Digital resistance is one of the hottest topics in the home gym space right now. It’s flashy and new, and creators are posting about it daily. It’s also raising a lot of the same questions:
- Is digital resistance the future?
- How long until I need to replace it?
- Can it replace my weight stack?
- Will the cost come down?
- How much tinkering is involved?
Many of these questions haven’t been fully answered yet, which I think helps explain the results below.
When I asked the community about their level of interest in adding digital resistance to their home gym, only about 18.5% said “high,” and another 8.75% said they already own it. About 29% reported medium interest. “Low” was the single biggest response at 44%, but combined, the medium, high, and already-own groups outnumber it, 56% to 44%.
How does this compare to last year, when I asked a similar question?
There wasn’t a massive shift, but skepticism seems to have softened. “Low” is still the largest group, but it dropped about 6 points, with most of those moving into “medium,” the “maybe” crowd. High-interest votes dipped about 2 points, while “already own” rose by about the same amount, so some of last year’s eager buyers may have pulled the trigger.
My Take:
Digital resistance absolutely has a place in the future of many home gyms. For me, it comes down to how much versatility it packs into a small footprint. In one of last year’s surveys, I asked how big your home gym is, and over half of you said 200 square feet or less. That ties into this data really well. I believe this is the group where most of the interest comes from.
As prices keep coming down, competition pushes every brand to raise its game, and more of the questions above get answered, I think more and more people will seriously consider digital resistance. That’s especially true for those just starting their home gyms, who don’t have a bunch of equipment to replace.
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.