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Fitness Most Wanted 2023

The Best of the Best in the Industry

How We Chose Our Top Picks

At Garage Gym Reviews, we eat, sleep, and breathe fitness. Our team consists of exercise equipment experts, certified personal trainers, competitive athletes, and more.

We created the annual Fitness Most Wanted Awards to recognize the most innovative and high-performing additions to the fitness landscape. Our team spent countless hours testing products across the industry. We use them in our everyday training, we drop them to test durability, we scour user reviews to assess how others receive them.

Years of work has gone into this, the most comprehensive look into what’s hot in fitness today.

Our Favorites for 2023

Rogue TF-1
Most Surprising Piece of Equipment

Rogue TF-1 Tib Trainer

Get the most out of toe and tib raises with this innovative piece of equipment from fitness powerhouse, Rogue. We found it practical, comfortable, and easy to use with our existing Olympic weight plates.

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REP Ares
Most Innovative Squat Rack

REP Fitness Ares

The REP Fitness ARES transforms your existing rack into a functional trainer and lat pulldown machine. From assembly to implementation, testing the ARES attachment proved to provide an incredible experience for home gym owners.

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The Future logo
Best Personal Training App

Future

Members of our team have been using Future for years—yes, years! We love the personalization of working one-on-one with a trainer who develops customized programming based on fitness level, equipment, and how much time you have.

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An image of MonkeyFeet
Most Innovative Garage Gym Tool

Animal House MonkeyFeet

This great, easy-to-use tool allows you to attach a dumbbell to your feet to increase resistance for a variety of exercises. We have used MonkeyFeet for core exercises and lower-body movements.

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The Cold Plunge Tub
Most Innovative Recovery Tool

Cold Plunge

Ice baths are all the rage this year, so we knew we would have to literally take the plunge with this innovative tool. While we can’t say we loved the feeling (does anyone truly enjoy being that cold?), we can say that this is a great, high-end experience.

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Harambe System
Most Innovative Band System

Harambe Band System

With a sturdy floor plate, durable bands, and comprehensive library of exercises, the Harambe System delivered an excellent workout for our testers. This compact, affordable home gym offers innovation in resistance training.

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Oak Club MagPins
Most Innovative CremeDeLaGym Product

Oak Club MagPins

You can add versatility to your home gym squat rack by using Oak Club MagPins to attach various accessories. These 4.5-inch pins offer stability and security for most attachments, coming in 5/8-inch and 1-inch sizes.

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PRx Performance dumbbell storage
Most Innovative Storage Solution

PRx Wall-Mount Dumbbell Storage

Attention home gym owners in small spaces: The wall-mount dumbbell storage from PRx Performance gives you an excellent way to save room and keep equipment off the floor. We love this innovative design, which can play home to kettlebells, too.

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Vendetta Adapters
Most Innovative Lever Arm Adapters

Vendetta 180 Adapters

Made exclusively for the Rogue-ML 1.0 Lever Arms, these adapters give your lever arms 180 degrees of action. With quick-changing mechanisms, you can hit all your favorite exercises and transform your rack into an all-in-one trainer.

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Iron Neck
Most Innovative Neck Training

Iron Neck Pro 3.0

While you might think that using a neck trainer looks a little silly, we can say that the Iron Neck products deliver serious results. The latest product from the brand is great for strengthening muscles and preventing injuries, which we know from personal experience.

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Best Strength Equipment

pepin fast adjustable dbs
Most Innovative Adjustable Dumbbells

Pepin FAST Dumbbells

The FAST Series from Pepin may be our favorite adjustable dumbbells from the brand. You can change your weight in a matter of just seconds, enabling you do move from lower-body to upper-body exercises quickly.

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rep ab-4100
Best Bench

REP Fitness AB-4100

With seven back positions and three seat positions, the REP Fitness AB-4100 is arguably the best value adjustable bench on the market. We love the ladder-style adjustment system and that it meets IPF standards.

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Eleiko Oppen Trap Bar
Best Trap Bar

Eleiko Öppen Deadlift Bar 2.0

The newest version of the Eleiko Öppen features the same great design along with two handle heights. In our testing, we found that the built-in deadlift jack seamlessly allows you to load and unload weight.

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REP Open Trap Bar
Most Innovative Trap Bar

REP Fitness Open Trap Bar

Not only do the handles on the REP Open Trap bar rotate, but they are also removable. Pair those with an integrated deadlift jack and an affordable price tag, and you have what we feel is the most innovative trap bar on the market.

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Rogue MG4CN
Most Innovative Multi-Grip Bar

Rogue MG-4CN Camber Bar

Sleek, sexy, and versatile: The MG-4CN Narrow Multi-Grip Camber Bar offers a slim design that provides lifters options in both grip width and angle. Rotating, friction-welded sleeves come in matte black or stainless steel.

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GymPin Adapters
Most Innovative Jammer Arm Adapters

GymPin Jammer Arm Adapters

If you have the Rogue Jammer Arms 2.0, then you should check out this product by GymPin and KAIZEN. These multi-directional adapters can lock the arms into five positions, increasing the range of motion and adding more exercise options to your routine.

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Kabuki Kadillac
Best Specialty Bar

Kabuki Strength Kadillac Bar

As implied by its name, this may just be the Kadillac of cambered bars, which we can definitively say is one of the best multi-grip bars we have ever used. Find a full range of motion and rackability with this barbell, which comes with knurled handles and a black powdercoat finish.

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The Gungnir Allrounder Barbell
Best Barbell

Gungnir Allrounder

The Allrounder has built-in titanium clips known as “Slidelocks,” which keeps plates in place without having to use an additional pair of collars. We love the convenience and ingenuity in this bar, combined with top-notch construction for a one-of-a-kind offering.

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Ancore Trainer
Most Innovative Cable Machine

Ancore Trainer

If you want cable resistance training you can do anywhere, this is it. The Ancore Trainer comes with a strap mount that attaches it to your squat rack, a pole, or even a tree. At an affordable price tag, this small, commercial-grade cable machine offers a lot of bang for your buck.

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Strength Surplus UPS
Most Innovative Lat Pulldown

Surplus Strength UPS High

Want to transform your squat rack into a cable machine without spending a fortune? The UPS High is a universal pulley system that fits racks of most dimensions and doesn’t take up a lot of space. It attaches to the top of your rack, adding just a few inches to the rack height.

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Freak Athlete Nordic Mini
Most Innovative Nordic Board

Freak Athlete Mini Floor GHD

You don’t need a big machine to perform GHD exercises. The Freak Athlete Nordic Mini is compact, portable, and incredibly easy to use (if you can call Nordic curls “easy”). Plus, it’s under $300, which is far cheaper than most GHD machines.

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REP Adjustable KBs
Most Innovative Kettlebell

REP Adjustable Kettlebell

An adjustable kettlebell offers you multiple pieces of equipment in one. The REP Fitness bell has five weight options that change seamlessly during a workout. We also love that there are three weight ranges to choose from, accommodating novice and experienced lifters.

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Bulletproof Isolator
Most Innovative Rack Attachment

Bulletproof Isolator

Don’t neglect isolation exercises, and don’t neglect the Bulletproof Isolator. This easy-to-use squat rack attachment allows you to do preacher curls, leg extensions, hip thrusts, and more. It also comes in five different pin sizes.

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RPM Adjustable Pull-Up Bar
Most Innovative Pull-Up Bar

RPM Adjustable Pull-Up Bar

You no longer need to worry about finding a pull-up bar height that fits everyone in the gym: The RPM Adjustable Pull-up Bar moves through nine positions. Also, when it isn’t in use, you can fold it flat against the wall to save valuable space.

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Vitruvian Trainer
Most Innovative Smart Home Gym

Vitruvian Trainer+

Though she be but little, she is fierce: This compact, smart home gym offers up to 440 pounds of digital resistance and has programming with more than 300 classes. Use the built-in data tracking to enhance your performance and monitor progress over time.

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Kensui EZ Vest
Most Innovative Weight Vest

Kensui EZ-Vest

Kensui proclaims that the EZ-Vest is the world’s heaviest weight vest—and they may be right. Compatible with weight plates, you can load up as much as you want on your front or back for push-ups, running, and more.

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Best Cardio Equipment

NordicTrack X32i
Most Innovative Treadmill

NordicTrack X32i

You want to walk hills? You got it: The Commercial X32i boasts an impressive -6% to a massive 40% incline range. Holy legs, Batman! Plus, you get the benefit of integrated interactive programming with the iFIT platform, which has live and on-demand classes.

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Hydrow Wave
Most Innovative Rowing Machine

Hydrow Wave

Hydrow burst onto the rowing machine scene with an interactive rower that offered a sleek design and great programming. The brand then launched the Wave, which is more affordable with a narrower footprint and still touts the same great workouts.

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Torque Tank M1
Most Innovative Sled

Torque Fitness Tank M1 2.0

Torque Fitness took the great design of the M1 but added real-time training data to give a “smart” edge to this sled. We loved the original M1, and were even more stoked to see this new version come out, featuring a console that can support up to four users.

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CLMBR
Most Innovative Vertical Climber

CLMBR

CLMBR is a unique, space-saving cardio machine that delivers a powerful punch to the lungs and legs. We love the interactive programming, touchscreen, and adjustable handles.

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Sole F63
Best Treadmill Under $1,000

Sole F63

The Sole F63 is the most impressive treadmill on the market for under $1,000. It has 15 incline levels, speeds up to 12 MPH, a cooling fan, and Bluetooth-enabled speakers. Plus, you can tack on a membership to Studio for interactive programming.

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iFIT app logo
Most Innovative Cardio App

iFIT

Want an app that can control your treadmill, elliptical or bike settings? One that will take you on runs all over the world? And even provide off-machine strength training options? iFIT delivers all that and more for a low monthly cost.

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Titan Ronin
Most Innovative Plyo Box

Titan Fitness Ronin

You can take your fitness to new heights—literally—with the Titan Fitness Ronin Plyometric Machine. It allows you to progress your plyo skills by providing adjustable platform levels that move as high as 60 inches. It certainly had us jumping for joy.

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Carol Bike 2.0
Most Innovative Exercise Bike

CAROL Bike 2.0

Science-backed and action-packed, the CAROL Bike 2.0 puts the “intensity” in high-intensity interval workouts. This bike left us breathless with its on-board exercise programs and ergonomic design.

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Best Supplements

Transparent Labs BCAA
Best BCAAs

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine

With an 8-gram serving of BCAAs per scoop, we love this Transparent Labs naturally sweetened product. Plus, a hefty 5-gram dose of the non-essential amino acid glutamine could help with your recovery. The Strawberry Lemonade flavor is a fan-favorite.

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Kaged Pre-Kaged
Best All-in-One Pre-Workout

Kaged Pre-Kaged

This is one of the most popular pre-workouts on the market for good reasons: research-backed ingredients and good dosages for key ingredients like caffeine, creatine, and citrulline.

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XWERKS Grow
Best Muscle-Building Protein Powder

XWERKS Grow

Made almost entirely of pure protein, XWERKS Grow is a high-quality product with key nutrients that have been shown to help with building muscle mass. We love the chocolate flavor, even when it’s quickly mixed with water after hitting the weights.

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Onnit Creatine
Best Creatine for Athletes

Onnit Creatine Monohydrate

Onnit’s Creatine Monohydrate powder is certified through Informed Sport, which means that what they say on the label is confirmed accurate. It’s flavorless, mixes well, and is vegan-friendly—all at an affordable price.

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Athletic Greens AG1
Best Greens Powder

Athletic Greens AG1

If you want one greens product to rule them all, it’s AG1. It was formulated with athletes in mind, and boasts 75 vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants, herbs, and probiotics. We find the flavor pleasant enough to drink on its own!

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Further reading

13 Best Supplements for Runners (2024): Supplements That Go the Distance Cover Image
13 Best Supplements for Runners (2024): Supplements That Go the Distance

Want to go the distance? Check out the best supplements for runners, as tested and researched by our experts. Read more

No Time? No Problem. Try These 15-Minute Workouts Cover Image
No Time? No Problem. Try These 15-Minute Workouts

If you’re short on time but need a quick sweat, check out our 15-minute workout ideas. Read more

LPG Muscle Shrug Pro Review 2024: A Unique Strength Training Accessory for Big Gains Cover Image
LPG Muscle Shrug Pro Review 2024: A Unique Strength Training Accessory for Big Gains

In our LPG Muscle Shrug Pro review, we’ll detail how these free weight stands can help promote strength and athleticism for home gym owners of all levels. Read more

Flex Wheeler’s Back Widow Attachment Review 2024: Worth the Cost? Cover Image
Flex Wheeler’s Back Widow Attachment Review 2024: Worth the Cost?

Flex Wheeler's Back Widow is one of the most versatile cable machine attachments ever created. It's great as a "back blaster" for lat pulldowns and rows, but works just as well for curls and tricep work. In addition to that, it doubles as a deadlift jack and also works as a landmine. Honestly, unless you're conscious of all it does, you'll forget just how often you can use it. It is expensive and we do recommend it, but only to those that will use it's various capabilities and don't want to take up space with a ton of different attachments. Read more