Rack Hardware, Benefits of Home Gym, Strongman Advice, and More with The Kurt Locker

This survey analysis and Q&A can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and likely the podcast platform of your choice.

Intro (0:00)

This episode is joined by another special guest “analyst.” – Kurt, AKA The Kurt Locker, on social media. Kurt competes as a strongman. He is a Veteran, DIY enthusiast and has one of the nicest garage gyms in Ohio. We talk rack hardware, DIY projects, think of some new product ideas, strongman equipment for beginners, and more.

What is your “Rack Hardware” Preference? (1:27)

  • Very little chose other, which means that these are very clearly the favorite options for most.

About 28% bought gym equipment during a November 2021 sale (4:40)

  • This is far less than the the 50% saying they expected to make a sale towards the middle of the month.

Vertical Folding > Folded Up Adjustable Bench Storage for most. (6:36)

  • In this audio section, we also discuss some potential product ideas.

A majority are working out “outside” of traditional working hours (12:37)

  • Evenings are the most popular workout time. 43% are working out after 4 pm, 27% before 8 am, and 31% during the day. This aligns pretty well with a survey accomplished in April of 2019.

Saving time is more important than saving money (15:47)

  • Saving time received nearly 6x more votes than the potential money that can be saved by owning your own gym.

A decent amount answering these surveys are running a “business” out of their home gym (18:34)

  • Whether it’s running a personal training business or creating content, there are quite a bit using their personal gym to make some income.

Lots of time is saved by owning a home gym (18:56)

  • Less than 10% believe that they are saving less than 15 minutes by owning their own setup.
  • A massive 43% save more than 45 minutes.
  • Let’s just say you save 30 minutes a day and you workout 5 times a week. That would ultimately save you 130 hours a year, which is more than 3 “work weeks.”

Have you been “Influenced?” (21:46)

  • About 41% they’ve made a gym equipment purchase based on a personal recommendation from a friend or family member, while 54% say a recommendation from a “home gym influencer” has influenced them to make a purchase.

What’s the #1 reason you train? AND What’s the #2 reason you train? (23:33)

  • With the four options availalbe to choose from (in the chart below), physical health was easily the number one reason someone trains with mental health being the second. These two responses made up about 75% of total responses for both question.

Cold winters are worse for most than hot summers (30:18)

  • Without question, this just depends on where you live, but about 65% say cold winters are tougher than the hot summers (35%).

Q&A with Kurt (36:36)

  • (37:34) When did you start a home gym and how has it evolved over time?
  • (46:00) What are you currently training for these days? What originally got you interested in “Strongman?”
  • (49:45) What is your favorite DIY project or two that you’ve done in the home gym?
  • (53:52) If someone wanted to test out strongman, what equipment would you recommend for a beginner?

  • (59:55) What’s a typical week of Strongman training look like?
  • (67:22) What’s your favorite “Specialty Barbell” you’ve ever used?
  • (71:00) Can you tell us about some mistakes you’ve made?
  • (74:23) It appears that you’ve grown steadily on YouTube. What was the reasoning for starting a YouTube channel?
  • (77:47) Tell everyone about your homemade log press?

Sunday Survey Discussion – “What’s your favorite benefit of owning a home gym?” (84:30)

  • The category with the most responses was easily “save time.” With no commute or frustrating traffic a ton of time is saved.
  • Convenience was also mentioned many times. It allows for your day to be more flexible and you can workout whenever is best for you.
  • You’re able to choose the equipment you want based on the training you do.
  • No judgement from others. – Can you imagine the people staring at Kurt doing his strongman stuff
  • Workout how you want because there are no lines or others around.
  • Family workouts and having the dkids around.