Steel Shop Field Day!

The Steelfit Showroom is literally INSIDE a massive Steel fabrication shop. The cavernous space includes sky high ceilings, cranes, lifts, trucks, machinery and steel EVERYWHERE.

Steel Beams, Channels, Rods, Pipe and steel everything for as far as you can see. After getting some work done in the studio where the Steelfit equipment is produced, I love to take time to venture away to explore to see what type of "steel" trouble I could get into.

Now, I know lots of guys that would have an absolute field day exploring the shop in general....but my favorite finds are almost always in the SCRAP barrels; that is where it gets really fun. This is where odd pieces end up as by-products of other jobs in progress. What I find there is is always a bonanza, with dozens of toys the result.

I-Beam pieces of varying weights and widths are perfect for doing farmers walks, weighted pull ups or walking lunges. There are almost always solid rods and pipes of all sizes to experiment with overhead squats, snatches, pressing and all sorts of "body bar" type moves. Then there was the plates, channels and large pipes..........varying sizes and weights; for pressing, cleans and you name it; so much fun.

You may recall the saying, "one man's junk is another man's treasure". for Steelfit, the scrap barrel in the steel shop is it: Steel Shop Fun for sure!

FREE-Bar Demo

Our friend and accomplished Crossfit athlete, Blair Morrison from Anywherefit showing off some moves on his STEELFIT FREE-Bar.

One of Ten.................

The Decathlon is a really cool event; a competition seeking the Best Athlete on Wall Street. Better yet, the event is major fundraiser for a great cause.


10 events, 1 cause.

On October 22nd, men of all athletic levels employed within the financial services industry will descend on New York City to compete in 10 athletic events testing speed, endurance, strength and agility, all to raise money in support of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s research initiatives.

Every performance from every competitor counts because of the performance-based fundraising format. The concept is simple: the better a competitor performs, the more money he earns via donations. Competitors set goals,train hard and aim to exceed expectations. Competitors can raise more money than they think they could by breaking performance goals in every event.

The Events:
400 Meter Sprint
5 Cone Agility Drill
Football Throw
Vertical Jump
Pull Ups
Dips
Bench Press
40 Yard Sprint
500 Meter Row Sprint
800 Meter Run

This year, positioned as the third event of the day, pull ups are just one of the ten events featured. With only strict dead hang pull ups counting (no kipping allowed), the challenge calls for max reps without dropping from the bar.

This year, STEEELFIT FREE-Bars will set the stage for the pull up event. We can't wait to see the competitors in action. As we have known for years, pull ups are truly one of the ultimate tests of strength and we are thrilled to see them included and getting the respect they deserve.

Pull ups may be One of Ten on October 22, but they are ONE of ONE in our book every other day.......keep pulling.

STEELFIT wishes all of the athletes the best of luck!!

The 'newest" great exercise..........

Having read several articles and blogs lately singing the praises of the best new exercise; I have been mildly amused. The gist of the what I was reading spoke about a pure exercise with total body benefits and a laser like focus on building back and bicep muscles.

This newest find; the pull up of course...........and for many of us, it is hardly a new found skill, but remains an absolute staple in our fitness diet.

At first, I was a little miffed. After all, you still can't enter a standard health club or large scale fitness center and find legit pull up bars. The best you usually see is about 32" of abrasive or padded bar surfaces incorporated into a rack or other piece of multi-functional fitness apparatus. After a little more thought though, I started to feel a bit of redemption. For those who believe in body weight strength training and the purity and authenticity of old school calisthenics, it's great that others are starting to wake up to the simple facts.

It may be from popularized programs like P-90X and others touting functional training as the new religion, but bottom line....they finally get it and it's about time. We have seen many bars go out our doors recently on their way to smaller fitness studios, the homes of personal trainers and other general fitness enthusiasts who believe as we do.

As I have said many times, the pull up is under-rated for its supreme position as the perfect back exercise. With so many ways to add variety and dimension to the exercise, the benefits are really limitless.

New to some, an old friend to others......pull ups are indeed a GREAT exercise. Keep Pulling!!

2011 Afghan Games

Presented by Kandahar Crossfit and Life As Prescribed comes a competition like no other in a place like no other. On 9 and 10 July men and women of Kandahar Airfield will compete in an event as harsh as the environment it's being held in. The Afghan Games will bring out those individuals that have earned the title of the fittest and toughest humans on earth.

STEELFIT is proudly providing sponsorship and will be providing a STEELFIT Strength Grid for use during the Games. We couldn't be happier about supporting our troops and this awesome event.

For more information on the Games..check out the promotional video below from the guys organizing the games.

Pull ups...............ANYWHERE!

STEELFIT wants to congratulate our good friend and Crossfitter, Blair Morrison. He has become legendary by his alias, Anywherefit, and has offically opened a CrossFit box this month; aptly named Crossfit Anywhere. Check out the pics of his new space and the STEELFIT Strength Grid in the background.

Since we started less than two years ago, we have now found ourselves in the position where we have a broad variety of bars for just about every situation and can get STEELFIT bars just about anywhere. We started with wall mount bars that work great in all kinds of settings. The extra wide brackets are key, so kipping pull ups can be done even on a wall mount. But the cry for a FREE-Standing (and mobile) unit was just too great...and the FREE-Bar was born. This free-standing unit has proven to be huge hit...fitness studios, military recruiting bases, demonstration events and home/garage gyms. We can't keep up with the demand. Soon after that, however came the logical extension of the FREE-Bar.....the FREE-Grid. For smaller gyms not in the market for a giant pull up system, the FREE-Grid was the answer............



We started out a couple of years ago with custom Steel Grids in our backyard, and now the STEELFIT Strength Grid is available East to West. (Can't get our stuff out of the country yet, except for Canada). This is the STEELFIT original with functionality and durability that only STEELFIT can deliver.



So, bars for everyone and every situation and we now have pull ups ANYWHERE..............

Wall Mount Bars........forever!

Well, the questions just keep coming so I will stick with it for another week. First, it was about the ideal thickness of a bar, then the finish and now lots of comments and inquires about strength and durability. I have had several guys quiz me on whether or not a bar would collapse or bend under the weight and abuse one would expect in most gym settings.

I gotta tell you, I can't even fathom what kind of bars these guys may have bought or made based on the stories they tell....ouch!

Now, this certainly isn't a new topic for Steelfit to address. After all, Steel is the main attraction in the products we advocate; "Steel for Strength" is our mantra for good reason afterall.

Steel itself is an iron alloy and iron alloys are mixtures of iron with other elements. In the case of most common steel, iron is mixed with carbon which gives it its strength and durability, making it the perfect match for our challenge of strong and durable pull up bars.

With that said, many of the wall mount pull up bars you see for home gyms, doorway types and other commercially available models may be made of steel(and many are not), but that does not make them all equal. You want to look out for those that use light weight wall pipe versus structural grade standard or extra strong steel pipe. If you come across a bar made of another material....aluminum, etc., then run. Also, check out the fabrication which is just as critical when assessing whether the bar will hold a 300 pound guy kipping away at top speed. Are there a lot of bolts that hold the brackets, bars and other components together? Welded joints are ideal, limiting the number of parts that show up in a bag for you to assemble and increase strength, durability and overall quality.

Often the culprit behind those sagging, bending or otherwise ineffective bars is not the bar at all but the quality of the install or the integrity of the surface it ishanging on. If hung hastily or without the proper hardware or expertise, even the most durable of bars won't do much for you in the long run. Don't rush the install and take the extra time to seek some help if you are unsure of the integrity of your install location and best method to ensure success.

Good bars are made with structural grade steel piping. While hanging the bars correctly and on a wall that can handle the load is key,attention to detail, hand welding and minimal bolts for assembly will ensure that your bars will last......forever.

Elk Grove Grinder

It was a few weeks back, but STEELFIT was happy to join the ranks of other fine sponsors for an awesome event out in Northern California. We have been getting numerous requests to support, sponsor, participate and supply bars for CrossFit and other fitness challenges & events around the country (and the globe).........way too cool and we are happy help!!!

Pictured here are the winners of the STEELFIT sponsored 2 Minute Pull Up Challenge at the Elk Grove Grinder hosted by CrossFit 916 earlier this month. Gary Baron of Rocklin CrossFit scored 79 and Valerie Calhoun of Rocklin CrossFit scored 63 taking top honors in the men's and women's divisions.....Awesome job................Henry from SacValley CrossFit and Rafael from CrossFit 209 Sport did 57 pull ups rounding out the top men. Sara from CrossFit 209 Sport who did 46 pull ups was the second place female finisher.



Included here are some other pics from the Grinder....looks like it was a well attended and highly spirited contest. The STEELFIT 2 minute Pull Up Challenge was a mini challenge included in what was an action packed day where the main event included 3 WOD's. The initial two WOD's determined the top athletes who would go on to compete in the Final WOD. Our friend, Blair Morrison, of CrossFit Anywhere took top honors to the day....congrats to Blair.



Wall Mount pull up bars, free standing pull up bars, bars for outdoor events/challenges, bars from beams, bars for heavy bags........full scale Strength Grids and more. STEELFIT has hit its stride as of late in finding all kinds of unique solutions for just about any circumstance dished out. This blog is and always will be about the pull up and about ideas, equipment and ways to enrich our pursuit for perfection. So keep the ideas and the challenges coming for us....its through your requests and creativity that keeps us coming up with new ways to support our passion.
So, the GRINDER earlier this month and other large scale and regional events in DC, NorCal, Virginia, Afghanistan coming up. Clearly, we are having fun with it and best of all, so are you....Keep PULLING!!!!!!!

A pull up for your thoughts.........

Working out for me is often the time where my mind wonders the most. Wondering in a good way that is; not when I am deep into a set of heavy lifts, but for that 60-90minutes that I reserve for myself each day, it is "MY" time.....for thinking, dreaming, organizing and re-grouping. While juggling home, work and so many life priorities, my work-out time is the respite from it all....and the foundation that keeps me going.

When thinking further on the topic, its clear that "rich" is a relative term, no? Rich financially is certainly nice. Honestly, I don't know of too many who say its completely unimportant. After all, we all like to have the money to buy the things we want and to do the things that make us happy. In contrast however, there are many rich and famous (think Charlie Sheen) who seem to be very much deprived of REAL riches in life.

A commitment to daily fitness is so much more than just exercise. For some it may be just a chore, ordered by the DOC to cut some weight or improve cardiovascular health. For athletes, it may be work; the training necessary to actually perform and excel in your chosen field. For many however, it is a choice to find balance and feel better about each day....a way of life that is more fulfilling than the empty alternative.

So one may wish for a penny for THEIR thoughts and seek financial wealth and riches. While that's all well and good, for me the riches found through my commitment to fitness each day is the wealth I seek....."a pull up for my thoughts"......far more rewarding in my book!

Backyard Bar & the "Murph"

Andrew Staples was the winner of the Anywherefit Steelfit pull up challenge back in Janaury. As the voters choice for the most creative "pull up" centric WOD/Video, he won the challenge and a new STEELFIT 48" classic pull up bar. When Andrew told us he planned on installing it out back on his shed, we knew we had to get him the metalized version that will withstand the outdoor elements for decades.

Check out the video Andrew shared recently giving his new STEELFIT bar a test run on a Crossfit classic,"MURPH"...................with a 30lb vest for a little extra fun!

Thanks for sharing Andrew.....

Back to the Basics............

I am reminded constantly at home, work, the gym and elsewhere that regular coaching and a good refresher is often the perfect prescription needed to jump start the mind and body. Getting back to the basics by reviewing the fundamentals and practicing can apply in just about all that we do in life. For example, as a life long sales professional by day, I never fail to gain "something" from going back through the sales process and reviewing the basic steps. This is the case, despite the fact that I have been selling to earn a paycheck for the better part of over two decades.

So what does this have to do with our gym time and with pull ups specifically; everything! In our workouts, we always want to add variety, try new things and keep the body guessing through randomized programming. We know this is necessary for continual gains. However, without the basics as a foundation, advanced work can often be counter productive. For STEELFIT, body weight exercises and specifically, pull ups, are as basic as it gets. If you are not currently dedicating some training time each week to develop the basics, we would encourage you to re-think the plan.

A Pull Up Review: Often overlooked for its awesome ability to build back, upper body and core strength, the pull up is really key for anyone serious about building strength. It's as pure as you can get and all you need is a bar, your body and the will.

As simple as they may seem, pull ups can be very intimidating for someone who doesn't have one yet though; I recall the day that I was right there struggling to get 1 strict dead hang pull up and could only imagine the day when I could blast out 10 or more. What I learned quickly however, was the absolute best way to do more pull ups was to do more pull ups. Like anything you want bad enough (and particularly for me), practice, practice, practice and eventually it clicks.

To learn and improve, I personally included pull up attempts into my workouts regularly with the aim at building strength and improving performance. There is a ton of material out there about how to train for pull up performance and in addition to just doing more pull ups, there were several other things I practiced to eventually get better:

Developing the Pull Up:
1) Do more pull ups - repetitions improve performance
2) Doing negatives - starting at the "up" position, slowly lower yourself down
3) Assisted pull ups with bands - attach resistance bands to a bar and place feet or knees in bands and pull
4) Jumping pull ups
5) Lat pull downs - Machine exercise that closely resembles the pull up motion but nothing beats the real deal

Advanced Pull up Performance:
1) Do more pull ups - practice, practice and practice some more
2) Add weight; use a weighted vest or hang plates from a weight belt with a chain or hold dumbells between your feet or thighs
3) Rope Climbs - a variety of rope climb variations all support upper body and back strength
4) Thick Bar Pull Ups - incredible for forearm and grip strength
5) Kipping - allows for increased "work" and achieving high repetitions
6) Vary hand grips for additional challenge...commando grips, towel pulls, close grip, wide grip, etc.

The case has been made firmly that the pull up is an awesome exercise with a multitude of benefits. Clearly, there are things you can do when you are building the skill initially and even more you can practice to improve advanced performance.

However, don't get complacent and fail to regularly review and practice. If we want to take those next steps and see continual growth and development......Getting back to basics is often just what we need.

Anywherefit STEELFIT Pull Up Challenge...

And the winner is.............Andrew from Virginia Beach. Congratulations!!

To celebrate our passion for pull ups and to support our on-going Pursuit for perfection, we partnered with Blair Morrison and Anywhwerefit to challenge his followers. The challenge was a simple one; create a pull up "centric" work-out, get it on film and make sure it included tons of creativity and of course.......great pull ups.

With over 60% of the votes from Blair's readers, Andrew's (now almost epic) belt video was the winner and well deserved. It goes without saying though that others were VERY impressive too....and the level of passion and creativity displayed overall was very, very respectable. It is pretty clear now to STEELFIT that there are any others that share our passion for the pull up.



STEELFIT wants to give a shout out to Blair for allowing us to partner with him. Andrew will be getting a STEELFIT classic 48" Straight Pull Up Bar this week along with a STEELFIT "S" T-shirt. For now, he's our newest man of steel. Of course, we are hopeful that Andrew will hang up his belt for a while (or hang it from the STEELFIT bar)...... for his next video attempt.

Thanks to all and remember, why just be fit, when you can be STEELFIT!!!

Just Pulls......again!

Not the first time I have titled a post with this simple pledge. This IS the pursuit of the perfect pull up right?

It's been a couple of weeks that I have been working in some gym time with a buddy Mike. My job was to introduce him to some high intensity, CrossFit style work and on "his" days, we would get back down to some old fashioned weight lifting.

He announced that Friday would be Back and Biceps and I was particularly pleased when he inquired if I was OK with a high rep pull up work out. I think he forgot my alter ego as STEELFIT. The workout:

3 sets of each pull up variety until failure
Each set includes the following, with 2 minute second rest between exercises

Behind the neck pull ups
Close grip pull ups
Upder hand grip chin ups
Wide grip strict pull ups

We finished off our pull up work with some off balance negatives..........giving us a jump start to our bicep work. Overall, it was alot of fun and REALLY torched the arms and back. In fact, the workout reminded be of some thougths that I have written about before and often quote when asked.

FROM A PREVIOUS POST:
Often overlooked for its awesome ability to build back, upper body and core strength, the pull up is really key for anyone serious about building strength. It's as pure as you can get and all you need is a bar, your body and the will.

As simple as they may seem, pull ups can be very intimidating for someone who doesn't have one yet though; it wasn't too long ago that I was right there. I recall when I was struggling to get 1 strict dead hang pull up and could only imagine the day when I could blast out 10 or more. What I learned quickly however, was the absolute best way to do more pull ups was to do more pull ups. Like anything you want bad enough (and particularly for me), practice, practice, practice and eventually it clicks.

While there is a ton of material out there about how to train for pull up performance and in addition to just doing more pull ups, there were several other things I practiced to eventually get better:

Developing the Pull Up:

1) Do more pull ups - repetitions improve performance
2) Doing negatives - starting at the "up" position, slowly lower yourself down
3) Assisted pull ups with resistance bands - attach bands to a bar and place feet or knees in bands and pull
4) Jumping pull ups
5) Lat pull downs - Machine exercise that closely resembles the pull up motion

Advanced Pull up Performance:

1) Do more pull ups - practice, practice and practice some more
2) Add weight; use a weighted vest or hang plates from a weight belt with a chain or hold dumbbells between your feet or thighs
3) Rope Climbs - a variety of rope climb variations all support upper body and back strength
4) Thick Bar Pull Ups - incredible for forearm and grip strength
5) Kipping - allows for increased "work" and achieving high repetitions
6) Vary hand grips for additional challenge

So the case can be made that the pull up is an awesome exercise and clearly there are things you can do when you are building the skill initially and even more you can practice to improve advanced performance.

When all is said and done, however, the best way to get better at doing pull ups, is to do MORE pull ups............JUST PULLS.......again and again!!

FREE...............at Last!

I can’t even begin to tell you how many requests we have received over the last year for a solution for those guys looking for a bar, but don’t have the wall space (or wall strength) for a wall mount version. Larger units or racks are out there, but are often impractical for a smaller fitness studio, home gym and garages. Many of the alternatives out there don’t offer the flexibility of being moved easily and the actual pull up bar surface is almost an after- thought.

This site has always advocated the generation of new ideas and new designs and it has been through this feedback that this new product has come to life. Stay tuned later this quarter for even more cool stuff you helped create.

The new STEELFIT® FREE-Bar has finally made it to the market and we couldn't’t be happier with the end result.

Like everything else we have pursued, we were not at all interested in mass production and using cheaper, imported materials. We remain committed to an MADE IN THE USA product and won’t ever break that pledge. Once again, we attempted to limit the number of parts used and always try to focus on incorporating multiple uses for our equipment to add value and functionality. We realize that our approach costs more, but the trade off on quality is not something we are willing to make……..and the growing number of STEELFIT fans out there, have expressed their hopes that we don’t change.


The FREE-Bar is really cool. It’s been engineered to provide the structural stability of wall mount or larger permanent system. But it offers the flexibility of being smaller and movable (if desired). Instead of just a bar, it has adjustable heights so you can get it low enough to do an inverted row and high enough to hang rings for dips, muscle ups and other stuff. Also, brackets have been permanently welded on the front of the adjustable height pull up bar, so you end up with a rack for an Olympic bar too.

Our mission has always been the pursuit of the perfect pull up. For each product we pursue and introduce, we have to be able to stand behind and know that it is of the highest quality and starkly different from anything else out there.

So, for now, the FREE-Bar is our newest toy......at last.

Stay Tuned!