Below is a look at all survey results from September 2026.
What interests you most in the home gym space right now (digital resistance, specialty machines, bench ecosystems, rack ecosystems)?
Rack ecosystems narrowly lead at 34%, with digital resistance close behind at 32%, specialty machines at 24%, and bench ecosystems far back at 10%.
What do you value most in a company when purchasing gym equipment?
Customer service reputation is the top priority at 37%, ahead of innovation (25%) and community engagement (24%).
These are traits people may consider when buying outside of product desirability and price.
Customer service is still on top but has dropped from 49% to 37% over three years, while innovation and community engagement have both steadily gained.
What “workout style” is most appealing?
Hybrid training leads at 46%, followed by bodybuilding (25%) and powerlifting (20%). Strongman is decently behind.
Hybrid is losing share each year (55% → 52% → 46%) while bodybuilding (19% → 23% → 25%) and strongman (5% → 6% → 8%) are growing.
What social media platform influences most of your home gym purchasing decisions?
Instagram (47%) and YouTube (46%) are essentially tied, with Reddit/Discord and Facebook barely registering. Keep in mind, this question was asked on Instagram, which almost certainly sways this question a bit.
YouTube has climbed sharply over the past few years (34% → 43% → 46%) while Instagram has declined (55% → 48% → 47%), nearly closing the gap.
Level of Interest in adding digital resistance to your home gym?
Low interest leads at 44%, but nearly half of respondents have medium or high interest and almost 9% already own it.
Interest grew from 2025 to 2026, with low interest falling (50% → 44%), medium rising (23% → 29%), and ownership up (7% → 9%).
What type of rack do you own?
3×3 racks with 1-inch holes are the clear standard at 47%, followed by 3×3 with 5/8-inch holes at 28%.
The trend chart shows how rack ownership has shifted from 2023 to 2026.
Level of interest in “bench attachments?”
Interest is lukewarm, with 46% low and 39% medium, and only 13% high.
High interest fell from 18% to 13% between 2025 and 2026, while medium and low interest both ticked up.
Approximately how much space is your home gym?
200 square feet is the most common size (32%), but 28% of respondents have 400 square feet or more. Overall, a wide variety of sizes.
The size mix has stayed stable over three years, with a small shift away from 100 sq ft gyms (24% → 21%) toward 400+ sq ft gyms (25% → 28%).
Where is your home gym?
Garages dominate at 59%, followed by basements at 26%.
Garage gyms have slipped slightly (62% → 63% → 59%) while basements have steadily grown (23% → 25% → 26%) over three years.
Approximately how tall is your home gym ceiling?
8-foot ceilings are the most common (37%), but about half of gyms have 9 feet or more, and only 12% are 7 feet or lower.
The trend chart shows the ceiling-height mix across 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Would you consider buying gym equipment from Alibaba?
Most respondents (57%) would not buy from Alibaba, while the rest split almost evenly between yes (21%) and maybe (22%).
The trend chart compares those answers between 2025 and 2026. There was not much change.
How do you feel about tech entering the home gym space?
Half of respondents are neutral on tech in the home gym, with fans (39% combined) far outnumbering those who want to be kept away (10%).
The trend chart shows how these sentiment groups have shifted from 2023 to 2026. No massive shift, but “keep me away” is going down, and “fan” is going up.
Do you use any technology to improve your fitness?
A slim majority (55%) already use some technology in their training.
Does a company like REP or Rogue (who are currently on top) need to implement great technology into some products to still be on top in 10 years?
A majority (57%) say no, the market leaders don’t need to add technology to stay on top.
“Yes” responses rose from about 40% in 2024 to a peak near 49% in 2025, then dropped back to 43% in 2026.
Level of Interest in an All-in-One Trainer?
Nearly half of respondents (49%) have low interest in an all-in-one trainer, and only 15% report high interest.
This is a significant shift compared to last year, where over 30% expressed “high interest.” This will be one to keep track of going forward.
Lastly, a simple disclaimer about who is answering these questions:
These results come from story polls on the @garagegymexperiment Instagram account, where I’ve been running surveys since 2019. I’d describe this group as some of the most involved home gym owners in the space. They don’t represent the entire world, just this passionate community, so please keep that in mind when reading the data. The group will likely change up from year to year slightly as well.