*Click on the (time) in each section below to listen to that portion of the episode. The full episode can be found on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you typically listen!
(0:00) Intro
This week’s survey questions were all over the place. There wasn’t a true theme, but a number of “random-ish” questions that had been asked back in 2020. For the podcast, we had a special guest analyst – Matt Pendergraph. He’s a fellow home gym junkie and added quite a bit of insight throughout. Plus, a Q&A where he answers a number of questions about his equipment preferences is later in the episode.
(0:43) When buying gym equipment, how important is it that it was made in your country (if possible)?
- Nearly 38% stated that it was not important at all while a total of around 43% voted it to be at least “important” with a small portion of that saying it’s essential. About 20% did not have any feelings on the subject.
- There isn’t too much variance from when this question was asked in August 2020.
(1:38) What proportion of your gym was made in your country?
- The distribution of “made in your country” equipment is relatively spread out. There are some with very little and others with a lot of gym equipment that was made in their country.
- This question was also asked in August 2020 and the proportion of gym equipment made in “your” country is down slightly.
(4:05) What do you lift with?
- Most answering these questions are in the USA, so it’s not suprising that the majority are lifting with pounds.
(4:56) Is it okay to finance gym equipment? “and” Have you financed gym equipment?
- Overall, most do not believe that you should be financing gym equipment and most have not.
- In an upcoming survey, we will make sure to include a question that includes 0% interest, which is something this question does not account for.
(6:21) Would you consider yourself an “equipment snob?”
- About 38% believe they are a “snob” when it comes to equipment. This is up from a September 2021 question where 32% said they were “equipment snobs.”
(8:21) How many work out in your home gym?
- Only 32% of home gyms have a single person using it and the most popular answer was “two” with nearly 43% of the responses.
- This did not vary too much from last time this was asked about (December 2020), but the amount per household did shrink a bit.
(10:24) Kabuki or Eleiko?
- Eleiko is the winner of this one with 56% of the votes.
- Kabuki did make up some ground from a survey done back in 2020 where they received only 41% of the votes.
(12:28) Do you drink a “pre-workout” before working out?
- Over half are slugging a pre-workout before most of their workouts (this aligns with a 2020 survey as well where 51% also said yes)
(14:41) Is it worth spending $30-$40 more for a barbell that will not rust?
- Over 9/10 think that it is worth spending the extra 💰.
- 89% voted “yes” back in December 2020 so not much has changed. A follow-up conversation is here.
(15:09) Battle Rope or Inertia Wave?
- Nearly 3x more voted for the Battle Rope over the Inertia Wave with about 40% not knowing what both are or the difference between them.
(17:54) Do you actually save money by owning a home gym?
- Over half say that they do indeed save money by owning a home gym, contrary to many of the amazing gyms posted on Instagram. So, don’t let those fool you!
- In October 2020, 62% said they saved money, so the totals are down slightly.
- A follow up question was asked on Instagram, which you can check out below. Many took the opportunity to say no, but…. there are so many other benefits that are more important than money. That was not the original intention of the IG post, but it’s good to know!
(22:29) How many home gym instagram accounts do you follow?
- Less than 8% are only following 1 home gym Instagram account, while over 52% are following four or more.
- This has changed relatively significantly over the year. For example, one year ago, only about 40% were following four or more, while it’s above half now. In addition, 16% were only following one and that number has shrunk to less than 8%.
(24:33) REP or Rogue Bench?
(26:30) Q&A with Matt Pendergraph
- (26:34) You’ve had experience with quite a few benches. What’s your favorite?
- (27:29) What’s the most overrated one you’ve tried?
- (28:13) Slinger vs. Surplus Strength? Which do you prefer?
- (31:17) What’s your favorite attachment to go with them?
- (33:37) You are a master with the lever arms. What’s your favorite thing to do?
- (34:38) There are a number of lever arms out there any tips for choosing the right ones?
- (36:59) One barbell for the rest of your life. What are you choosing?
- (39:13) Lastly, what are the top 3 specialty bars you’ve ever used?
(40:12) Sunday Survey Discussion – What’s the best purchase you’ve ever made for the home gym? Worst?
This question was asked in an IG Post as the #sundaysurveydiscussion. A few of the responses mentioned at least a few times included:
- A heavy duty rack and a solid barbell
- Nuobells and Powerblocks
Some of the worst purchases included:
- Cheap benches
- Battle Ropes
- Cheap pulley systems
- “Economy” barbells
That’s it!
Thanks for reading, listening, and answering the questions! Please let us know your thoughts at the bottom of this post.
Plus,
Follow Matt:
Website: https://www.mattpendergraph.com/
Instagram:
Youtube: