It is better to screw slightly longer screws into the wall.
Wall bars in the children’s room: Which accessories are worthwhile?
The fun factor on a “naked” wall bars is rather medium. Children can’t do much more than climb up, let their legs dangle and boldly jump down again. But only a soft gymnastics mat that is best foldable for reasons of space (such as this one Model by BenchK) already increases the fun factor by a few points. Accessories such as a bring even more fun slant boardwhich can be used as a slide by smaller children Horizontal bar or pull-up bar for dad for variable hanging, a climbing rope (with or without gymnastics rings) or a rope ladder for the whole family. All accessories can usually be attached and removed again in no time at all. Some manufacturers also offer their wall bars directly with various accessories.
When attaching climbing ropes, rings and climbing holds, however, be sure to keep in mind that children’s room furniture such as bunk beds or similar cannot be reached when swinging, jumping and romping around. Especially with climbing ropes and swings, the range of motion is very high. Important: Pay attention to the maximum load of the gymnastics wall specified by the manufacturer. As in climbing gyms or when bouldering, the same applies to the climbing frame in the children’s room: never two people on the wall. Climbing on top of each other is even more dangerous on wall bars than in large climbing gyms. In addition, smaller children in particular should not climb a gymnastics wall alone.
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Important: Before buying accessories, make sure that the parts (e.g. the horizontal bar) can also be securely attached to the wall bars. The rungs sometimes have different cross-sections and diameters.
Fit thanks to wall bars: The three best exercises
When the kids are tired of climbing and hand-hanging, it’s time for the parents. For adults, a wall bar is a simple but very versatile piece of fitness equipment. And here are the top three exercises to start spring fit
- Hanging knee raise: This is as exhausting as it sounds. But also very effective. You don’t need any accessories for this demanding abdominal muscle workout. Stand with your back against the wall bars and climb a rung or two up. Grab a rung at the top with both hands and let your legs hang straight down. Now raise your legs simultaneously to a hip angle of 90 degrees. Important: Your back stays on the wall bars.
- pull-ups: Feared, but also a guarantee for the beach body (if you do it right). Pull-ups not only strain and train the large back muscle, but also the upper arms, the trapezius muscle as well as the abdominal and buttock muscles. The rest is quickly explained: hang on, swing out and pull until your chin reaches over the pull-up bar. If you opt for a classic wall bars without accessories, you need an additional tool that can be attached to one of the bars above.
- Sit Ups: For the classic sit-ups, lie on your back with your knees bent and tuck your feet behind the lowest bars of the wall bars. Then fold both arms behind your head and slowly straighten up. No problem? Then hang up slant board (if possible with loops) into the wall bars and try the whole thing in an inclined position. No matter which variant you choose: sit-ups are a real booster for the abdominal muscles.
What are the most important purchase criteria?
If you want to buy a wall bars for yourself and the children, you should consider a few points in advance. Most have to do with the important issue of security. Here are five important criteriaThings to Consider Before Buying an Indoor Climbing Frame:
- Dimensions: The most beautiful wall bars are a bad buy if they don’t fit or just about fit into the intended space in the children’s room. So measure the planned installation location in advance so that you don’t experience any nasty surprises after the purchase. Important: There should be enough space to the right and left of the wall bars to keep the risk of injuries and dents as small as possible. Especially if you plan to attach accessories like a rope ladder, his rope or a swing to the wall bars. If in doubt, go for a slightly narrower version.
- Material: Wood is by far the most popular material for wall bars. If you have a little more money at your disposal, it is best to use ash wood. But other types of wood are also suitable for children’s wall bars. In any case, it is important that the wood is free of splinters and that cracks are not visible when you buy it.
- carrying capacity: Before you buy, check how much the wall bars can be loaded. 100 kilograms is a good guideline for this. There is also enough space for accessories that are to be hung in the wall bars.
- Equipment and accessories: Depending on who and how you want to use the new sports equipment, this point should also be considered. Anyone who only needs the wall bars for pull-ups and other basic exercises saves on the accessories and thus also a few euros. Children, on the other hand, love every additional part on which they can swing, hang or climb. Here you have the choice between a complete set of wall bars and accessory set and a wall bars and separate accessories. With option 2, make sure that the accessory is compatible with the rungs of the climbing wall. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer.
- Seal of approval: Sports equipment, especially for children, is subject to strict safety criteria and often has to be approved by TÜV. Don’t touch wall bars that don’t have a GS (tested safety) or TÜV sticker on them.
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