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12/11/2022
Trust Levels in Rogue, Titan, REP, and Amazon for Home Gym Purchases are…
- Only 3% voted in having high trust when they purchase from Amazon, about 16x less than “low” votes.
- Titan’s most popular vote was “medium,” with about 50% that way. Therefore, while only 25% voted “high,” only another 25% voted low or IDK.
- REP did not receive as many “high” votes as Rogue, but only 8% voted low or IDK.
- Rogue dominated this survey with 91% “High” votes.
Pulley Systems are likely the most popular attachment you can add to your rack right now.
This was a battle between the most popular (larger) ones today – pulley systems, belt squats, landmines, and jammer arms. It wasn’t even close. With 54% of the votes, pulley systems were the easy #1 choice. The other votes were relatively spread out between the other three.
Most like their Power Rack Moderately Filled with Power Racks
Those power racks you see on the internet that are absolutely loaded up with attachments are only ideal for about 15%. 55% would like it moderately filled, and another 25% want them to be as clean as possible.
*I’m still waiting for the day where it’s normal for more people to have two racks. 1 nice and clean for lifting and the other with all the attachments you can imagine.
88% of those answering these questions use their home gym as their primary gym option.
This is definitely up from previous times we’ve asked this.
Preferred cardio options are relatively spread out as home gym preferences.
Air Bikes/Rowers made up about 48% of the votes. However, those votes would likely be cut in half if we were to break those out. If you did that, these results would be pretty spread out without a single one dominating.
The stair stepper and stationary bike would likely be in last place but still include a solid number of voters.
Also, keep in mind that air bikes and rowers probably should not be grouped together. With only 4 possible options, one needed to be.
12/4/2022
Overrated or Underrated?
This was a relatively random poll, but asked about whether certain products were overrated or underrated. Here are the full results.
| % Overrated | % Underrated | % Not Sure | |
| Sleds (for fitness) | 23% | 63% | 15% |
| All-in-One Racks | 28% | 55% | 17% |
| Hip Thrusts | 35% | 53% | 12% |
| Nordic Curls | 21% | 47% | 32% |
| Open Trap Bars | 32% | 47% | 21% |
| Plate Restorations | 32% | 45% | 23% |
| Concept 2 Rowers | 20% | 43% | 37% |
| Rack Attached Belt Squats | 34% | 31% | 35% |
| Barefoot Shoes | 50% | 30% | 20% |
| Magnetized Hitch Pins | 29% | 24% | 48% |
| Non Concept 2 Rowers | 37% | 15% | 47% |
If you take it one step further and take away the “not sure votes,” here is a look at the ratio of underrated to overrated votes. Sleds, Nordic Curls, Concept 2 Rowers, and All-in One Racks were at the top. At the bottom, you’ll see non Concept 2 Rowers, Barefoot Shoes, and Magnetized hitch pins.
11/27/20022
The Two Biggest Issues remain unchanged which are the price of obtaining more equipment and lack of space for the home gym.
A Newcomer to the list. Celing height is the third largest issue according to the data.
Other Mild Issues
Small Problems
Very Small Problems
11/20/2022
REP wins the Open Trap Bar Battle over Kabuki and Giant
- With 46% of total votes, REP received nearly 2x more votes than Kabuki and 5x more than Giant when it comes to the open trap bar they are going to go with.
- Less than 20% did not know which one they preferred.
SSB Beats Out Transformer, Marrs, Belt Squat as First Lower Body Tool
- The most economical option (traditional SSB) received about half of the votes when asking which one you’d likely add first to home gym.
- Only 22% said that they would not be interested in any of them, which is pretty low and helps show the evolution of specialty bars over the past few years.
- The standalone belt squat narrowly beat out the “Marrs or Transformer Bar” option.
Battle Rope Beats out Interia Wave, but many are unsure
- The Battle Rope received about 5x more votes than the newer Inertia Wave. The level of interest in the inertia wave is down even further than when this was originally polled last year.
REP Benches Beat Rogue Benches
- Last year REP received 52% of the votes, so their lead grew. They continue to have the reputation of having the best value home gym benches.
Have you heard of these Gym Equipment Entrepreneurs?
- Chris Duffin and Dave Tate were the only ones above 50%. All others were below 25%. The overall average was 24%.
| Name | % Yes |
| Chris Duffin | 56.5% |
| Dave Tate | 50.1% |
| Bill Henniger | 42.8% |
| Bert Sorin | 42.2% |
| Donnie Thompson | 41.4% |
| Buddy Capps | 36.3% |
| Zac Marrs | 23.0% |
| Steve Slater | 19.8% |
| Mike Bartos | 19.1% |
| Jason Campbell | 18.1% |
| Brian Henesey | 13.4% |
| Kaevon Khoozani | 10.2% |
| Pete Keller | 7.9% |
| Grant Broggi | 6.7% |
| Ryan McGrotty | 5.2% |
| Patryk Bielawski | 4.3% |
| Dylan Tellam | 4.1% |
11/13/2022
As of right now, about 56% believe they’ll be purchasing gym equipment during the Black Friday Holiday Season. That’s down slightly from the week before.
About half believe Rogue will be the most popular equipment supplier for home gym strength in 5 years.
Nevertheless, REP has made up quite a bit of ground in about a year with this question. In December 2021, they received about 13% of the votes, but this time around it was 38%.
Only 10% know more than 6 people with “serious home gyms.”
Powerlifting is the most popular strength sport among those answering these survey questions and it’s up 9% from January 2022 results. Bodybuilding votes down 17%, CrossFit/Oly down 6%, and Strongman up 12%.
28% are a member of r/home gym (22% in January), while 10% are on Home Gym Discord 3.6% in January).
44% saw that AbMat released a landmine grip last week.
Nearly 2x are more interested in a motorless treadmill vs. an electric one.
11/6/2022
56% are not interested in running a business out of their home gym, but 37% are at least “somewhat interested.”
“I don’t want the liability” is the biggest objection most have to run a home gym business, with 47% of the votes. Another 29% wouldn’t know where to start.
Over 71% are unfamiliar with the “microgym” concept.
At this point in the survey, 36% say they are no longer interested in running a microgym. The most significant pain point to overcome would be lack of time, where about 33% voted. Not knowing how to run a business was also something 21% thought was the #1 challenge.
Policies/Insurance was easily the number one item that most would need help with if they were to start a microgym.
One on One coaching and Open Gym would be the primary services offered by this group if they did indeed start a microgym.
The garage is where most would run a home gym business. This aligns well with where most of the survey respondents’ gyms are.
Only a tiny percentage see tourists or people passing through as ideal clients or guests. Friends and “friends of friends” were the top choice, with 54% of the votes, but people in the community/neighborhood were not too far behind.
New Subjects. Interest in custom work is not something most people want to do for their home gyms. Interest is even down from this question about a year and a half ago.
59% believe they’ll buy gym equipment during the Black Friday season. That’s up from 55% the week before.
17% say they’ve made a Black Friday sale purchase already. We’ll continue to track this as the month goes along.
10/30/2022
Do you think you’ll buy gym equipment during the Black Friday season?
Before the deals started, 55% said they think they’ll buy gym equipment during this time of the year. We’ll keep track of this over the next month to see how it changes.
Are you more likely to buy something from gym equipment companies that actively participate in the community?
About 3 out of 5 say yes! Many appreciate the community activism performed by many companies.
Do you get seller’s remorse after selling something home gym related?
Less than a quarter get this type of way.
How long are your typical training sessions?
About 80% work out between 45 and 90 minutes daily, with a bit more of that portion over an hour. Only 6% are working out less than 45 minutes, and just 14% are above 90%.
Has your partner ever gotten upset with you about how much space your gym takes up?
About 32% have had to deal with the wrath of their spouse when it comes to gym space.
How much of your gym would you keep if moving across the country vs. city?
While the percentages are obviously lower if moving across the country, most would keep a high proportion of their gym regardless.
Rack Hardware Preference?
Black Zinc hardware, which is much rarer than bright zinc, is the choice for most. About 30% are unsure.
Would you Rather?
52% would rather build their legs than their squat
59% would rather build their bench than their pecs
65% would rather build their squat than their bench
10/23/2022
What Type of Pulley System do you have in your Home Gym?
This was a very spread-out response. At the same time, 34% have none/other, and all other options received between 20% and 25% of the votes, with standalone being the most popular by a small margin.
Level of Interest in Upgraded Rack Hardware
Only 15% voted high interest compared to 49% having low interest in upgrading their hardware for their racks.
How Much Money Did You Spend On Your Home Gym in 2022?
This question was broken out into four different possible answers. 36% stated they spent less than $500, while 24% spent more than $1,500. About 40% paid in between the smallest and top figure.
Are you running some sort of business out of your home gym?
8% are running some sort of business out of their home gym, and nearly 27% are interested in it.
With cost in mind, who are you most likely to fill an entire home gym with?
This one goes to REP, which beats out the mighty Rogue for the first time in one of these types of polls. They’ve been creeping up on them over the past few years but are now the top choice with cost in mind.
10/16/2022
As a follow-up to the “Have You Heard of these Companies” survey, where we ask about companies that can likely outfit your entire home gym, this survey covers some smaller/accessory companies.
While the list could potentially go on forever, we started with 22 companies and broke the results out into three sections:
Under 25%
| Company | % Yes |
| Barbell Rescue | 22.99% |
| Havak Designs (Quick Triads Pictured Below) | 22.86% |
| MB Power Center | 22.07% |
| Beltfed Strength | 20.51% |
| Buffalo Bully Fab | 19.28% |
| Vendetta Strength and Athletics | 17.45% |
| Ancore | 17.33% |
| Stix and Stone | 8.96% |
| Arm Assassin Strength Shop | 5.25% |
25-40%
| Company | % Yes |
| Oak Club MFG (Alpha Attachment Pictured Below) | 34.40% |
| Irwin Fitness Supply | 33.38% |
| Mutant Metals | 31.74% |
| Black Widow Training Gear | 31.25% |
| Bench Blokz | 29.46% |
| Inertia Wave | 29.15% |
Over 40%
With over 80%, Powerblock was the clear winner.
| Company | % Yes |
| Powerblock | 80.88% |
| Gorilla Strength USA | 58.46% |
| Massenomics | 53.95% |
| Ironmaster USA | 49.10% |
| Plate Snacks | 47.55% |
| Micro Gainz | 45.96% |
| Bare Steel Equipment (Stack Weight Pin Pictured Below) | 41.28% |
The Full List x Have You Heard of These Companies (September 2022)?
10/9/2022
What Type of Rack Do You Own?
The “Monster” line/PR-5000 type racks were the most popular, with about 32% of the votes, but it was close. Monster Lite/PR-4000 type racks were just a few % points behind them. These two options combined for over 61% of the total, with “none/other/IDK” and “2×2 or similar” combining for the rest.
Which GHD Model are you More Interested in?
With 53%, the DIY version from @man_who_parks_in_gym narrowly beat out the new Floor GHD from Titan.
Gym Equipment Purchase Stats
- 2.26x more say they purchased more gym equipment in 2020 than in 2021 (69% total)
- 57% believe they’ll buy gym equipment by the end of the year.
- 28% say their gym is worth more than the vehicle
- 39% have spent more than $500 on equipment purchases this year. Only 11% have spent $0.
Best Product Releases so Far?
REP dominated this question with about 67% of the total votes and 300% more votes than Rogue and 560% more than Bells of Steel
Have you Heard of or Competed in the Garage Gym Competition?
We’ve asked this question four times already this year and it continues to go up steadily each time. 55% “hearing of” the GGC is nearly 2x of what it was earlier in the year.
While “competed in” isn’t going up at the same rate as “heard of,” that’s also on the rise.
10/2/2022
All 2022 New Release Interest Results:
| Product | High | Medium | Low | Neutral |
| REP AB-4100 | 33.08% | 43.11% | 22.08% | 1.74% |
| Lat Pulldown/Low Row Machine | 26.03% | 33.18% | 39.44% | 1.34% |
| Rogue RM-43 Monster Rack | 24.43% | 28.82% | 44.50% | 2.26% |
| REP Cambered Swiss Bar | 22.63% | 35.88% | 38.29% | 3.20% |
| REP SSB | 22.45% | 30.86% | 41.64% | 5.04% |
| REP Open Trap Bar | 21.84% | 37.03% | 44.26% | 1.25% |
| Ares Cable Attachment | 21.22% | 29.92% | 46.27% | 2.58% |
| Selectorized Lat/Low Row Attachment | 21.18% | 35.09% | 44.72% | 2.35% |
| Cable Tower Squat Stand with Weight Stack | 19.75% | 28.13% | 50.40% | 1.72% |
| Cable Tower with Weight Stack | 19.08% | 29.42% | 50.00% | 1.50% |
| Plate Loaded Cable Tower/Squat Stand | 17.50% | 26.56% | 53.78% | 2.16% |
| Made in USA SSB | 16.80% | 31.82% | 52.44% | 2.57% |
| Plate Loaded Cable Tower | 16.47% | 28.97% | 53.23% | 1.32% |
| SLM-Monster Weight Stack Slinger | 16.32% | 32.48% | 48.44% | 2.77% |
| Fray Savage Functional Trainer Power Rack | 16.23% | 28.25% | 55.78% | 2.61% |
| Bells of Steel Buzzsaw Bench | 16.14% | 41.62% | 39.50% | 2.74% |
| Hydra Seal Row Pad | 15.90% | 28.33% | 53.84% | 1.00% |
| Athena Side-Mount Functional Trainer | 15.85% | 29.22% | 54.49% | 1.84% |
| CB-4 | 14.70% | 31.66% | 52.26% | 1.38% |
| Rogue MG-4C Multi Grip Camber Bar | 14.44% | 25.83% | 56.90% | 2.83% |
| Split Squat Pad | 14.37% | 37.03% | 49.65% | 1.26% |
| Bells of Steel Deep Dish | 12.06% | 26.91% | 59.49% | 1.49% |
| Xebex XT3 Sled | 11.71% | 22.88% | 61.42% | 4.00% |
| REP Oxylus Yoke | 11.18% | 21.48% | 65.72% | 1.63% |
| Force USA X15 | 11.01% | 20.65% | 65.53% | 2.81% |
| Barbell Anchor | 10.78% | 25.87% | 61.26% | 2.08% |
| Drop In Dip Attachment | 10.15% | 26.69% | 62.98% | 2.07% |
| Stainless Straight Lat Bar | 10.13% | 32.49% | 55.70% | 4.83% |
| The MG-4NC | 8.36% | 29.74% | 62.74% | 2.14% |
| Force USA X20 | 8.32% | 15.17% | 74.59% | 1.92% |
| Wall Mounted Dumbbell Storage | 7.60% | 18.94% | 71.19% | 2.27% |
| Hydra Rack | 7.56% | 19.70% | 70.21% | 1.99% |
| The Columbia Bar | 7.46% | 23.35% | 65.19% | 5.66% |
| Rogue MG-4F Multi Grip Bar | 6.95% | 19.02% | 71.05% | 2.98% |
| Pinnacle Plates | 6.45% | 24.31% | 67.04% | 3.33% |
| Rogue Indy T Bar Row | 6.34% | 25.19% | 65.63% | 2.84% |
| Wooden Barbell Storage | 5.91% | 19.22% | 69.44% | 5.42% |
| Super Squat Bar | 5.79% | 11.82% | 80.86% | 2.12% |
| 2×2 Dip Station | 5.25% | 17.03% | 75.29% | 2.42% |
| Peloton Rower | 4.34% | 10.86% | 83.05% | 2.55% |
| Xebex Eco Air Cyle | 3.42% | 13.46% | 78.98% | 4.96% |
9/25/2022
This week was a deep dive into specialty bars. In addition to the standard “level of interest question,” we also wanted to see the level of interest in the camber on multi-grip bars, if the open trap bar is more popular than the “closed option,” and which 2022 REP Specialty Bar interests most.
(0:40) Level of Interest with Comparisons to Last Time
With 43% voting “high interest,” the SSB was easily the one that had the most “high interest.”
| Specialty Bar | High | Medium | Low | IDK What That Is |
| Safety Squat Bar | 43.25% | 28.00% | 27.00% | 1.75% |
| Multi-Grip Bar | 33.79% | 39.91% | 25.53% | 0.77% |
| Hex/Trap Bar | 33.88% | 36.61% | 29.17% | 0.33% |
| Curl Bar | 31.45% | 36.26% | 31.61% | 0.68% |
| Deadlift Bar | 28.37% | 26.59% | 44.37% | 0.68% |
| Squat Bar | 19.10% | 28.56% | 51.66% | 0.68% |
| Camber Bar | 17.72% | 25.74% | 50.72% | 5.82% |
| Buffalo/Duffalo Bar | 16.69% | 24.87% | 51.85% | 6.58% |
| Bamboo/Tsunami Bars | 13.42% | 21.96% | 55.67% | 8.95% |
| Axle Bar | 11.68% | 21.43% | 61.63% | 5.25% |
| Log Bar | 8.76% | 12.59% | 73.14% | 5.50% |
There wasn’t a ton of movement from February (as you’d expect), but the Multi-Grip Bar Jumped from the 4th most interesting specialty bar to #2.
| Specialty Bar | February Rank | September Rank | Change |
| Safety Squat Bar | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Multi-Grip Bar | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Hex/Trap Bar | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Curl Bar | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Deadlift Bar | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Squat Bar | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Camber Bar | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Buffalo/Duffalo Bar | 7 | 8 | -1 |
| Bamboo/Tsunami Bars | 0 | ||
| Axle Bar | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Log Bar | 10 | 10 | 0 |
(4:23) Is the Camber Worth Additional $$ for Multi-Grip Bars
Responses for this one were split relatively evenly, but “Yes” did receive the most with about 38% of the votes.
(6:12) Which REP Bar Release Interests You Most?
In somewhat of a surprise, the Open Trap Bar was the easy winner with 44% of the votes. The SSB received a little less than a third and the MGB was just under 1/4th.
This was a question we asked about before these products were actually released (only teased) back in January. While the Open Trap Bar did win back in January, it increased in popularity after all were released.
| Specialty Bar | January 2022 | September 2022 | |
| Safety Squat Bar | 35.00% | 32.13% | -2.87% |
| Open Trap | 36.40% | 43.50% | 7.10% |
| Multi-Grip Bar | 28.60% | 24.37% | -4.23% |
(8:51) Which Trap Bar Style Interests You Most?
With about 3.5x more votes than traditional hex, the more modern Open Trap Bar is easily the more popular option when it comes to a better trap bar option for most.
9/18/2022
Last week’s Sunday Survey took 19 companies from the most recent “Have You Heard of these Companies Survey” and asked if you owned anything from them.
@themusclewizard served as our guest analyst.
(0:51) Full Results
(4:29) Largest Risers
We’ve done this survey three times in about the past year. The three largest risers are Bells of Steel, REP, and Titan.
- Bells of Steel is up 71% (9.54% to 16.28%)
- REP is up 55% (38.31% to 59.55%)
- Titan is up 40% (43.71% to 60.98%)
(6:26) Only One Company is Down
Get RXd is the only company that is actually down from voting in August 2021.
(6:42) vs. “Have You Heard of Survey”
Lastly, here is a comparison to the most recent “Have You Heard of These Companies Survey.” Below is the ratio of % owned to % heard of.
Therefore you can say, “of those that have heard of these companies, x amount own something from there. A couple of highlights include:
- Rogue, Titan, REP, AbMat, and Elite FTS are still the top 5.
- Kleva Built may have had the most impressive numbers on this list. With only 44% knowing who they are, about 11% own something, which means their % own to heard of ratio is above a quarter. That makes them #6 on this list.
- A few of the well-known companies that have a higher price point are near the bottom of this list – PRx, American Barbell, Eleiko, and Sorinex.
| Company | % Own | % Heard of | % Own to Heard of Ratio? |
| Rogue Fitness | 84% | 99% | 84.9% |
| Titan Fitness | 61% | 98% | 62.2% |
| REP Fitness | 60% | 96% | 62.0% |
| AbMat | 34% | 92% | 36.9% |
| Elite FTS | 21% | 76% | 27.0% |
| Kleva Built | 11% | 44% | 25.6% |
| Body-Solid | 13% | 64% | 19.6% |
| Bells of Steel | 16% | 88% | 18.5% |
| Fringe Sport | 15% | 87% | 17.6% |
| Kabuki Strength | 14% | 91% | 15.6% |
| Get RXd | 12% | 81% | 14.9% |
| Fray Fitness | 12% | 91% | 13.4% |
| Sorinex | 10% | 91% | 11.4% |
| Eleiko | 10% | 94% | 11.0% |
| American Barbell | 9% | 88% | 10.8% |
| PRx Performance | 9% | 88% | 10.3% |
| Straydog Strength | 3% | 36% | 9.1% |
| The Strength Co | 5% | 68% | 6.8% |
| Force USA | 4% | 76% | 5.0% |
9/11/2022
(1:06) Of your last five home gym purchases, how many have been from the Used Marketplace?
About a quarter have made multiple used marketplace purchases within the past 5. About 56% have purchased zero within this “buy range.”
(1:55) What is your favorite “used marketplace” platform?
We’ve done this survey in the past, and the answer has not budged much. Facebook Marketplace is by far the favorite used marketplace option.
(3:37) Do you sell more or buy more gym equipment on the used marketplace?
Results for this one were relatively spread out, but there are more looking to buy than sell. “Buy More” received 62% more votes than “Sell More.”
(4:10) What are you most likely to buy?
The response options were somewhat limited, but weight plates dominated this question with 3 out of 5 votes. Dumbbells also received nearly 29%.
(6:21) Have you ever flipped for a profit?
Nearly 1 in 3 have flipped their gym equipment for a profit. While it’s not the majority, it seems a high number.
(6:32) How often do you check the used market for gym equipment?
Most are checking the used marketplace relatively often for gym equipment. Only 19% said never, while 25% do it daily and 30% do it weekly.
(7:16) Used marketplace lottery?
About 33% have scored a significant discount on the used market.
9/4/2022
Introduction
This was the 9th time we’ve done this survey, asking whether you’ve heard of 30 different companies. The list varies each time slightly. Some companies have been on this list all nine times, while others may be there first.
Below this chart is a breakdown one step further with percent changes from March and since June 2019 (1st time this survey was done).
(1:21) Above 90%
As expected, Rogue, Titan, and REP are at the top of the list. Eleiko and Peloton were added to this survey for the first time, and both had extremely high recognition.
Below is the complete list of all those at least 90% of survey respondents have heard of.
| Company | % Yes | Change from March | Change from June 2019 |
| Rogue Fitness | 99% | 0% | 1% |
| Titan Fitness | 98% | 0% | 6% |
| Peloton | 97% | ||
| Rep Fitness | 96% | 0% | 30% |
| Eleiko | 94% | ||
| AbMat | 92% | 2% | |
| Sorinex | 91% | 6% | 34% |
| Kabuki Strength | 91% | 8% | 47% |
| Fray Fitness | 91% | 7% | 185% |
(2:36) Above 75%
Bells of Steel came in at just below 90%, but you can see an overall improvement of 96% over three years ago.
Also, notice Force USA’s 377% improvement. Force was at 16% the first time this survey happened.
All companies that scored between 75% and 90% are below.
| Company | % Yes | Change from March | Change from June 2019 |
| Bells of Steel | 88% | 7% | 96% |
| American Barbell | 88% | 4% | 16% |
| PRX Performance | 88% | 10% | 29% |
| Fringe Sport | 87% | 6% | 34% |
| Get RXd | 81% | 8% | 35% |
| Force USA | 76% | 15% | 377% |
| Elite FTS | 76% | 6% |
(3:26) Between 40% and 70%
The Strength Co was the third largest riser from the last survey (+30%), up to 68%.
We also added several companies that may not outfit an entire gym this time around, and they fell in this range – Kleva Built (44%) and Surplus Strength (43%).
| Company | Company | % Yes | Change from March | Change from June 2019 |
| The Strength Co | The Strength Co | 68% | 30% | |
| Body-Solid | Body-Solid | 64% | 20% | 18% |
| Powertec | Powertec | 50% | 15% | |
| Bridge Built | Bridge Built | 48% | 12% | |
| Synergee Fitness | Synergee Fitness | 46% | 82% | |
| Kleva Built | Kleva Built | 44% | ||
| Surplus Strength | Surplus Strength | 43% | ||
| Gorila Fitness | Gorila Fitness | 41% |
(4:27) Under 40%
Finally, below is the group under 40%. This one is highlighted with Freedom Fitness going from 8% in March to 22% in September (+174%).
| Company | Company | % Yes | Change from March | Change from June 2019 |
| Crandall Fitness | Crandall Fitness | 40% | 24% | |
| Straydog Strength | Straydog Strength | 36% | ||
| I Sell Fitness | I Sell Fitness | 35% | 172% | |
| Gymway USA | Gymway USA | 34% | 35% | |
| Bolt Fitness | Bolt Fitness | 25% | ||
| Freedom Fitness Equipment | Freedom Fitness Equipment | 22% | 174% |
I Sell Fitness is the only company on this list that was asked about the first time around that is under 40%, but they are up a total of 172% since June 2019.
8/28/2022
(0:45) Overview of All
Below is a look at the percentage owned by those answering the survey questions. As you would expect, barbells, dumbbells, and a rack are at the top of the list (all over 90% owning), while the larger strength machines are at the bottom (under 20% owning).
(4:15) Essentials are Going Up
With about 1.5 years of data on this, we’re seeing that those owning the “essentials of the home gym” are going up steadily each time.
For example, the barbell went from 86% in March 2021 to 91% in September 2021, 94% in February 2022, and 97% in August 2022.
(5:06) Item Leveling Out
While just about every item asked about on this list has improved near or above double digits, here are some items that have not seen much increase since starting this group of questions back in 2021. \
| Item | March 2021 | September 2021 | February 2022 | August 2022 | (+/-) |
| Slam Ball | 34.69% | 38.41% | 39.03% | 40.26% | 5.57% |
| Air Bike | 28.93% | 33.63% | 33.27% | 32.92% | 3.99% |
| AbMat | 33.56% | 36.31% | 35.97% | 35.66% | 2.10% |
| Belt Squat | 15.75% | 19.67% | 23.57% | 16.83% | 1.08% |
| Jump Rope | 77.81% | 82.48% | 78.90% | 78.88% | 1.07% |
(6:15) Benches Outpacing Flat Benches
About 13% more own adjustable benches compared to last year, while flat bench ownership is down slightly.
(6:57) Stationary Bikes Taking Off?
While most of the more extensive cardio options are relatively steady, stationary bike ownership has risen tremendously over the past year, specifically the last six months. So much that the data doesn’t seem right. Nevertheless, the numbers were triple-checked, and this is what we have. It will be something to keep eyeing as this survey is redone in about six months.
(7:28) Strength Machines
19% now own a functional trainer, and the data states that it is the most popular specialized strength machine.
(8:32) HomeGymCon Level of Interest
And finally, last week, we announced an in-person event for the home gym crowd is coming. Just under one-third expressed high interest, and only about a quarter voted low interest or neutral.
8/21/2022
We asked the community how to freshen up their gym and have the results.
(0:54) Is the Home Gym Your Favorite Hobby to Spend on?
- A whopping 67% say it is indeed their favorite hobby to spend money on.
(3:17) The Full Home Gym Decor List
- Four options were ahead of all others, with at least 35% voting “need to have.” Those were upgraded lighting, mirrors, whiteboard, and flags/banners.
- Outside of the top four, only two had over 20% voting “need to have.” Those were TVs and painted walls. All other options had around 11% or lower “need to have” votes.
| Need to Have | Maybe | No Interest | Neutral | |
| Upgraded Lighting | 43% | 36% | 14% | 8% |
| Mirrors | 38% | 25% | 28% | 8% |
| Whiteboard | 35% | 31% | 24% | 9% |
| Flags/Banners | 35% | 32% | 19% | 14% |
| TV | 26% | 33% | 36% | 5% |
| Painted Walls | 25% | 31% | 27% | 17% |
| Posters | 11% | 35% | 44% | 11% |
| Wall Art | 9% | 32% | 50% | 9% |
| Medals | 7% | 18% | 69% | 7% |
| Chalk Board | 5% | 20% | 64% | 11% |
| Plate Snacks | 5% | 13% | 70% | 12% |
| Plants | 4% | 13% | 76% | 7% |
8/14/2022
(1:07) Buying from Favorite Athlete vs. Influencer vs. Reviewer
When comparing these three options, the most influential option was easily the “favorite reviewer” over the influencer and athlete. Even this, though, only about 7% said they are “very likely” to purchase a product because their favorite promotes it somehow.
(4:55) Programming questions
Over 7 out of 10 typically follow a workout program, just over 4 out of 10 pay for programming, and just under 1 out of 10 have a 1:1 coach.
These numbers are pretty similar to what we saw earlier in the year.
(9:13) Tech entering the home gym space
As more and more technology is starting to emerge, the interest in those answering these survey questions is decreasing.
For example, in January, about 14% expressed being “big fans” of tech entering the home gym space, while it was below 10% this time.
While the overall interest is only slightly down, it’s notable that it is not going up as one might have predicted a year ago.
| How do you feel about tech entering the home gym space? | January 2022 | August 2022 | % Change |
| Big fan | 14.10% | 9.70% | -31% |
| Fan | 23.10% | 25.60% | 11% |
| Neutral | 48.70% | 51.60% | 6% |
| Keep me away | 14.10% | 13.10% | -7% |
(17:12) History of Gym Equipment Interest
About 2 out of 3 expressed either low or neutral interest in learning more about the history of gym equipment.
The results were nearly the same when asked about vintage weights.
8/7/2022
(0:33) Rogue or Titan (with price in mind)?
(3:20) How much time a day do you save by owning a home gym?
- Only about 14% say they save less than 15 minutes a day by owning their own gym.
- While the majority are saying 15-45 minutes are saved, a massive 35% save more than 45 minutes a day.
(8:50) What do you struggle with most during home gym workouts? Finishing Strong, Warming Up, or Moving at a Good Pace?
- Moving at a good pace throughout your home gym workout was the #1 issue here with 42% of the votes. There can be lots of distractions that pop up when working out at home and this is likely the reason for the voting.
- Warming up was just behind at 41% and received quite a bit more votes than “finishing strong.”
(17:15) How likely are you to purchase a product your favorite athlete promotes?
- Over 2 out of 3 said it makes no difference.
(21:40) Knurling Preference
- The vast majority prefer a “moderate” knurl preference with about 35% wanting it to be aggressive.
- Less than 9% wanted it to be on the opposite side of the spectrum with a “passive” or “aggressive as possible” knurl.
(23:01) Miscellaneous
- 31% watched at least some of the CrossFit Games
- 40% classify themselves as an equipment snob (has risen a few percentage points each time we’ve asked since 2019
- Instagram is the favorite social media platform for 78%
- 64% would rather improve their bicep size vs. 36% mile time
- “Commercial Rated” is at least important for 43%.
7/31/2022
(0:52) Storage Data
- 60% sacrifice storage for other household items for home gym space.
- 59% would consider storage for their gym equipment an issue. Kettlebells, plates, attachments, and plates are likely on the floor for these people.
- In general, insufficient space was labeled as the primary reason storage is an issue. Only 6% said they were unsure where to look to help solve their problem.
(3:32) Upcoming CrossFit Games
- There is low interest from this community in the upcoming CrossFit Games (asked before they started). Nearly 36% did not know they were happening.
- About 3% planned on attending.
(6:50) Working out alone or with others?
- 62% say they’d rather workout out by themselves.
- When taking that question a step further, only a quarter said they wanted to always or never work out with somebody, with 56% saying they’d like to work out with others “less than half” the time.
(11:04) Is “Free Shipping” the route to go?
- The majority say they prefer companies that use the free shipping model.
(16:31) Miscellaneous
- 52% typically use a lifting belt.
- 61% use chalk.
- 83% vote for Facebook Marketplace over Craigslist
- 47% would be comfortable purchasing on the first day a product is released without any reviews from a company they trust.
- This was 39% back in December 2019.
- It’s unlikely a purchase will be made on gym equipment within the first few website visits.
7/24/2022
(0:53) true or false?
To start, we have some true/false statements. Some of the results that stood out include:
- Most understand why specialty bars exist, which wasn’t necessarily true a few years ago.
- 80% believe that Titan Fitness is getting better.
- About 39% watch equipment reviews weekly, while 34% read them.
- Less than a third are listening to podcasts while working out, and under 15% to audiobooks.
All results are below:
| Statement | % True |
| I see the point of specialty bars | 86.27% |
| I’m building my home gym out one step at a time | 85.91% |
| Titan Fitness equipment has improved | 79.98% |
| TVs are okay in the gym | 78.27% |
| Garage gyms are better than basement gyms | 67.57% |
| REP makes the best benches for home gyms | 61.65% |
| I use bumper plates more than iron plates | 58.15% |
| I watch equipment reviews weekly | 38.65% |
| I read equipment reviews weekly | 33.78% |
| I listen to podcasts while working out | 32.09% |
| I listen to audiobooks while working out | 14.63% |
(8:22) which one?
Next up were some head-to-head battles. Some highlights include:
- 70% chose REP over Sorinex. In the same poll in April 2021, only 52% chose REP.
- The closest battle was cardio machines over “real-life running.”
All results are below:
| Which One? | % Winner | Loser |
| Rogue Echo Bike over Tonal | 90.27% | 9.73% |
| Power Rack over Half Rack | 76.87% | 23.13% |
| REP over Titan | 75.18% | 24.82% |
| Rogue over The Field | 72.73% | 27.27% |
| Straight Bar Deadlifts over Trap Bar Deadlifts | 71.77% | 28.23% |
| REP over Sorinex | 70.67% | 29.33% |
| Selectorized over Plate Loaded Lat Tower | 62.17% | 37.83% |
| Buying New over Buying Used | 58.14% | 41.86% |
| GHD over Reverse Hyper | 57.71% | 42.29% |
| All other programming options over Powerlifting | 57.49% | 42.51% |
| Bumper Plates over Iron Plates | 56.89% | 43.11% |
| Concept2 Rower over Rogue Echo Bike | 52.91% | 47.09% |
| Cardio Machines over Real-Life Running | 51.83% | 48.17% |
7/12/2022
(0:53) If your favorite American company switched overseas, would you still buy from them?
About 43% said yes, while only 8% voted “definitely not.” Therefore, “Made in America” is likely not the #1 priority for most purchases.
(2:50) Nearly 7/10 own Horse Stall Mats
The most popular flooring option is easily to stall mats, which is no surprise.
(4:30) Adjustable vs. Flat to start a home gym
In a head-to-head matchup between a couple of reasonable home gym bench options, about 4.2x more voted for the AB-3100 over the FB-5000 when asked what’s a better bench to start a home gym with.
(6:41) # of fitness apps
This was a repeat question from 2019, and the numbers didn’t change as much as you might expect. 35% use 0 fitness apps, only down from 39% in 2019.
We saw a slight bump in those that use 1, 2, or more, but it was not a drastic change.
| How many fitness apps do you use? | 2019 | 2022 | Change |
| 0 | 39.10% | 34.69% | -11% |
| 1 | 31.70% | 33.32% | 5% |
| 2 | 21.50% | 23.48% | 9% |
| Three or more | 7.70% | 8.51% | 11% |
(9:04) Fitness event options
To no surprise for anyone familiar with these surveys, the powerlifting meet was the #1 choice by a decent amount when compared to CrossFit (2nd place), OCR/Spartan Race (3rd place), or Strongman Event (distant 4th place).
(10:57) Worry about making too much noise?
About 2 in 3 do not worry about making too much noise.
For those who fear, bothering those within the house is more of a concern than the neighbors.
(11:17) Miscellaneous
- 71% played high school sports, 27% college
- 56% look on the used marketplace for gym equipment weekly
- 58% have attempted an overhead snatch (down from 64% in 2019)
- 73% have tried a clean and jerk (down from 79% in 2019)
- 74% vote “Training for Life” vs. 26% for “Training is Life.”
7/5/2022
(1:19) True or False?
“% True” votes are below.
| Statement | %True |
| I love working out | 94.84% |
| A home gym is one of the best investments you can make | 88.93% |
| I will buy something for my home gym by the end of the year | 87.88% |
| The rack is the centerpiece of the home gym | 87.14% |
| Buy once, cry once | 84.22% |
| Saving time is more important than saving money (for my home gym) | 82.16% |
| I spent over $1,000 to start my home gym | 80.28% |
| Space is the biggest issue I face as a home gym owner | 79.30% |
| I sacrifice parking my car for home gym | 52.80% |
| I save money by owning a home gym | 45.35% |
| I buy all my equipment from one spot | 5.98% |
(5:29) True or False Changes from 2019
How did the survey results above change from 2019? Overall, there wasn’t too large of a difference. Some of the top changes include:
- (+14%) The phrase “Buy Once, Cry Once,” referencing buying high-quality items upfront, was up the most.
- (+13%) More believe that saving
- (+10%) We see more spend more than $1k to begin their home gym. COVID and higher equipment prices likely have something to do with that.
- (-24%) Less save money by owning a home gym.
- (-25%) Less are sacrificing parking than back in 2019. Moves to basements, having dedicated rooms, and more space-saving options available now are all likely reasons.
- (-12%) There weren’t too many, to begin with, but even fewer are buying all of their equipment from 1 spot.
| Statement | September 2019 | July 2021 | Difference |
| Buy once, cry once | 74% | 84% | 14% |
| Saving time is more important than saving money (for my home gym) | 73% | 82% | 13% |
| I spent over $1,000 to start my home gym | 73% | 80% | 10% |
| I will buy something for my home gym by the end of the year | 85% | 88% | 3% |
| I love working out | 92% | 95% | 3% |
| Space is the biggest issue I face as a home gym owner | 77% | 79% | 3% |
| The rack is the centerpiece of the home gym | 85% | 87% | 3% |
| A home gym is one of the best investments you can make | 90% | 89% | -1% |
| I save money by owning a home gym | 60% | 45% | -24% |
| I sacrifice parking my car for home gym | 70% | 53% | -25% |
| I buy all my equipment from one spot | 12% | 6% | -50% |
(9:37) 4th of July Sales
This seasonal sale was not on the priority list for many. Less than 20% said a purchase was at least likely.
(10:17) Airbnb
Over 3 out of 5 say they’d spend more to stay at an Airbnb with a full garage gym setup.
And….. $20-$50 is likely the amount they’d pay, with over 71% saying they’d spend over $20.
(15:49) Henny Attachment Interest
Over 3 in 5 do not know what the Henny Attachment is. In total, 3.5% expressed high interest in this relatively niche product.
6/27/2022
Survey Instructions
All Results
The Top Voted Product
The Lat Pulldown/Low Row Machine was the top choice with 26% “high-interest” and 33% “medium” votes.
It was released last month and is already out of stock, so we aren’t too surprised by this. It will take on Titan’s Lat/Low Row for the top budget selectorized option on the market.
#2
The REP SSB wasn’t too far behind in second place. This also sold out relatively quickly when first released and is in the conversation for the best SSB for the price.
Bells of Steel Cable Towers
In places, 3-6 were the Bells of Steel Cable Towers released. All include different prices and features that may be best for certain people.
- Single Stack: 2:1 ratio, 33 height settings, and 210 lb weight stack for just over $1k.
- Dual Stacks: same specs as above, but two of them. This one is just above $2.2k, which is about the average price of a budget-friendlier functional trainer. It can also be doubled as a squat stand. It is pictured below.
- Plate Loaded Cable Tower: 2:1 pulley ratio, 33 height settings, and you’ll use your own plates.
- Plate Loaded Cable Tower Squat Stand: Specs above x 2. This doubles as a squat stand as well.
CB-4
The CB-4 was a bit more popular than a few multi-grip options released in Q2, but still not for everyone.
“Niche Racks”
While these are all incredible racks for a select group of people, they don’t do well in surveys like this since there are likely better options for “the masses.”
| REP Oxylus Yoke | 11.18% | 21.48% | 65.72% | 1.63% |
| Force USA X15 | 11.01% | 20.65% | 65.53% | 2.81% |
| Force USA X20 | 8.32% | 15.17% | 74.59% | 1.92% |
The Rest
Those with less than 8% high-interest votes included the Wall Mounted Dumbbell Storage from PRx, Rogue Indy T Bar Row, Wooden Barbell Storage, and 2×2 Dip Station.
All 2022 Results so Far
Will anything top the REP AB-4100 this year? It remains on top.
| Product | High | Medium | Low | Neutral |
| REP AB-4100 | 33.08% | 43.11% | 22.08% | 1.74% |
| Lat Pulldown/Low Row Machine | 26.03% | 33.18% | 39.44% | 1.34% |
| Rogue RM-43 Monster Rack | 24.43% | 28.82% | 44.50% | 2.26% |
| REP Cambered Swiss Bar | 22.63% | 35.88% | 38.29% | 3.20% |
| REP SSB | 22.45% | 30.86% | 41.64% | 5.04% |
| Ares Cable Attachment | 21.22% | 29.92% | 46.27% | 2.58% |
| Cable Tower Squat Stand with Weight Stack | 19.75% | 28.13% | 50.40% | 1.72% |
| Cable Tower with Weight Stack | 19.08% | 29.42% | 50.00% | 1.50% |
| Plate Loaded Cable Tower/Squat Stand | 17.50% | 26.56% | 53.78% | 2.16% |
| Plate Loaded Cable Tower | 16.47% | 28.97% | 53.23% | 1.32% |
| SLM-Monster Weight Stack Slinger | 16.32% | 32.48% | 48.44% | 2.77% |
| Bells of Steel Buzzsaw Bench | 16.14% | 41.62% | 39.50% | 2.74% |
| CB-4 | 14.70% | 31.66% | 52.26% | 1.38% |
| Rogue MG-4C Multi Grip Camber Bar | 14.44% | 25.83% | 56.90% | 2.83% |
| Xebex XT3 Sled | 11.71% | 22.88% | 61.42% | 4.00% |
| REP Oxylus Yoke | 11.18% | 21.48% | 65.72% | 1.63% |
| Force USA X15 | 11.01% | 20.65% | 65.53% | 2.81% |
| Force USA X20 | 8.32% | 15.17% | 74.59% | 1.92% |
| Wall Mounted Dumbbell Storage | 7.60% | 18.94% | 71.19% | 2.27% |
| Rogue MG-4F Multi Grip Bar | 6.95% | 19.02% | 71.05% | 2.98% |
| Rogue Indy T Bar Row | 6.34% | 25.19% | 65.63% | 2.84% |
| Wooden Barbell Storage | 5.91% | 19.22% | 69.44% | 5.42% |
| 2×2 Dip Station | 5.25% | 17.03% | 75.29% | 2.42% |
6/20/2022
(1:39) Level of Interest in DIY Home Gym Projects
Only about 1/3 voted low or neutral interest and medium/large votes are up about 13% since January (below).
In general, there seems to be a moderate level of interest from survey responders as a whole
(5:00) # of DIY Projects
About 70% have completed at least one DIY project for their home gym.
In addition, if you have completed a DIY project, it’s likely you’ve accomplished 2 or 3.
Only about 14% have completed 4 or more. This number was 20% in January.
About 1/4 vote high probability they’ll do a DIY project for their home gym this year. That’s down a smidge from 27% in January.
Low probability is up 14% as well.
(11:22) vs. Home Gym Hacks
In a head-to-head battle, 79% chose gym hacks vs. DIY projects, which is a 17% increase from January.
(13:09) Build or Buy?
The last questions from the survey simply asked if you’d rather “buy” or “build” this product. The deadlift platform was EASILY the largest vote-getter for % build, while jammer arms and power rack were the least likely to be “diy’d.” These results did not change much from the January survey.
| Rank | item | % Build | % Buy |
| 1 | deadlift platform | 70.49% | 29.51% |
| 2 | plyo box | 44.48% | 55.52% |
| 3 | plate storage | 36.79% | 63.21% |
| 4 | barbell storage | 33.62% | 66.38% |
| 5 | mass storage unit | 28.49% | 71.51% |
| 6 | preacher pad | 14.97% | 85.03% |
| 7 | jammer arms | 8.96% | 91.04% |
| 8 | power rack | 5.78% | 94.22% |
6/13/2022
(1:31) Low level of interest in the Oxylus Yoke
About a quarter expressed at least medium interest in the yoke, but over 70% said low level of interest
Only 17% would consider this as their primary rack.
(6:05) Where are you buying a barbell, bench, dumbbells, and a rack?
Rogue dominates barbells and racks with over 70% of barbell votes and almost half of the rack votes.
Nearly half said they would likely purchase dumbbells with another company. This isn’t too big of a surprise since most dumbbells are the same.
REP wins the bench battle with nearly half of the votes.
Titan did come in last for all.
| Where are you buying?BarbellBenchDumbbellsRackRogue71%28%19%49%REP7%49%24%22%Titan5%7%9%11%Other18%17%48%17% |
In addition, we have comparison data to last October.
So, how did this all change?
Barbell Changes
There wasn’t a ton of movement since last time. Rogue still maintains over 70% of the votes.
Bench Changes
REP surpassed Rogue as the top choice for benches with nearly 50% of all votes. Rogue dropped pretty dramatically.
Dumbbell Changes
“Other” surpassed Rogue with nearly half of all votes.
(13:23) Top strength machines for home gym
The functional trainer was the top Selectorized choice, but last for plate loaded.
The Lat pulldown was the top plate loaded choice.
Quite a bit are more interested in a plate-loaded leg curl/extension than selectorized.
| Strength MachineSelectorizedPlate LoadedVarianceFunctional Trainer36.67%20.60%78%Lat Pulldown29.87%32.65%9%Belt Squat17.08%20.64%17%Leg Curl/Extension16.38%26.11%37% |
(18:48) The best type of dumbbells for home gym
Traditional hex dumbbells are the choice for most with about 46% of the votes.
Adjustable Dumbbells were an easy second.
The results did not change much at all from September 2021.
(21:31) Strength sports (which do you do?)
Over half said they did not associate themselves with any strength sport. Of those that did, powerlifting was the top choice with bodybuilding a relatively close second.
Overall, the variety was pretty high and a good amount must have chosen multiple sports.
6/6/2022
An outline with additional charts can be found below.
Additional analysis can be found on Spotify, Apple, YouTube (click below), or wherever you get podcasts. Our guest analyst was Jay from @myfreegym. Part 2 where we interview him will be published soon.
(0:58) Spring Collars
About 6% do not know what spring collars are, but about 1-third more voted “no” vs. “yes.”
(3:13) Garage Gym Competition Follow Up
Good news for the GGC. Since the beginning of the year, awareness is up about 68% while competitors from those answering these surveys are up 67%.
| Heard of? | Competed in? | |
| 1/16/2022 | 28% | 6% |
| 1/30/2022 | 36% | |
| 6/5/2022 | 47% | 10% |
| % Change | 68% | 67% |
(5:42) What do you want to upgrade the most?
When asking about the big four, the rack is the winner with nearly 36% of the votes.
Plates & Bench both received about a quarter of the votes.
A Barbell was greatly behind with about 15%.
(7:59) Where do you live?
America makes up about 4 out of 5.
The results are the same as April 2021, but Canada took away some of the European and “rest of the world” votes.
(8:33) Importance of made in your country & how much of your gym is
Only 5% say it’s “Almost Essential” and 45% “Not Important” when buying gym equipment.
Compared to 2021, “Not Important is up 22% since April of 2021, while “Almost Essential” is down -18%. The overall amount of “Neutral” voters is down as well.
| April 2021 | November 2021 | June 2022 | April 2021 to June Change | |
| Almost Essential | 6% | 7% | 5% | -18% |
| Important | 28% | 36% | 30% | 9% |
| Not Important | 37% | 38% | 45% | 22% |
| Neutral | 29% | 20% | 19% | -33% |
How much of your gym was made in your country? The responses were relatively spread out, with the most popular answer being 25-50%. The least popular answer was 75-100%
Compared to November 2021, less have a higher proportion of made in their country gyms as well.
| What proportion of your gym was made in your Country? | November 2021 | June 2022 | % Change |
| 0-25% | 22% | 28% | 24% |
| 25-50% | 29% | 32% | 9% |
| 50-75% | 29% | 26% | -9% |
| 75-100% | 19% | 14% | -29% |
(14:55) Miscellaneous
- 21% have TikTok
- About 78% of those answering this survey are answering on a regular basis
- 16% have a “high interest” in using grip adapters like Fat Gripz, 29% “medium,” 49% “low,” and 6% “neutral.”
- 6.3x lift with lbs compared to kgs. 9.8% lift with both.
More to Check Out
- Follow Jay on Instagram (@myfreegym) and his TikTok (@myfreegym)! We greatly appreciate Jay taking the time go chat with us.
- Episode #2 of Do You Even Lift Bro? is up on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to pod
- We post a lot of blog posts and it may be difficult to keep up. Subscribe to Knurled News to help stay in the loop in a more concise manner. For example, here was our last edition of Knurled News.
5/30/2022
(1:51) The Largest Issues for Home Gym Owners
- The price of obtaining equipment, lack of space, and temperature control were the most significant problems home gym owners face.
- The most significant issues from November 2021 did not change. The order and percentages above did not change a whole lot either.
- Only about 1/3 said that the price of obtaining more equipment is a minor issue or not one, to begin with. About 39% voted that way for “lack of space.”
Related: “Lack of Space” has typically been the primary issue we see since we started doing these surveys.
(8:41) Medium issues
- Amount of equipment, keeping the home gym clean, and distractions were deemed “medium issues.”
- These all had about 6-7% vote as large issues. Between 2/3 and 3/4, all voted these as a minor or not a problem. Therefore, not of these are too large of a hindrance for most.
(13:11) Minor and smallest Issues
- Not enough lighting, quality of equipment, and concern about making too much noise make up this section.
- These had less than 6% large issue votes and less than 20% “medium” issues. Over 70% voted for these as either a minor or non-issue.
- Warming up, finishing workouts, equipment aging, and working out safely was not at the top of the “issues list” for most. All had at least 86% votes as non or minor issues.
(18:05) Final rankings
- The points below are based on calculating each vote as 3 points for large issues, 2 for mild problems, and 1 for minor. This is simply a look at all of the issues combined.
- All issues are combined below.
(18:45) Changes since November
- The numbers here reflect the difference from last time. As you can see, most got smaller. In general, it’s a way to see if an issue got larger or smaller.
5/22/2022
(1:02) Many have purchased gym equipment in 2022, but many are wary of buying more because of the economy.
- Nearly 2 out of 3 have purchased gym equipment so far this year. While many may have been smaller purchases, that is still a pretty high number.
- Stock prices are down, and gym equipment prices are up. 56% think that the current state of the economy means that they are less likely to buy gym equipment.
(3:52) Only 35% have a single person utilizing the home gym.
- When seeing others’ home gym setups, it’s essential to keep in mind that it’s unlikely they are the only ones using it. Therefore, not all purchases are just for a specific individual.
- When asked, the overall numbers were not too much different than six months ago, but 32% did say one person back in November 2021 (now up to 35%). That will be a potential trend to keep our eye on as more may go back to a commercial gym-type setting.
(5:39) About half typically take a pre-workout before working out.
- This has been down slightly since the last time we asked about it back in November 2021, but it is still around half.
(6:39) More say they’re interested in the X20 vs. X15.
To Start:
- Between 20 and 21% have high interest in the new options from Force USA. Last November, about 8% expressed high interest. This is more than double what we typically see when asking about the G-Series (which include a Smith Machine) from Force USA.
- About half have low interest.
- When asked between the two, about 2 in 3 went with the X20 (Power Rack Option).
(11:04) Eleiko wins vs. Kabuki, but the gap is getting closer
- Ejleiko was chosen by 53%, but the lead is shrinking. Last November, 56% chose Elieiko, and in 2020, 59% voted for them.
(13:56) Where are you buying a specialty bar from? Rogue wins against several other popular options.
- The Rogue brand seemed to be a heavy contributor to this one because they are not primarily known for their specialty bars (until recently). Rogue is the easy winner with 44% of the votes even though they didn’t perform exceedingly well in the Hot or Not results listed below.
- Kabuki came in second but had half of the votes as Rogue.
- REP beat out Titan for 3rd place here.
(17:05) Hot or Not Results – Specialty Bars
Here is a list of all the bars with the percentage of hot votes. Some highlighted notes are below.
| Specialty Bar | % Hot |
| Deadlift Bar | 79.54% |
| Kabuki Open Trap Bar | 75.49% |
| SS Yoke Bar | 75.14% |
| Cambered Swiss Bar | 73.98% |
| Kadillac Bar | 71.59% |
| REP SSB | 70.79% |
| Multi-Grip Camber Bar | 70.22% |
| Oppen Deadlift Bar | 70.09% |
| Rackable Curl Bar | 68.41% |
| SS3 | 66.93% |
| Squat Bar | 65.92% |
| Arch Nemesis Swiss Bar | 64.27% |
| Transformer Bar | 64.20% |
| Duffalo Bar | 64.15% |
| Rogue CB-4 | 62.88% |
| Trap Bar | 59.08% |
| Industrial Rackable Trap Bar | 58.57% |
| Mult-Grip Barbell | 58.27% |
| Curl Bar | 55.96% |
| Rogue Axle Bar | 54.19% |
| Rogue MG-4C | 53.34% |
| Marrs Bar | 49.66% |
| Rogue MG-4G | 49.41% |
| Rackable Strongman Log Bar | 45.41% |
| Yukon Bar | 43.99% |
| Bandbell Bars | 42.07% |
| CB-1 Rogue Camber Bar | 39.50% |
- The deadlift bar was the #1 rated specialty bar with this Hot or Not method.
- Kabuki Open Trap beats out Oppen DL Bar by a decent amount for the top trap bar.
- Kadillac Bar narrowly beats out the REP option for the top spot. The Titan Multi-Grip Camber option was also above 70%.
- Rackable curl bar wins big against regular curl bar
- The new Rogue Bars did not do so hot, and the CB-1 Rogue Camber Bar even came in last place.
- Traditional camber bars were not at the top of the list, and the Yukon Bar was the lowest.
- Strongman logs and Bandbell bars were also at the bottom.
5/8/2022
(0:31) “Non-Equipment” Interests
For this portion, we asked whether you had a high, medium, low, or neutral interest in an item that is not gym equipment but may be nice to have in a home gym. Below is the complete list with further breakdowns just below.
The Full List
| Non-Equipment | % High | % Medium | % Low | % Neutral |
| Sound System | 46.68% | 30.05% | 22.46% | 0.81% |
| Upgraded Lighting | 41.61% | 32.19% | 24.18% | 2.01% |
| Shop Fan | 40.88% | 30.28% | 27.13% | 1.71% |
| Mirror | 37.92% | 21.90% | 37.73% | 2.45% |
| Leaf Blower | 36.57% | 22.11% | 36.53% | 4.79% |
| Dry Erase Board | 30.95% | 29.59% | 37.05% | 2.41% |
| TV | 26.37% | 24.43% | 45.46% | 3.75% |
| Wall Control | 25.36% | 22.73% | 43.94% | 7.98% |
| Vacuum | 23.27% | 26.82% | 46.94% | 2.97% |
| Mini Heater | 22.88% | 25.30% | 48.05% | 3.77% |
| Refrigerator | 18.02% | 20.03% | 58.45% | 3.51% |
| Dehumidifier | 13.52% | 18.02% | 64.45% | 4.01% |
| Mop | 11.17% | 19.14% | 65.63% | 4.06% |
Low Level of Interest
- All had below 20% “high-interest votes.
- The mop had the lowest ranking and was far below vacuum or leaf blower.
- Dehumidifiers & refrigerators also came in below 20%.
Low-ish Level of Interest
- Mini heater, vacuum, wall control, and tv were all between 22% and 27%
- Wall control had the most “neutral” votes on this list (8%).
Medium Interest
- All had between 30% and 40% High-Interest Votes
- Dry erase board, leaf blower, and mirror were all on this list.
Highest Level of Interest
- All had over 40% High-Interest Votes
- The sound system was the relatively easy winner of the entire survey.
- Upgraded lighting and a shop fan were also above the 40% threshold.
(16:13) Which leg press?
- It was a blowout! 83% choose A, the Leg Press/Hack Squat Combo, over the Compact Leg Press.
(21:44) Is it worth the price to upgrade to a rackable curl bar?
- Only 42% say yes.
5/1/2022 – Rack Attachment Level of Interest
The Full List
This looks at ALL results broken out between high, medium, low, and neutral votes.
| Attachment | % High | % Medium | % Low | % Neutral |
| Spotter Arms | 60.06% | 23.49% | 15.35% | 1.10% |
| Plate Storage | 53.49% | 26.83% | 18.13% | 1.56% |
| Landmine | 50.00% | 31.68% | 16.92% | 1.40% |
| Multi-Grip Pull Up Bar | 46.81% | 31.77% | 19.92% | 1.51% |
| Straight Pull Up Bar | 43.58% | 27.43% | 27.08% | 1.92% |
| Barbell Storage | 40.79% | 27.66% | 30.25% | 1.30% |
| Dip Attachment | 40.12% | 33.48% | 24.41% | 2.00% |
| Leg Curl/Leg Extension | 37.65% | 31.07% | 30.12% | 1.17% |
| Selectorized Lat Tower | 36.89% | 31.36% | 27.82% | 3.93% |
| Band Pegs | 35.09% | 32.60% | 30.44% | 1.87% |
| Functional Trainer Like Attachment (Selectorized) | 34.24% | 27.08% | 35.45% | 3.23% |
| Roller J Cups | 33.15% | 33.04% | 31.14% | 2.66% |
| Plate Loaded Lat Tower | 29.41% | 32.44% | 35.29% | 2.86% |
| Functional Trainer Like Attachment (Plate Loaded) | 26.83% | 30.66% | 39.42% | 3.09% |
| Sandwich J Cups | 23.95% | 31.99% | 38.66% | 5.40% |
| Drink Spotter | 17.62% | 10.71% | 66.55% | 5.12% |
| Jammer Arms | 17.45% | 31.87% | 46.50% | 4.17% |
| Monolift Attachment | 17.42% | 28.43% | 50.19% | 3.96% |
| Globe Grip Pull Up Bar | 16.19% | 24.59% | 56.09% | 3.13% |
| Smith Machine | 7.98% | 10.37% | 74.14% | 7.50% |
(1:10) Lowest level of Interest
- This category had below 20% of “high interest.”
- Somewhat surprisingly, jammer arms and monolifts were on this bottom portion of the list.
- The Smith Machine, which can be added to many All-in-Ones, was the lowest on the list.
(4:09) Low-ish Level of Interest
- These received between 20% and 30% of high-interest votes.
- Sandwich J-Cups were higher than monolift attachments but not the top “j-cup” on this list
- Plate Loaded cable attachments did not receive as high a rating as “selectorized options.”
Medium Level of Interest
- 30%-40% voted high interest
- Roller J-Cups were the top “J-Cup” on this list
- A couple of selectorized pulley options were on this list as well.
- Nearly 38% think a leg curl/leg extension attachment would be a great idea.
(11:09) Highest Interest of Interest
- All in this category had at least 40% of “high-interest” votes.
- Safety first! Spotter arms had the highest level of interest.
- Plate storage beat out barbell storage.
- Landmine wins against dip attachment.
- Multi-Grip Pull Up Bar narrowly beats out Straight
4/24/2022
(0:42) DIY vs. Buy (Squat Wedges)
- About 62% more people voted for the DIY option over buying them.
- Only 29% said no interest in this “niche product.”
(2:26) “Other Gym” Info
- About 30% are going to another gym besides using their home gym.
- Only 18% consider their home gym a “secondary workout option” though
(4:35) Overrated or Underrated? Fitness Tech, Weighlifting Shoes, ETC.
- 5 random topics were asked about. Fitness technology was seen as the most overrated with about 63% saying it was.
- Wrist Wraps, Knee Sleeves, etc were seen as the most underrated with about 60% voting that way. All others had over 50% “overrated” votes.
(7:51) Budget Home Gym Options
- A pair of dumbbells was the relatively easy winner, but it was not pure domination.
- We asked about this about a year ago, but the pull-up bar was on its own. It only received 14% of the votes.
(11:34) Biggest Weakness vs. “Which Do You Want to Improve the Most?”
- Most people say that mobility is their biggest issue, but the least amount want to improve it the most.
- While only 10.5% say strength is their biggest weakness, 36% say they want to improve it the most.
(14:51) Did the winter negatively affect your workouts?
- Just over a quarter said their workouts suffered during the cold this winter.
- Last July, 37% said there workouts were negatively affected by the summer heat.
(16:09) Level of interest in wall-mounted dumbbell rack.
- Overall interest is not too high with over 2/3 voting low interest.
4/17/2022
(1:30) What is your primary barbell?
- Multi-Purpose barely beat out the Power Bar as the #1 option.
- Oly Lifting (Bearing Bars) has less than half of both of the items mentioned above.
- Only about 6% are unsure.
(4:04) Do you prefer a center knurl on a barbell?
- 3 out of 5 votes yes to a center knurl.
- Results were nearly identical to when we asked in September.
(6:55) What’s your hole preference on a squat rack?
- 1 Inch is the easy winner with 45% of the votes and had about third more votes than the runner-up, 5/8 inch.
- “I Don’t Know Why That’s Important” votes were 38% in January 2021.
(12:40) How important is it to have an 11 gauge steel rack?
- About 2 in 3 say that it is at least somewhat important.
- The awareness of this type of rack has also grown over the past year and a half.
(15:50) Where is your home gym? What about in a dream world?
- The garage is the most popular spot for most putting in a home gym. About 2 in 3 have a “garage gym,” with 20% in the basement. 8% are in another room in the house, and 8% have it elsewhere.
- While 64% have it in their garage, only 44% say it would be in their dream world.
(18:19) What specialty j-cup are you most interested in?
- Roller J Cups received about 71% more votes than Monolift Attachments and grew their lead from November 2021.
- “Neither Interest Me Votes” are down from 36% to about 31%.
(24:20) Do you actually save money by owning a home gym?
- 47% said they do indeed save money by owning a home gym.
- However, that number has declined the last four times it has been asked.
(32:03) What are the #1, #2, and #3 reasons you train?
- Physical health, mental health, looking good, and for a competition were asked about. That is also the order of importance.
- “Look Good” did make a bit of a jump from last time. For example, it went from 22% of the #2 reason to 28% and 17% to 19% for the #1 reason.
(35:54) Bench Width Preference?
- It was a TIE!
- Only 12% were unsure what they preferred.
- On the Instagram post, the primary reason someone chose one or the other was their size.
4/10/2021
(9:08) Ares vs. Plate Loaded?
- With cost in mind, there was quite a bit more interest in the plate-loaded option (this was asked before Ares was released).
- With that being said, only 29% expressed high interest in the plate-loaded option, while 18% voted that way for the Ares.
(10:47) Which One Battles
- The closest battle was between the Echo Bike and Concept 2 Rower. Other close ones included power bar vs. multi-purpose and 3 hex dumbbells vs. any adjustable.
- Dumbbells over kettlebells were the biggest blowout. REP beat out Titan and Stall Mats won against the deadlift platform by a decent margin as well.
Changes
- New winners include adjustable dumbbells over 3 pairs of hex dumbbells and Rogue Echo Bike over C2 Rower
- Those that grew the most included stall mats over deadlift platform, powerlifting over bodybuilding, and REP over Titan
- Rogue Rack over REP Rack and Power Bar over multi-purpose saw their leads decrease slightly.
| The Battle | 2022 | 2021 | % Change |
| Dumbbells over Kettlebells | 85.4% | 80.2% | 6% |
| REP over Titan | 81.6% | 75.0% | 9% |
| Stall Mats over Deadlift Platform | 78.1% | 70.7% | 10% |
| Power Rack over Half Rack | 74.2% | 74.0% | 0% |
| Garage Gym over Basement Gym | 71.4% | 79.2% | -10% |
| Powerlifting over Bodybuilding | 62.0% | 56.8% | 9% |
| Rogue Rack over REP Rack | 57.3% | 59.0% | -3% |
| Any 1 pair of adjustable dumbbells over 3 pairs of traditional hex | 55.9% | 49.6% | 13% |
| Power Bar over Multi-Purpose Bar | 53.5% | 54.4% | -2% |
| Rogue Echo Bike over Concept 2 Rower | 52.6% | 48.3% | 9% |
(18:35) Do You Own Anything From?
- Nearly 83% own something from Rogue, which is a large amount ahead of everyone else.
- 10/22 are below 10%.
- Those below 5% are “niche” companies.
Changes
- In terms of percent change, The Strength Co was the largest mover, up 101%.
- Others in the top 5 included Kabuki, Bells of Steel, Ghost Strong, and REP.
- When looking at simply the difference, Titan rose the highest (up 13.65%)
- Those down on this list include Onnit, PRx, Get Rxd, Force USA, Again Faster, and Kettlebell Kings
The Big 4 Dominated with 58% of all “Yes” Votes
4/3/2022
Level of Interest in 2022 Releases
Here is a look at the products we asked about. There are more we’ll add to the list later, and we’ll make sure to add all other interesting releases this year for comparison.
| Product | High | Medium | Low | Neutral |
| REP AB-4100 | 33.08% | 43.11% | 22.08% | 1.74% |
| Rogue RM-43 Monster Rack | 24.43% | 28.82% | 44.50% | 2.26% |
| REP Cambered Swiss Bar | 22.63% | 35.88% | 38.29% | 3.20% |
| Ares Cable Attachment | 21.22% | 29.92% | 46.27% | 2.58% |
| SLM-Monster Weight Stack Slinger | 16.32% | 32.48% | 48.44% | 2.77% |
| Bells of Steel Buzzsaw Bench | 16.14% | 41.62% | 39.50% | 2.74% |
| Rogue MG-4C Multi-Grip Camber Bar | 14.44% | 25.83% | 56.90% | 2.83% |
| Xebex XT3 Sled | 11.71% | 22.88% | 61.42% | 4.00% |
| Rogue MG-4F Multi Grip Bar | 6.95% | 19.02% | 71.05% | 2.98% |
Notable Notes include:
- The most practical item here had the most “high interest.” The REP AB-4100 received 35% more high votes than anyone else on the list. It also beat out a bench that was a bit more heavy-duty from Bells of Steel. That probably has something to do with the reputation REP has for benches.
- With 3 multi-grip bars on the list, the REP Cambered Swiss Bar is the winner over the two new options from Rogue. With that being said, the camber option had over 2x the level of “high interest” than the traditional Multi-Grip Bar.
- The Ares Cable Attachment received a bit more interest than the SLM-Monster Weight Stack Slinger
- The new Xebex XT3 Sled is slick, but not a necessity for most. Plus, it’s not cheap. About 12% voted high interest, which was second to the bottom.
3/20/2022
The summary can be found on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts! In addition, you’ll find clips of some deep dive conversations in the post below that can be found on YouTube.
- About 30% had high interest in Rogue Boneyard items while 20% voted this was for the “Titan Scratch and Dent.” Both included about a third with medium interest.
- “Powerlifting Gyms” are the ideal “other option” for for nearly half when asked: “Which other gym option interests you most. CrossFit gyms accounted for about 28% as well. Box and botique gyms were a bit behind.
- There was a bit more interest in the AbMat than Ab Roller. The roller received 16% high votes while the AbMat was a little under 18%.
- The majority watched little or no March Madness so far. Only 14% say a lot while 61% voted none.
- Not a massive amount of “high interest” in treadmills but “non motorized” had quite a bit more interest than those with motors. They received “high interest” from about 18%, which was 2.5 higher than motorized treadmills. Both are down though when we asked about this last January.
- The stairmaster beat out the treadmill by 1% when asked if you’d rather have a stairmaster or treadmill within your home gym. Only 8% said no interest in either.
- When asked where you are most likely to get a bench, REP was the clear winner over Rogue, Titan, and Other with 44% of the votes. Rogue received 32%.
- However, Rogue is the easy winner when asked where you are going to get your foldaway rack from with 49% of the votes. REP/Titan received 22%, PRx just 17%, and then 11% other.
- Only 16% knew that Bells of Steel released a couple of new benches this year. To compare, we asked this soon after the Rogue 3.0 bench was released where 42% said they knew of the release.
- While there wasn’t any additional context or a definition of “commercial gym equipment,” only 42% said they had zero pieces of commercial gym equipment in their home gym.
- 78% said they had more interest in “Specialty Strength Machines” vs. “Heavy Cardio for their home gym use.
What company that sells gym equipment has the best price/quality ratio?
- This was our Sunday Survey conversation. The most popular answers were probably what you’d expect. REP and Titan were mentioned quite a few times. Rogue was as well. Bells of Steel, Fray Fitness, Get RXd, and Fringe Sport also received some mentions.
3/13/2022
(0:50) Summary of All Results
- 1:1 Pulley Ratios are the most popular choice for lat pulldown and functional trainer ratios. 2:1 was a close second though with functional trainers. 4:1 was not of interest to many at all.
- With a number of different lat pulldown type pulley options and price emphasized, the basic option is ideal for most beating out rack attached, plate loaded, and selectorized.
- About 2 out of 3 have a low interest in all in one trainers.
- Only about 5% don’t have a bench at all and 36% own multiple. If you do some math, about 59% have a single bench. From previous polls we know that is likely to be an adjustable bench.
- More people own bumper and iron plates than each on their own. 37% own both, 36% bumpers only, 24% iron, and 3% own other/none.
- In a battle of plate loaded machines, the functional trainer narrowly beats out the lat pulldown, leg curl/extension machine, and belt squat (in that order)
- There is some, but not a lot of people watching YouTube while working out. 57% state they never watch and only 8% say over 50% of the time.
- Only a small amount own a Whoop (10%), and the overall interest from the rest isn’t too high with about 3 in 4 of the rest not wanting one.
- Lastly, over 2 times more people would choose adjustable dumbbells over loadable.
(3:59) Pulley Data
- About 1/3 don’t have any idea what their ideal “pulley ratio” is for either the functional trainer or lat pulldown. When you take those out, you’ll see that a 1:1 ratio is the winner for both.
- To start, you’ll see that basically nobody wants a 4:1 ratio. Then with the lat pulldown about 65% want a 1:1 ratio vs. 32% wanting a 2:1. It’s a bit closer for functional trainer with 49% voting 1:1 and 46% 2:1.
Alright, next up, “which pulley system are you most likely to get? Price was emphasized.
- Overall, the responses for this next question were relatively spread out, but when it comes to the most likely pulley system you’d get for home gym, the largest response went to the the most basic option.
(15:53) Plate Loaded Machines
- This was a repeat question from last September where the order was Lat Pulldown, Functional Trainer, Belt Squat, and then Leg Curl/Extension.
- There was some changes this time around and all were in the 20’s in terms of percentage, so it was pretty close. The functional trainer was in first with 29%, lat pulldown (2nd) with 27%, Leg Curl/Extension (23%) and then belt squat 21%.
(19:10) Adjustable Dumbbells over Loadable Dumbbells for Most
- 26% said they had no interest in either, but adjustable dumbbells did receive about 2.3 times more votes than loadable with a total of 51.9% of the votes vs. 22.3%.
- In the Instagram post, many mentioned the convenience of adjustable dumbbells and then a few said the durability of loadable dumbbells was more important for them.
All Other Charts
3/6/2022
(3:50) Which Leg Extension/Curl interests you more?
In this battle, we are looking at the rack-mounted option and a standalone one from Titan Fitness. The rack-mounted one is a bit cheaper, but not by much.
- The Rack-Mounted option wins barely with 40.3% of the votes vs. 38.5% voting standalone. About 21% said they were not interested in either.
(7:05) Have You Heard of These Companies?
This is the 8th edition of the “Have You Heard of These Companies Survey.” The first one of these was done in June of 2019. Most of these companies can outfit your entire gym with a few others thrown in. As always, this survey was done via the Instagram Story feature in the Sunday Survey.
| Company | Yes | No | % Yes |
| Rogue Fitness | 3,477 | 41 | 98.83% |
| Titan Fitness | 3,427 | 72 | 97.94% |
| Rep Fitness | 3,314 | 141 | 95.92% |
| AbMat | 3,014 | 349 | 89.62% |
| Sorinex | 2,738 | 432 | 86.37% |
| Vulcan Strength | 2,840 | 455 | 86.19% |
| Fray Fitness | 2,777 | 472 | 85.47% |
| American Barbell | 2,891 | 514 | 84.90% |
| Kabuki Strength | 2,691 | 499 | 84.36% |
| Bells of Steel | 2,785 | 592 | 82.47% |
| Fringe Sport | 2,830 | 622 | 81.98% |
| PRX Performance | 2,668 | 658 | 80.22% |
| Get RXd | 2,562 | 850 | 75.09% |
| Onnit | 2,572 | 869 | 74.75% |
| Elite FTS | 2,422 | 976 | 71.28% |
| Ghost Strong Equipment | 2,182 | 1,077 | 66.95% |
| Force USA | 2,194 | 1,109 | 66.42% |
| Kettlebell Kings | 2,218 | 1,122 | 66.41% |
| Body-Solid | 1,663 | 1,468 | 53.11% |
| The Strength Co | 1,647 | 1,502 | 52.30% |
| Again Faster Equipment | 1,655 | 1,545 | 51.72% |
| Bridge Built | 1,333 | 1,771 | 42.94% |
| Raptor Fitness | 1,258 | 1,838 | 40.63% |
| Crandall Fitness | 969 | 2,069 | 31.90% |
| Gymway USA | 831 | 2,460 | 25.25% |
| Strength Depot | 778 | 2,389 | 24.57% |
| X Training Equipment | 662 | 2,649 | 19.99% |
| Crane Fitness Equipment | 484 | 2,533 | 16.04% |
| Freedom Fitness Equipment | 241 | 2,771 | 8.00% |
A few notes about the numbers above:
- It’s a tough (and probably unfair) comparison when you add a list with so many companies. There are established brands with a nationwide reach and happy to be a “regional” or “local” brand. Besides, some have equipment designed to help a certain type of training (i.e., powerlifting, CrossFit), so the reach may not be large. This is just something to keep in mind.
- Just because someone has heard of a certain company does not mean that they will consider purchasing from them.
- In an effort to keep the survey manageable and “fresh” certain companies are either added or removed
- In this survey all companies received at least 3,000 votes. However, that’s about a third of the votes we received last time. Therefore, It’s a bit of a different crowd, and it’s likely those who are the most knowledgable and passionate about this type of stuff.
Additional notes about the results:
- The top 3 did not change. Rogue, Titan, and REP have been the top 3 (in that order) since October 2020.
- AbMat moved up a spot into 4th place and Sorinex went from 10th to 5th!
- In places 6-10 were Vulcan, Fray, American Barbell, Kabuki, and Bells of Steel. They were all strongly in the 80 percentile.
- American Barbell fell from 4th to 8th, while PRX went from 6th to 12.
- Outside of Sorinex, the other largest “mover up” was Bells of Steel. When looking
- Newcomers to this list include Elite FTS (ranked 15), Crandall Fitness (ranked 24), The Strength Co (ranked 20), Strength Depot (ranked 26th) and Freedom Fitness Equipment (ranked 29).
- The biggest jumps since 2019 have been Force USA (315% from 16% to 66%), Ghost Strong (318% from 16% to 67%), Fray Fitness (167% from 32% to 85%), and Bells of Steel (85% from 45% to 82%)
- Two companies that are down from 2019 are Again Faster and Body-Solid.
| June 2019 | October 2019 | February 2020 | June 2020 | December 2020 | March 2021 | August 2021 | March 2022 | |
| Rogue Fitness | 98% | 98% | 99% | 98% | 96% | 98% | 97.4% | 98.83% |
| Titan Fitness | 93% | 90% | 93% | 93% | 93% | 94% | 94.4% | 97.94% |
| Rep Fitness | 74% | 79% | 86% | 85% | 82% | 90% | 86.8% | 95.92% |
| AbMat | 61% | 75% | 76.5% | 89.62% | ||||
| Sorinex | 68% | 66% | 72% | 70% | 65% | 76% | 71.3% | 86.37% |
| Vulcan Strength | 61% | 62% | 78% | 77% | 70% | 77% | 74.5% | 86.19% |
| Fray Fitness | 32% | 31% | 60% | 69% | 68% | 81% | 73.2% | 85.47% |
| American Barbell | 76% | 75% | 73% | 79% | 74% | 78% | 82.6% | 84.90% |
| Kabuki Strength | 62% | 60% | 69% | 69% | 62% | 73% | 72.1% | 84.36% |
| Bells of Steel | 45% | 44% | 58% | 62% | 47% | 67% | 61.0% | 82.47% |
| Fringe Sport | 65% | 68% | 75% | 66% | 56% | 67% | 67.2% | 81.98% |
| PRX Performance | 68% | 71% | 73% | 73% | 68% | 76% | 74.8% | 80.22% |
| Get RXd | 60% | 59% | 71% | 63% | 59% | 69% | 65.2% | 75.09% |
| Onnit | 58% | 68% | 68.4% | 74.75% | ||||
| Ghost Strong Equipment | 16% | 20% | 42% | 51% | 38% | 52% | 47.0% | 66.95% |
| Force USA | 16% | 40% | 41% | 38% | 62% | 53.0% | 66.42% | |
| Kettlebell Kings | 41% | 53% | 56.2% | 66.41% | ||||
| Body-Solid | 54% | 47% | 56% | 47% | 35% | 46% | 42.3% | 53.11% |
| Again Faster Equipment | 53% | 50% | 57% | 46% | 37% | 41% | 42.6% | 51.72% |
| Bridge Built | 23% | 22% | 33% | 31.3% | 42.94% | |||
| Raptor Fitness | 22% | 26% | 31% | 22% | 31% | 43% | 39.0% | 40.63% |
| Gymway USA | 16% | 19% | 19.5% | 25.25% | ||||
| X Training Equipment | 19% | 17% | 24% | 25% | 17% | 19% | 20.2% | 19.99% |
| Crane Fitness Equipment | 11% | 10% | 6% | 11% | 23% | 22.6% | 16.04% | |
| Valor Fitness | 59% | 45% | ||||||
| Powertec | 43% | 36% | ||||||
| Synergee Fitness | 25% | 22% | 30% | |||||
| Lynx Barbell | 16% | 21% | ||||||
| I Sell Fitness | 13% | 20% | 19% | 25% | 24% | 29% | 24.6% | |
| Tuff Stuff Fitness | 13% | 20% | 18% | 20% | 25.2% | |||
| Batl Performance | 15% | 21% | 14.2% | |||||
| Vesta Fitness | 7.0% | |||||||
| Gorila Fitness | 26% | 35% | ||||||
| LUXIAOJUN Barbell | 41% | 57% | ||||||
| Dynamic Fitness & Strength | 20% | 23% | ||||||
| Crandall Fitness | 31.90% | |||||||
| Elite FTS | 71.28% | |||||||
| The Strength Co | 52.30% | |||||||
| Freedom Fitness Equipment | 8.00% |
2/27/2022
(0:41) Upgrade to Clear Coat?
When showing examples of the AB-5200 and PR-5000 racks, just 18% said they’d upgrade to clear coat rack posts for $120 extra, while 22% would pay the additional $80 for the bench.
(3:52) What do you Own?
We asked about 29 different products that you may see in a home gym. This is a repeat survey that we’ve done over the years.
Below are some additional highlights:
- The top 7 (in order) include: a barbell, resistance bands, squat/power rack, dumbbells, jump rope, bumper plates, and adjustable bench.
- The bottom 5 are large specialty machines. Starting with the last place item, this included the leg press machine (6.5%), reverse hyper, functional trainer, GHD, and Belt Squat (23.6%).
- Overall, more people own a larger proportion than they did last time. Only 7 were down from the last time we did this survey. This with at least 5 percent increases include specialty barbells, landmines, stationary bike, squat/power rack, and bumper plates.
- More own bumper plates (76%) vs. iron (65%), but it’s clear that many own both.
- Belt squats are up from around 16% in March 2021 to 24% nowadays, which is the largest jump from the survey done 1 year ago. This was closely followed by specialty barbells and a functional trainer.
- The stationary bike is the most owned large piece of cardio (37%) with the rower, air bike, and treadmill are also into the 30s. Jump ropes are owned by about 79% though.
- Some other notable comparisons include:
- 86% own traditional dumbbells compared to 47% adjustable dumbbells.
- 72% own an adjustable bench compared to 56% having a flat.
| Rank | Item | Yes | No | % Yes |
| 1 | Barbell | 5,351 | 321 | 94.34% |
| 2 | Resistance Bands | 4,934 | 396 | 92.57% |
| 3 | Squat Rack/Power Rack | 4,540 | 685 | 86.89% |
| 4 | Dumbbells | 4,881 | 773 | 86.33% |
| 5 | Jump Rope | 4,352 | 1,164 | 78.90% |
| 6 | Bumper Plates | 4,175 | 1,324 | 75.92% |
| 7 | Adjustable Bench | 4,027 | 1,566 | 72.00% |
| 8 | Kettlebell | 3,889 | 1,575 | 71.17% |
| 9 | Horse Stall Mat | 3,616 | 1,896 | 65.60% |
| 10 | Iron Plates | 3,588 | 1,929 | 65.04% |
| 11 | Flat Bench | 3,174 | 2,453 | 56.41% |
| 12 | Medball | 2,824 | 2,497 | 53.07% |
| 13 | Specialty Barbell | 2,725 | 2,500 | 52.15% |
| 14 | Landmine | 2,603 | 2,787 | 48.29% |
| 15 | Plyo Box | 2,548 | 2,756 | 48.04% |
| 16 | Adjustable Dumbbells | 2,627 | 2,989 | 46.78% |
| 17 | Slam Ball | 2,040 | 3,187 | 39.03% |
| 18 | Gymnastic Rings | 2,040 | 3,483 | 36.94% |
| 19 | Stationary Bike | 1,897 | 3,285 | 36.61% |
| 20 | AbMat | 1,928 | 3,432 | 35.97% |
| 21 | Rower | 1,769 | 3,496 | 33.60% |
| 22 | Air Bike | 1,866 | 3,742 | 33.27% |
| 23 | Treadmill | 1,570 | 3,561 | 30.60% |
| 24 | Steel Storage Rack | 1,521 | 3,533 | 30.09% |
| 25 | Belt Squat | 1,285 | 4,166 | 23.57% |
| 26 | GHD | 779 | 4,677 | 14.28% |
| 27 | Functional Trainer | 744 | 4,746 | 13.55% |
| 28 | Reverse Hyper | 642 | 4,624 | 12.19% |
| 29 | Leg Press Machine | 348 | 4,997 | 6.51% |
2/20/2022
(1:01) Quick Summary
A few miscellaneous ones to start.
- 65% prefer fully knurled dumbbells as opposed to the semi-knurled ergonomic dumbbells that most companies offer.
- 56% believe that upgrading to a Stainless Steel coating on a barbell is worth it.
- 78% are not surprised that the REP PR-5000 was voted as the top power rack on r/Home Gym.
The Sunday Survey was a deep dive into Specialty Bars. We’ve done this survey a few times in the past, and the changes are relatively interesting.
- 94% know what specialty bars are. This is up from 87% in September 2021.
- 53% see a need for specialty bars for most home gym owners.
- Nearly 64% say they own at least one specialty bar. This is up considerably since last September (53%)
- When asking about a level of interest in each specialty bar, the Safety Squat Bar is the most wanted with the Hex, Curl, and Multi-Grip (in that order) behind it. All of those received at least 30% high votes.
- Those with less than 20% “high interest votes” included the Buffalo/Duffalo Bar, Camber Bar, Axle Bar, and Log Bar.
Discussion Points
(3:32) Fully knurled dumbbells are the choice for most.
- Nearly 2x voted for the “fully knurled” option over the ergo grip. It’s surprising that so many companies still do not offer this option.
(5:40) More than half believe that the additional price is worth it for a stainless steel option.
- $305 (Black Zinc) vs. $410 (Stainless Steel) for Rogue Ohio Power Bar is quite the difference though.
(9:42) More are starting to learn what they are & and understand the benefits of specialty bars.
- 94% know what specialty bars are. This is up from 87% in September 2021.
- 53% see a need for specialty bars for most home gym owners.
In addition, quite a bit more own specialty bars. For example,
- 54% owned zero last March while that # was around 36% this time around.
- 24% owned multiple, but that number is close to 39% now.
| March 2021 | September 2021 | February 2022 | |
| zero | 53.78% | 46.93% | 36.40% |
| one | 22.45% | 23.46% | 25.10% |
| two to three | 17.87% | 21.84% | 27.68% |
| four or more | 5.90% | 7.77% | 10.82% |
| Total owning multiple | 23.77% | 29.61% | 38.50% |
- The Safety Squat Bar was the most popular option last time around, but went up even higher. For example, this time it had about 51% vote high interest, whereas last June, just 40% voted high interest.
- Below is a list of all voting.
| Specialty Bar | High | Medium | Low | IDK what that is |
| Safety Squat Bar | 50.79% | 24.24% | 22.90% | 2.08% |
| Hex/Trap Bar | 42.35% | 31.82% | 24.90% | 0.93% |
| Curl Bar | 38.25% | 29.95% | 30.95% | 0.85% |
| Multi-Grip Bar | 32.90% | 35.43% | 29.98% | 1.69% |
| Deadlift Bar | 29.62% | 25.23% | 43.54% | 1.62% |
| Squat Bar | 20.14% | 26.67% | 51.46% | 1.73% |
| Buffalo/Duffalo Bar | 18.11% | 22.94% | 49.51% | 9.44% |
| Camber Bar | 15.09% | 28.45% | 43.01% | 13.45% |
| Axle Bar | 13.77% | 22.63% | 54.17% | 9.42% |
| Log Bar | 10.05% | 14.23% | 69.52% | 6.20% |
(15:42) Not many were shocked that the PR-5000 was the top rack choice on Reddit. Only 22% were surprised that this was chosen.
2/13/2022
(1:12) Quick Summary of All Survey Results
- This is random but over 70% watched the Super Bowl
- We have a few stats that tell us that most home gyms come in all shapes and sizes. In addtion they’re not necessarily in the ideal space.
- Nearly 2 out of 3 are around 200 square feet or less
- It’s pretty normal for someone to have a ceiling height that isn’t too big of an issue. Over 60% have ceiling heights of around 8 or 9 feet
- It’s likely that you’re not utilizing a full room for a home gym, and not using all walls.
- The majority are not filling their walls with banners/flags. Only about 27% have more than 3. Over 41% have 0.
- Nearly 3 in 4 have not heard of Plate Snacks
- Bumper plates are the choice over iron for most.
- 54% are not satisfied with their current storage situation.
- Only 1 out of 3 have not added anything used to their space, but only 11% have more than 66% used.
- 60% think they’ll add to their home gym in the next 90 days.
- We also ask about benches. 82% believe that an adjustable bench covers their home gym needs, while just 30% think a flat bench does.
- The Lat/Low Row Attachment is likely the most popular “large” attachment someone can add to their power rack.
Podcast Discussions
We’re going to dive into space, bumper vs. iron, the bench questions, and the favorite “large” rack attachment.
(5:36) Let’s talk space first.
- With 100, 200, 400, and 800 square feet options, 200 square feet had the highest response with 38% of total votes, which is about the size of a single car or half of a traditional garage. 100 and 400 square feet each had a little less than 27% of votes with only 9% having 800 square feet or more. This question was also asked in May where there was very little change.
- Ceiling height is a struggle for some. About 15% have around 7 feet or less. These are likely people in a basement. As previously mentioned, about 62% have around 8 or 9 feet. Less than a quarter have something around 10 feet or more.
- While the majority are only using one or two walls, thre are still about 45% that are utilizing 3 or 4 walls.
(10:06) “Types” of plates are another‘s crucial topic for many.
- Bumper or iron plates? Consistent with most polls done in the past, bumper plates are the easy winner with 56% of the total votes. Iron made up a little less than one-third of voting and “whatever is cheapest,” 13%.
(13:06) Should someone get a flat bench or an adjustable bench to begin their home gym journey?
- Just 30% believe that an adjustable bench covers their home gym needs, while 82% think an adjustable bench does. We’ve done this survey before and the results didn’t change up too much. It’s ultimately why we typically recommened someone to save up for an adjustable bench rather than just settling for a flat bench.
(15:35) The lat/low row attachment seems to be at the top when it comes to larger or premium rack accessories.
- About 20% said they were not interested in any, but the lat/low row attachment received more votes than the belt squat and jammer arms combined.
All Other Charts
2/6/2022
(1:29) Level of interest in the Scout Hyper?
- The results were extremely close to what we saw in 2021. Only about 13% had “high intererst” and another 75% had “low interest” or was unsure what the Scout Hyper is.
(6:20) Where are your primary workout shoes from?
- Nike did gain more votes than Reebok and Adidas combined but 38% voted “other” as the most popular answer. The results are basically the same as last year.
(9:20) How many shoes are currently in your workout rotation?
- Most only have one or two shoes in their workout rotation. Only about 32% are working out with three or more on a regular basis.
(11:52) How often do you train without Barefoot?
- Many complained about barefoot training not being added as an option in previous survey questions about shoes used when working out. About one in three are doing it at least once a week and 1 in 5 do it for most sessions.
(14:24) Do you own weightlifting shoes?
- This one was split relatively evenly but more do own them than not.
(16:30) Do you typically read reviews before buying workout shoes and apparel?
- Over 59% are typically reading reviews when buying new shoes and 41% for apparel. This seems to be a considerable amount and compares well to the 63% saying they read reviews before buying gym equipment the week prior.
(19:50) Where are you most likely to buy a power rack from?
- As we would most likely expect, Rogue wins this one with almost half of the votes.
- How has this changed? REP ate into some of the Rogue voters from last year. They were up 31% from the prior year.
(23:20) How many barbells do you own?
- Two out of three answering these questions own multiple barbells, which is up 11% from last July.
(26:36) Will you do an organized race or lifting competition this year?
- About 32% say they’ll do an organized race/lifting competition this year, which is up slightly from the year before (29%).
(28:20) Level of interest in the Rogue Echo Bike?
- This is without question one of the most popular pieces of cardio equipment among the home gym community, however only 30% voted “high interest.”
- In addition, the overall interest has gone down a bit since the last time this survey was done in July.
1/30/2022
(4:30) Overrated or Underrated?
8 items/topics were asked about (listed below). More details include:
- With nearly 63% voting overrated, 6 post racks were actually pretty easily seen as the most overrated item on this list.
- Home Gym Hacks and DIY Projects were viewed as the most underrated. Each had over 70% voting underrated.
- The rest of the voting is below.
| Topic/Item | Overrated | Underrated | % Overrated |
| 6 Post Power Racks | 2,039 | 1,200 | 62.95% |
| Westside Spacing | 1,470 | 1,572 | 48.32% |
| Adjustable Dumbbells | 1,632 | 1,979 | 45.20% |
| Stainless Steel Barbells | 1,423 | 1,927 | 42.48% |
| Specialty Barbells | 1,215 | 2,287 | 34.69% |
| Owning Multiple Barbells | 1,194 | 2,470 | 32.59% |
| Home Gym DIY Projects | 1,023 | 2,410 | 29.80% |
| Home Gym Hacks | 990 | 2,405 | 29.16% |
This survey was also done last year. What are some key differences?
- Specialty Barbells were seen as overrated by 27% more people in 2021. Thus, more people see the benefit in owning them this year.
- The two most overrated items this time around (6 Post Power Racks and Westside Spacing) saw pretty big changes from 2021.
| Topic/Item | 2022 Overrated | 2021 Overrated | % difference |
| 6 Post Power Racks | 62.95% | 53.60% | 17.45% |
| Westside Spacing | 48.32% | 40.90% | 18.15% |
| Adjustable Dumbbells | 45.20% | 48.90% | -7.58% |
| Stainless Steel Barbells | 42.48% | 41.70% | 1.86% |
| Specialty Barbells | 34.69% | 47.40% | -26.80% |
| Owning Multiple Barbells | 32.59% | 33.40% | -2.43% |
(13:28) How do you usually listen to audio during home workouts?
- This isn’t really a shocker. Almost 2 out of 3 are typically listening with a speaker and headphones make up another quarter of the votes.
(14:43) Do you typically read “expert reviews” before most gym equipment purchases?
- While 63% do say yes, this is down from 70% from the prior year.
(15:51) What would you rather see before purchasing (2 expert reviews or 5 consumer reviews)?
- With 34% voting for expert reviews it’s down a few percentage points from last year when 38% said they’d rather read expert reviews last year.
(19:20) Have you heard of the Garage Gym Competition?
- Up from 28% when voted on a few weeks ago.
(19:54) Are you running some sort of business out of your home gym?
- While most people in this world are not even considering it, it’s important to note that about 8% answering these surveys are running a business out of their home gym.
(20:19) Do you have some sort of pulley system in your home gym?
- A pretty decent amount of people have some sort of pulley system in their home gym. With 57% voting yes, it’s a decent amount pp from 47% voting this way last May.
(23:15) Favorite Home Gym Hacks (Sunday Survey Conversation)
- “Once you get enough equipment, your wife never notices new stuff.” – Crandall Fitness
- Turning functional trainer into a belt squat a few different ways.
- Cheap ways to perform landmine movments. Tennis ball, for example.
- Propane heaters.
- Amazon pulleys with some other tools for pulleys system.
(27:55) Favorite DIY Projects for Home Gym (Sunday Survey Conversation)
- Many mentioned DIY projects to get the gym in shape. For example, @homegymhangout said a wired in garage heater. Others said getting it insulated.
- DIY deadlift platform was the most popular answer.
(32:52) 2022 January Hot or Not Results Summary
Highlights for the year so far include:
- The Concept 2 Rower eeks out a victory over the Rogue Echo Bike and the rest of the competition this week with 87% 🔥 votes. The Echo Bike beat out the Rower in 2021 by a few % points, so is this the new #1 cardio item for home gym owners?
- The GHD wins agains the Reverse Hyper and 2-1 Combo (Reverse Hammer). They all came in between 68% and 75%. Over 70% voted 🔥 for the Scout Hyper, which was a few % points higher than reverse hyper.
- The Powerblock Pro Series Straight Bar was the biggest drop🧊, down 37%. This received the lowest score in 2021 as well.
- Raw Clear Coat AB-5200 hit a score that may not be topped this year, just under 94%.
- All four colors of the AB-5200 were asked about. The Red and Blue were decently behind the other options that landed at the very top of the list.
- The Rogue LP-2 was the winner, but not by a ton. A similar product from Titan was just behind it, which isn’t too shabby being half the cost. The LP-2 also takes 24-32 weeks to ship right now, which seems crazy! The other single pulley stack weight system from Fray (pictured below) wasn’t too far behind either.
- 2 out of the 3 functional trainers (Rep FT-5000 and Red Functional Trainer via Fray) scored above 75% with the Nemesis Functional Trainer scoring below 50%.
1/23/2022
(1:09) Is working out enough or resting when needed more difficult?
- It was pretty close, but resting when necessary is more difficult for more than working out enough.
(2:51) With cost in mind, who would you fill your gym with (Titan, REP, Rogue, Sorinex)?
- Rogue wins this by just a few over REP. They combined for about 77% of the votes.
You can also join the conversation below.
(5:26) Level of interest in GHD, Reverse Hyper, or a Combo?
- The GHD was the winner here, but it only received 26% “high” votes. Therefore, none of these had a ton of interest in having this in their home gym.
- For those unaware, “Combo” refers to a GHD/Reverse Hyper Combo like the Reverse Hammer below.
(10:34) Should Peloton merge with another strength equipment company focused on home gyms?
- The biggest vote getter was “Yes” with about 42% thinking that they need to add another strength equipment company.
(13:39) What type of flooring are you most likely to get?
- Stall mats absolutely dominated this one. It received nearly 3/4 votes and about 14x more votes than a deadlift platform and 11x more than “other” options.
(16:48) Level of Interest in Premium J-Cups vs. Premium Barbell Collars
- 18% voted high interest in premium J-Cups, which is up from 16% voting last January.
- 20% voted high interest in premium barbell collars, which is down from 23% in the year before.
- Therefore, there was slightly more interest for the collars, but the numbers weren’t too high for either.
(21:00) Occupation?
- Military, nurses, and coaches all reached out about this question…. So keep that in mind. Nevertheless, there were slightly more “white collar” workers than “blue collar” ones this time around. Last year, the figures were exactly the same.
- About 3% are stay at home parents.
(23:03) Which 2022 REP release are you most interested in?
- The specialty bars were the easy winner with about 42% of the votes. The Ares attachment and Yoke combined for just about 30%.
- About 28% did not know what this question was referring to.
(24:55) Of the 2022 releases from REP, which specialty bar interests you most?
- Open Trap narrowly beats out the SSB by about 1% with 36% of the votes. The Multi-Grip bar wasn’t too far behind around 29%.
1/16/2022
(1:44) With cost in mind, who are you choosing to fill an entire home gym with?
- With 4 possible options, Rogue and REP made up over 91% of the votes with Rogue eeking out a victory over REP.
This survey question was also asked about six months ago. REP was the biggest mover, up 40% from May votes. They definitely took away some Rogue votes, which fell 16%.
| Company | May 2021 | January 2022 | % Change |
| Force USA | 2.44% | 2.37% | -3% |
| Sorinex | 9.42% | 6.32% | -33% |
| REP | 30.55% | 42.88% | 40% |
| Rogue | 57.59% | 48.44% | -16% |
(11:12) Have you heard of or participated in the Garage Gym Competition?
- A little over a fourth have heard of this online powerlifting competition with about 22% of them actually participating.
(14:32) If you own any dumbbells, is it a full set? If you own any kettlebells, is it a full set?
- A full set of dumbbells or kettlebells is a luxury that most do not have.
(19:33) Which specialty piece of equipment are you choosing first?
- With nearly 45% votes, the Functional Trainer beat out the GHD (24%), Belt Squat (18%), and Reverse Hyper (13%).
- How did this change from last time? The chart below shows the differences between this time around and 11 months ago. All stayed within a few % points with the functional trainer lead gaining over the GHD.
(27:04) Are you a parent?
- Nearly 55% say yes, which is up 20% from the last time this was asked in April of 2021.
(27:26) How often do you rearrange your home gym each year?
- Most aren’t arranging it too much. This question was also asked about 8 months ago and we did not see much change.
(30:04) Do you typically look to see what Country your equipment was made in before purchasing?
- About 40% are looking to see what Country your equipment was made before purchasing? This didn’t change much from when this was asked about last May (38%).
(31:49) Are you a member of Reddit r/HomeGym and/or Home Gym Discord?
- Reddit dominated this one with about 6x more votes, but only about 1 in 5 answering these survey questions are members.
(35:36) Do you have a computer in your home gym?
- Nearly 12% have a computer in their home gym. This was about a third of the amount that have TVs.
1/9/2022
(2:52) Do you typically follow a workout program, Do you pay for a workout program, and Do you have a 1:1 coach?
- A solid majority aren’t just winging their workouts. Over 71% are typically following a workout program. This question was asked 6 months ago with 73% saying they follow a program.
- With 39% paying for a workout program, more than half of those following a program are not just using free options.
- Nearly 12% have a 1:1 coach. This was also asked about 6 months ago where 13.8% said they had a 1:1 coach.
(7:11) Which piece of cardio equipment are you choosing if you could only have 1?
- The rower eeks out a victory over the air bike with treadmill and stationary bike a bit behind.
- The rower and air bike accounted for nearly 2/3 of the votes.
- This survey was done last January as well. In general, the much of it did not change, but the rower’s lead over the air bike did go down slightly.
- Will the Air Bike win the next battle?
(13:55) How do you feel about tech entering the home gym space?
- The results were nearly identical to what we saw in July of 2021. With 49% voting neutral and only a combined 28% being either a big fan/keep me away, it doesn’t seem to be on the radar of most.
(15:40) “Personal Preference” Questions
- 36.2% have a TV in their home gym (35% said they had one in May)
- 19.1% have the TV on for more than half of their workouts. (only 11% said this in January of 2021)
- 91.2% are listening to music for more than half of their workouts
- 21.6% are listening to a podcast for more than half of their workouts
- 56.4% hang out in their home gym while they are not training at times.
(20:54) Have you heard of Surplus Strength? and Do you know what the Universal Pulley System from Surplus Strength is?
- Only a fraction have heard of Surplus Strength and less know what their primary product is.
1/2/2022
(1:23) Do you typically train on the holidays?
- One of the perks of having your own home gym is that it’s always open, even on the holidays when most gyms are closed. Those answering the surveys are taking advantage of theirs. Only 14% say they are not typically working out on the holidays.
(2:44) Do you get something for your home gym as a present this holiday season?
- Less than half did :(. About 44% said they received something for their home gym.
(4:22) Do you stay consistent with eating/drinking during the holidays?
- In general, it doesn’t seem than too many try to stay consistent during the holidays. Only 11% say yes, 37% absolutely do not, whatever happens happens for 27% and then 25% “try.”
(5:13) About half typically set gym related goals going into each year?
(8:12) Which strength sport interests you most?
- This was pretty consistent with how this looked in August 2021. Powerlifting is still #1 but bodybuilding isn’t too far behind.
(10:02) What’s worse for home workouts? Hot summers or cold winters?
- This question shouldn’t have been asked because it was asked about a month ago. Results were nearly identical to what people said in December. Cold winters are worse for most.
(10:25) How much will you spend on your home gym in 2022?
- Most plan to spend a pretty substantial about this year on their home gym. Just 10% will spend less than a hundred dollars. 24% plan to spend between $100 and $300, 43% between $300 and $1,000, and 23% over $1,000. This isn’t too suprising since we know that most are building their home gym out one step at a time.
(20:26) What’s a bigger issue during home workouts?
- 3 out of 5 say that it is tougher to get a good warmup than finish strong. Last June this was asked and 64% said a good warmup was the bigger issue.
(21:12) How many people do you know with “serious garage gyms?”
- Only 8% said they know more than 4 people with “serious” garage gym. This question emphasized not counting internet friends. The results are nearly identical to the time this was asked in February 2021.
(24:15) Regular or Strongman Sandbags?
- Last year strongman sandbags received more votes by less than 1%, but this year “regular” wins with nearly 5% more votes. There are quite a bit of people who don’t know the difference though.
(27:57) In 5 years, who will be the most popular equipment supplier for home gym strength?
- How did that change since this was asked in February of last year? REP made the biggest jump, but Rogue still owns a pretty big lead as we mentioned above.
| Company | February 2021 | January 2022 | % Change |
| Rogue | 61.6% | 56.2% | -9% |
| REP | 12.6% | 21.4% | 70% |
| Amazon/Walmart | 18.6% | 13.0% | -30% |
| Other | 7.2% | 9.4% | 31% |
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