Articles about: Strength Equipment

In fitness, there’s always an NBG—next big thing. Right now, that big thing is tech-savvy fitness equipment, or smart home gym equipment. Specifically, smart workout mirrors are all the rage right now. And you know Coop: I must try anything that the fitness community is raving about. This ProForm Vue mirror review is one of many smart workout mirror reviews (find them all in our best workout mirror roundup), and in it, you’ll read some unfiltered thoughts.    » Read more about: ProForm Vue Mirror Review (2021): There’s Better for the Price  »

We’re living the dawn of a new era—the era of the smart home gym. From smart workout mirrors to smart bikes and ellipticals, you can deck out a home gym with much more than barbells and dumbbells these days. Our NordicTrack Vault review will help you decide if this is the right smart home gym system for you.  Why You Should Trust Us Coop and I have tested all of the major smart home gym systems currently available,  » Read more about: NordicTrack Vault Review (2021): Fun but Bare-Bones Smart Home Gym  »

Tempo Studio: It’s a super smart all-in-one home gym with, thus far, unrivaled tech specs. There’s no product quite like it on the market, but does this mean it’s the king of all smart home gym machines? Let’s find out in our Tempo Studio review.  Why You Should Trust Us Coop and I have both tested Tempo Studio in our own homes, so you have not one,  » Read more about: Tempo Studio Review (2021): Our Unsponsored Opinion  »

In this Titan Plate Loaded Lat Pulldown review, I’ll share my honest opinion on the quality, value, and who I believe this machine is best for.

In my Rogue Adjustable Bench 3.0 review, I’ll explain why, despite it being one of the best benches I’ve tried out, it may not be the best choice for everyone’s home gym. 

My Hyperwear SteelBell review looks at how the SteelBell compares to other training tools, including slam balls and kettlebells and whether it’s a worthwhile buy for your home gym. 

These sandbags have a whopping max weight at 400 pounds. In this Rogue Strongman Sandbags review, I’ll lay out all the details you’re dying to know, including materials used and my thoughts on workout performance as well as durability. 

I’m not the largest lifter out there (shocking, I know). So when I saw the size of the Rogue Thompson Fat Pad, I was immediately skeptical. This thing lives up to its name by being...well, fat, to the point it made me look like a little girl.But, as your parents probably told you, you should never judge a book by its cover. After all, a fat pad designed by powerlifting legend Donnie Thompson has to be good, right? In my review of the Rogue Thompson Fat Pad, I’ll discuss how my initial thoughts were flipped after putting it to the test. Why You Should Trust UsAside from having researched, used, and extensively tested dozens of weight benches—of all varieties—we’ve also compiled the most comprehensive guide for the best benches for home gyms. I personally used the Rogue Fat Pad withdumbbells, benching, barbell work and more.Beyond that, I’ve also spent years lifting weights, so I know what a comfortable weight bench feels like. And I’m a garage gym owner, so I know what people are looking for to get the most bang for their buck. You can trust I’ll give an honest review and not lead you in the wrong direction.

I’m someone with a multitude of large, bulky machines packed tightly into my garage gym. Space saving options have always intrigued me, but there are few genuinely good alternatives to the traditional cable machine or home gym. This brings us to the MAXPRO SmartConnect that I’ve been testing over the past 5 months. It’s a portable cable machine that weighs under 10 pounds, can produce resistance up to 300 LB and can go wherever I do.In this MAXPRO SmartConnect home gym review, I’ll let you know why I think this could be a solid buy for you if you’re tight on space or travel frequently. I know the amount of options out there can be dizzying, and I’m here to give you my honest opinion and all the facts you need to know before making a big purchase.Why You Should Trust UsI’ve tested tons of different home gyms including smart gyms like theTonal, training racks like thePrime Fitness Prodigy, and total body gyms like theBowflex HVT. I know the things that most home gym users are looking for and the industry standards on different aspects like durability, warranty, and overall user friendliness.

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re probably pretty familiar with the brand Kabuki Strength. In the past few years, they’ve put out some of my favorite products including the versatile Trap Bar, Transformer Bar V4, and New Generation Power Bar. Kabuki recently released a flywheel, and I’ve been itching to try it.In this Kabuki Kratos Flywheel review, I’ll walk you through what’s included, unique aspects of this product, and my final thoughts. As always, I’ll give you all the details you need to make a smart buying decision for you.For those of you who aren’t familiar with flywheel training, it can be an effective way to build strength within your body’s connective tissue. It can also increase overall power, muscle hypertrophy, and force.Essentially, it’s useful for eccentric overload training where the muscle is stretched during both the lifting and lowering of your reps. The resistance is inertia driven, which means it is all based on how much force the user puts into the movement with the flywheel.

The Exxentric kPulley2is a flywheel training machine that is deceivingly simple in its operation, but brutal in its application. Although there are other flywheel machines available, Exxentric is by far the leader and the kPulley2 can add a ton of variety to any home gym, if you’re willing to spend the money.

In this MX Select Adjustable Dumbbells review, I’ll detail what I like, and warn you about things I don’t.

The Titan Leg Curl / Extension Machineis a compact, plate-loaded machine that doubles as a seated leg curl and leg extension machine perfect for home gyms. The price point, features, and quality are all a step above what Titan Fitness typically offers and I recommend it if you have the space and want to pack some muscle on your quads and hammies.

The Tonal Smart Home Gym is the most pleasantly surprising piece of gym equipment I’ve reviewed in recent memory. Despite loving barbells as much as I do, Tonal has made me a complete believer that smart home gyms are the future for many trainees. Not only is the hardware impressive, but the software in concert has made this something we would certainly recommend to those wanting an all-in-one unit for their home gym.

In our Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells review, we discuss value, durability and ease of use.

In this Bowflex SelectTech 840 Adjustable Kettlebell Review, I’ll give you the 411 on value, durability, weight, and compare it to other popular options.

The Pepin Adjustable Dumbbellsare a good value adjustable dumbbell set that hits the mark in a lot of areas. The knurling is great, the machining is precise and consistent, the chrome plating is quality, and the plates are fantastic. We initially didn't recommend them due to a potential safety issue. However, despite the Pepin's not being recommended to be dropped, they've improved the design and we feel confident enough in the updated design to now recommend them.

If you’re looking to add a set of adjustable dumbbells to your home gym that look and feel like traditional dumbbells, then the Ironmaster Quick-Lock Adjustable Dumbbells are probably the best adjustable dumbbells for you. There are certainly other adjustable dumbbells we prefer for various purposes, such as Powerblocks, however, the ability to go very heavy and have the look and feel of fixed dumbbells is unique to Ironmasters. After testing and reviewing Ironmasters over the past couple of years, we do recommend them, although certainly with some caveats.

The Rogue Z-Hyperis Rogue Fitness premiere reverse hyper designed to be as sturdy and stable as possible. After using and reviewing the Z-Hyper and comparing it to other options, we think for most people that the Rogue RH-2 or Rogue Westside Scout Hyper is a better option for a home gym. However, if you plan to upgrade to the Rogue Donkey someday, the Z-Hyper is a good option.

The Onnit Kettlebellsare like the most popular product the company sells. After using and reviewing nearly every kettlebell Onnit makes, including their character versions like the Star Wars collaboration, we are confident in the quality and durability of the Onnit Kettlebells.They’re not the best value as there are other companies offering similar kettlebells at lower prices, but overall, we recommend Onnit Kettlebells and put them on our list of the best kettlebells.

The Titan Fitness Lat Tower is the best value lat pulldown for most home gym owners that we’ve ever reviewed. Everything from the packaging to the performance of the machine makes us feel like it’s worth much more than the asking price. 

In this Nüobell Adjustable Dumbbells review, I’ll tell you why these are a great option to add to your home gym.

The Sorinex J*Squatis a belt squat that attaches to Jammer Arms allowing the trainee to squat, march, deadlift, row, and do other movements otherwise not possible with Jammer Arms alone. After using them for over 6 months, Danny Tran of Infamous Strength gives his Sorinex J*Squat Review by saying, “if you already have a set of adjustable jammer arms and are extremely limited on space, this belt squat may be the best option for you.” However, it is a lever arm style of belt squat, so there are limiting factors inherent.

The Westside Barbell Scout Hyper by Rogue Fitnessis a foldable reverse hyper created and patented by powerlifting legend Louie Simmons. Veering quite dramatically from the direction of most Rogue Fitness equipment, the Scout Hyper neither made in the USA or an ‘over-built’ product. Despite these differences from typical Rogue Fitness Equipment, the Scout Hyper is a decent, budget-friendly hyper that saves both space and cash.

The Fray Fitness Functional Trainer is one of the best home gym cable machines available. Although it states it is "commercial-quality," we disagree, but that does not mean it's not a good machine. It is one of the cheapest functional trainers you can get with 200 LB weight stacks. If you have a home gym and want to add a cable machine on a budget, this is a good option.

After using Rogue Kettlebells for over 5 years including the Powder Coat version and new E-Coat version as well as practically every competitor on the market, I believe the new Rogue E-Coat Kettlebells are the best kettlebells on the market for most people.They are made in the USA, use a superior finish to powder coat, have a tight weight tolerance warranty, and come in every weight increment desired all at one of the most affordable prices available.

The Angles90 Grips are one of the hottest fitness items on social media right now. Our Angles90 Grips review will determine whether they’re worth it or not.

The REP Fitness FB-5000 Flat Bench is by quite a large margin, the best value flat bench currently available to home gym owners. It features an intelligent design, great padding, grippy vinyl, and other standout features at an excellent price point. Whether your max bench press is 135 LB or 500 LB, you'll have a hard time finding a better value weight bench.

The Rogue Monster Utility Bench 2.0 is the best flat weight bench that Rogue Fitness sells, but not the one we most recommend. We believe this bench is incredibly sturdy, overbuilt, and strong, however, we do believe there are better value options available. We do recommend the Monster Utility Bench 2.0, but only to those with deep pockets and a desire for things that are Made in the USA and top of the line.

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.

The REP AB-5200 FI Adjustable Bench is one of the best incline benches we've ever reviewed. Not only is it feature-packed with a laser-cut ladder style system, grippy vinyl, and a stand-up feature, but it offers all of this in at an excellent price point compared to the competition. It is a big, heavy bench and is still pretty more expensive than some prefer, but for those that want a high-end adjustable bench at a price most can swallow, this is an excellent option for your home gym.

Clench Fitnesshas created a Band Handle that allows trainees to use bands without having to hold them in their hands. It's a unique idea that's done well and is perfectly suited for the home gym owner. They also create bands, however, any standard band will work in the handle.

The kBox4 from Exxentric is a revolutionary piece of training equipment that is unlike anything we've tested before. Not only is the flywheel system employed by the kBox4 effective, but the build quality and precision of the machine is unparalleled.

The Standing Back Extension from Edge Fitness Systems is a new spin on an old design proposed by legendary strongman Paul Anderson. Not only is this piece a game changer regarding training the posterior chain, but it is also sure to become a mainstay and stand alongside staples such as the GHR, Reverse Hyper, and Belt Squat Machine.

The Genesis Deadlift Jack has upped the game by providing a lightweight and very durable deadlift jack that will take up almost zero space in any commercial or home gym. At a pretty great price, the Genesis Jack should rank near the top of any deadlift jack list.

BenchBlokz are a product that creates a way to simulate board presses using a hard foam that takes up less space than typical wooden boards. Although an extremely simple product, they are definitely an idea that makes you step back and say, "why didn't I think of that?"a

Our REP Fitness AB-5000 Bench Review details why it is one of the best benches on the market today at any price point.

The Prime Fitness RO-T8 Handles and other attachments are some of the most engineered cable attachments ever created. After using the entire RO-T8 family over the course of 45 days, we can confidently give a high recommendation for anyone doing cable work. Not only are they incredibly versatile, but they are also comfortable and easy to use.

After using the Sorinex Glute Ham Roller extensively over two months, we can confidently conclude that this is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment for the amount of space it takes up that's currently available. Not only is it incredibly versatile, but it's also extremely space efficient and economically priced. Simply put, we're big fans.

The Gripedo Trainer is an incredibly versatile grip building tools that is a swiss army knife of sorts. Thanks to its unique design and ability to be used in multiple ways, we recommend the Gripedo Trainer to anyone looking for a piece of equipment to increase training versatility with minimum space, although we would like to see the price decreased.

PowerBlock Adjustable Dumbbells Review: Find out why we these are our favorite.

The Rogue Thompson Fatbells are a collaboration between Rogue Fitness and Donnie Thompson that are designed to essentially replace both kettlebells and dumbbells. We find, after using them over two years, that they are a great addition to training, but not a replacement for kettlebells.

Vulcan Absolute Competition Kettlebells are some of thebest kettlebells available for the price. They're casted extremely well and have a very competitive price. We definitely give our recommendation.

The Rep Fitness Adjustable Bench is one of the best value benches currently available. The Rep Fitness Flat Bench is also a great option at a great price for those looking for a capable bench with a large weight capacity.

The Rogue Dumbbell Bumper Platesare a cool innovation for strength training. As with anything made by Rogue Fitness, they are very well done and can be just as effective in training. If you do a lot of dynamic dumbbell work and want to easily interchange weight, these are a great option. However, they are not designed to be dropped overhead.

The Sorinex Belt Squat Machine is one of the premier belt squats currently on the market. It's undoubtedly one of the largest belt squat machines, but if you have the space and money, it's an outstandingly versatile machine. Squats, push-ups, upperback work, and more can all be performed on this piece of equipment

In this REP Fitness Rubber Coated Hex Dumbbells review, I’ll tell you why this equipment is a must-add to your home gym.

In this Rogue Rhino Belt Squat review, we’ll tell you why this surprisingly affordable and versatile option should be at the top of your list.

The Squatmax-MD Belt Squatutilizes free weight and a unique pin and guide rod system to allow for vertical squatting. After testing the Squatmax-MD and comparing it to a cable-based belt squat (the Rogue Rhino) and lever-arm belt squat (Titan Belt Squat, Pitshark, and Wenning Belt Squat) we can confidently recommend the Squatmax-MD. It takes longer to set up and doesn't have the versatility of cable-based systems, but for squatting, the Squatmax-MD is hard to beat.

The Rogue Abram GHD 2.0is one of the best glute-ham developers currently available. Featuring a frame made of 2x3 steel along with heavy-duty pads and rollers, although expensive, the Abram GHD 2.0 is made to last.

FringeSport has produced some of the best bumper plates available on the market with their Contrast Bumper Plates. With its ultra-durable virgin rubber, raised contrast lettering, and the best warranty offered for bumper plates, the FringeSport Contrast Bumper Plates are the bumper plates we recommend when looking to purchase a new set for any home or commercial gym.

The Rogue Flat Utility 2.0 Bench is one of, if not the best flat bench available on the market. Rogue has kept the design simple, but yet effective in durability and stability. With its lifetime warranty and structure that can handle just about anything you throw at it, the Rogue Flat Utility 2.0 Bench will be a great addition to any home or commercial gym.