The Strexi Story
Hi, I’m Steve Hogan, a sport and exercise scientist, process engineer and one of the original inventors of Strexi™ (Patent Pending) — and this is the story of how it came to be.
The idea for Strexi™ came while I was training a group of pole fitness athletes to improve their splits. We were using weighted PNF-style stretching with great success. The results were incredible, but the process was inconsistent, uncomfortable, and time consuming.
That got me thinking — we shouldn’t have to use multiple stretches to improve two simple movement patterns. What if the the same weighted stretching principles could be applied directly to split positions? The next morning, I headed to the hardware store for parts, grabbed some dolly wheels, and an old length of decking timber from the backyard and headed to the garage. By lunch, the first prototype of what would become Strexi™ had been built.
That afternoon, I tested it out. After just ten minutes of use, I realised, “My flexibility is the best it’s ever been.” With over 10 years in the fitness industry, I knew this wasn’t normal — it was something special!
Later that evening I asked a couple of the pole athletes if they wanted a go. They dubiously agreed. The feedback was unanimous: It works — but it needs a better look.
A few days later, Ross, a training partner with a background in design and manufacturing, offered to help. He took the protype home with him and a week later, he came back with the second prototype — sleeker, smoother, and featuring his daughter’s bright pink roller skate wheels.
As we continued testing, we noticed more benefits: increased leg strength, deeper squats, and better form and less body stiffness.
We brought in our partners, Cherie and Sami — both experienced dance teachers, pole instructors and personal trainers — and a small but very important group of pole athletes to help us refine it further.
After 18 months and countless prototypes, the Strexi™ was born — a safe, effective, and innovative tool for building flexibility, strength, and performance.