Sunday, April 10, 2011

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..............

Sunday, April 3, 2011

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.