Anybody that has read through the Back section of AST's MAX OT training has probably read that the turned down ends on most pull-up bars are useless. "Gripping a bar at an angle puts too much stress on the AC joint and actually reduces the overload on the lats. The same goes for pull downs on a lat machine. Use a straight bar here as well." And of course those bends are exactly where we'd really like to be gripping the bars...grrrrrr :(
So if you're like me, you live with it (what choice do we really have here?) and probably grip the bar narrower than I'd like to be. Guess what?...you can turn those useless turned down bars into something awesome! Check out this piece from a description of the Upside Down Chin Bar (it's actually the same as the Upside Down Lat Bar...but you'll get the point) on Larry Scott's site (http://www.larryscott.com/)...

I know its upside down but it works better this way. Wait till you try it. You'll see what I mean.

All "back" work should move the scapula through it's entire range of movement, from full adduction to full abduction.
If you start the exercise with the little finger higher than the thumb. It makes it easier to get into full abduction position. That's why the bar should be turned up on the outside not turned down.
The bar needs to be at least 1 1/4' in diameter and it should never be revolving. Otherwise the bar will twist right out of your hands.

*Scratches head*...I wonder how much work it would be to flip those pull-up bars over? :confused:
Flip em, and you just converted those useless turned down ends, into a beautiful new and more effective pull-up station. Have doubts about this?...turn your wrists into that downturned position and pretend to do a lat pulldown to your chest, with a nice stretch at the bottom. Now turn your hands up in the new position, and do the exact same movement... :tu:
Still not sure...how much work do you think it would be to put them back the way they were?

I'm pretty sure that I may have already mentioned that I'm somewhat of an equipment junkie... :lol:

do you own the rack? how hard is it to switch them? does it hurt your wrists? i would think a straight bar would be optimal

I dunno about that whole upside down bar thing. It feels good in the air at the bottom, but not at the top. Anyway, I'm not going to change it, I do narrow pull-ups anyway, but on a powertec you can easily just take the bolts out and switch the pull up bars.

do you own the rack? how hard is it to switch them? does it hurt your wrists? i would think a straight bar would be optimal

Yes, I do own that rack. I flipped mine last night, mainly because they were doing me no good at all turned down. I've also got a length of solid 1" steel rod across the top of my rack, that I had thrown up there for my ab-slings. So there's the straight bar, if i want to use it.