Aaaaaah! Concrete! What screws should I use to install a pull-up rig or squat rack into a concrete floor?

Got a concrete floor?

Almost everyone does.

Even if your floor has tile, wood, laminate, or carpet, if you are on the bottom floor of a building, you probably have a floor made of concrete under it all.

Concrete is amazing- one of the structural innovations that allows us to build amazing and cost-effective buildings.

But.... how do you install a freestanding pull-up rig or squat rack into a concrete floor?

It's actually not that hard to install a freestanding pull-up rig into a concrete floor... if you have the right tools and hardware.

For tools, you need a hammer drill. (check out more pull-up rig installation tips here)

For hardware, you have two main choices:

• Concrete wedge anchors
• Concrete screw anchors

And there is a clear winner- use concrete SCREW anchors to install your pull-up rig, not concrete wedge anchors.

But let's look at what these anchors are and how they work, then we'll explain why concrete screw anchors are a better choice.

What are concrete wedge anchors and why would you use them for pull-up rig installation?

Concrete wedge anchors are bolts that go into a hole in concrete and when you screw down their nut, the anchors expand and grip against the sides of the hole.

They come in two main flavors- just a concrete wedge anchor, and a concrete wedge anchor with a sleeve.

Both styles work in the same way. To install a pull-up rig using concrete wedge anchors:

• Drill a hole into concrete
• Use a mallet to hammer the concrete anchor in
• 
• Put your pull-up rig upright over the anchor
• Bolt down the pull-up rig. The action of bolting down the rig/anchor pulls the "wedge" part of the anchor up, which expands the ring or sleeve, fixing the anchor in place.
• 

What are concrete screw anchors and why would you use them for pull-up rig installation?

Concrete screw anchors look more like traditional screws.

To install a pull-up rig using concrete screw anchors:

• Drill a hole into concrete
• Put your pull-up rig upright over the hole
• Screw down the anchor(s). These anchors work like traditional screws- the threads grip the sides of the hole and hold the pull-up rig down to the ground

We suggest using concrete screw anchors to install pull-up rigs and squat racks to concrete flooring

Traditionally, pull-up rigs and squat racks were installed with concrete wedge anchors. We are switching all our pull-rigs and squat racks over to concrete screw anchors.

Concrete screw anchors are superior for pull-up rig and squat rack installation because:

• The design is less intimidating to people who are not used to drilling/installing into concrete
• Concrete wedge anchors leave a bit of screw thread sticking upwards after installation. This can be dangerous if someone falls on it. You can cut the thread down with a hacksaw/grinder and cover it with a plastic cap, but it still sticks up.
• 
• If you do not drill a deep ("too deep") installation hole for concrete wedge anchors, then you cannot remove them once installed- you have to grind them down! On the other hand, you can easily unscrew concrete screw anchors.

So just use concrete screw anchors for pull-up rig and squat rack installation into concrete ;)

• Check out our full selection of pull-up rigs (aka "CrossFit Rigs") here
• Check out out squat racks here
• Check out a more fully-fleshed out article on pull-up rig installation here
• Buy concrete screw anchors here (Amazon)
• Learn what screws to use to install a pull-up rig into a wall here (the screws are different!)
• Tools needed to install a pull-up rig (amazon)

Has this post been helpful? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below.