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.