Steel Gym
146 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 352-9876

 

I’d heard a lot about Steel Gym before I headed to Chelsea to meet with owner Ken Hunt. It’s won numerous awards and has made the “best of” lists of a number of publications,  including Muscle and Fitness magazine, which ranked it fifth in the nation. I’d never visited and I was curious to find out more about one of the better-known private gyms in New York City.

 

Upon arriving I had a seat in the full-service café, which offers shakes and healthy snacks such fresh oranges. An impressive collection of banners and plaques, listing the many accolades the gym has gathered over the years, adorns the surrounding walls. Near the café and filling much of the first floor is an array of cardio equipment, including spinning bikes, StairMasters, and elliptical machines.

 

Since Ken started Steel eight years ago, he’s added two locations in Florida, one in Miami and one in Fort Lauderdale, and he’s currently in negotiations for studio space to augment the one in Chelsea. Steel is staffed exclusively by private trainers who use the space for a small fee. It’s an impressive roster of fitness professionals that includes numerous IFBB pros, figure competitors, and even a Ms. Olympia.

 

The majority of the equipment is housed on the lower floor, where the high ceilings and square footage make the space feel as large as an airplane hangar—unusual for a Manhattan gym.

 

Steel focuses on free weights and offers them in abundance. The dumbbells go up to 180 lbs. and, as Ken told me, “they’re used.” It’s not hard to believe—there are a lot of big guys at Steel. But it’s not only aspiring IFBB pros that work out here. Ken sees Steel as “a gym for everyone,” and on the afternoon I visited, it was filled with a good mix of soccer moms and business professionals there for their regular workouts. This is a gym where you can pump some serious iron, but it’s also an all-inclusive place where anyone can focus on getting into better shape.

 

Beyond the expanse of free weights and plate-loaded machines is the large locker room. Clean, well-stocked, and spacious, it offers all the amenities that you’d expect to find at a top-flight gym.

 

It’s easy to see why Steel has done so well over the years. It’s a well-run, well-equipped, and conveniently located gym that gives people a serious yet inviting workout experience. For trainers, it offers a large space that is available twenty-four hours a day and an extensive collection of quality equipment that lets them give clients interesting, creative, and challenging workouts.

 

Ken’s philosophy is that everyone should have a quality experience at the gym, whether they’re fitness enthusiasts, athletes, or just looking to drop a few pounds. Judging by the success that Steel has seen over the past eight years, most people seem to agree.