If you’ve been paying attention to the news over the past few months, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Regardless of your political views, which we aren’t here to discuss, tariffs will have a direct impact on many of the products we purchase, and the fitness industry is no exception. We’ve already seen price hikes on gym equipment, as most of it is imported from other countries that will have tariffs imposed on them.
Whether you’re building a home gym from scratch or looking to add some of the best home gym equipment to your current setup, there’s a good chance you’re going to have to pay more than you would have paid last year, thanks to tariffs. We’re here to explain why and what to do next.
In this article, I’ll break down everything you need to know about the impact of tariffs on gym equipment and our best advice for anyone currently looking to upgrade their home gym.
What Are Tariffs?
Let’s start with the basics. Tariffs are essentially taxes imposed on the import of goods from other countries, paid by the company doing the importing.
For example, let’s say a U.S.-based fitness company wants to sell bumper plates from China, where most bumper plates are made. Since there’s now a tariff on Chinese goods, in addition to purchasing the bumper plates and paying the regular shipping costs, the U.S. company will have to pay an additional tariff on these Chinese imports.
Even if the company has been buying these bumper plates for years at the same price, the cost of many imported goods has been impacted by the tariffs, which means the cost to get a product ready to sell to a customer has increased.
How Tariffs Impact The Fitness Equipment Market
The idea behind tariffs is to encourage companies to work with manufacturers in the United States. However, setting up new factories or finding new manufacturers isn’t a quick or easy process. GGR founder Cooper “Coop” Mitchell spoke with many fitness equipment distributors and explained that many of them already have existing supply chains and work with factories in other countries.
While moving their entire manufacturing process to the United States is possible, sourcing the materials and setting up new factories may be difficult and admittedly not worth the disruptions to regular operations. Companies have said a price increase would make more sense than relocating their entire supply chain.
Since companies have to pay more to import products but still need to make a profit to stay in business, they’re forced to increase the price they sell equipment for. If you’ve noticed that the equipment you’ve had your eye on is suddenly more expensive, you have tariffs to thank.
To use a couple of real examples, the popular REP x PÉPIN Fast Series Adjustable Dumbbell currently costs $1,299 for the 85-pound pair, while the same pair only cost $999 last November. In the world of cardio, the Echelon Stride 6 treadmill has increased from $1,199 to $1,499 at the time of writing. We’ve seen cost increases in bumper plates, barbells, squat racks, and more.
Now, you may be thinking you can simply switch to companies like Rogue Fitness, which sells many products that are proudly made in the USA. While this is certainly a great option, products made in the USA have generally cost quite a bit more, even before tariffs, and Coop predicts that they’ll also raise their prices to stay competitive with the market.
RELATED: Rogue Fitness Coupon
Not to mention, even if equipment manufacturers sell products primarily assembled in the United States, the raw materials and some smaller components often come from countries like China, Canada, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico, which all have tariffs placed on them at the time of writing.
For example, some companies will say equipment is made in the USA, but certain parts like pulleys and cables may be imported from other countries. This means that the manufacturing cost will still increase, even if it’s only certain pieces of equipment that cost more.
You may be thinking that if tariffs are removed, prices will go back down. While we’d love to see this, a look back at our economic history—particularly the cost of exercise equipment—suggests otherwise.
Examining the Economic Data
We looked at the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), a site that has a producer price index1 tracking the “gymnasium and exercise equipment industry.” As you can see in the chart below, prices have continued to increase since the early 1990s, spiking particularly high during the COVID-19 pandemic when demand was extremely high and supplies were low.
As you can see, even when things settled down after the pandemic, and it was much easier to get home gym equipment, prices stayed elevated. History has shown us that when prices go up, for any reason, they rarely come back down.
While we don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future, we’ve already seen the tariffs increase the cost of home gym equipment, and we don’t expect prices to get much lower, based on 30 years of economic data.
What Home Gym Owners Should Do Next
If you’re looking to build or upgrade your home gym, there’s no time like the present. Unfortunately, prices on most things are higher than they were last year, but even if the tariffs are removed, we’d be surprised to see prices return to previous lows.
You may be able to find great deals on used equipment in your area, but we’d still recommend comparing prices at various retailers and shopping around. As the cost of new equipment increases, it’s not unreasonable to expect a similar cost increase in the used equipment market, though it’ll still be cheaper than ordering directly from the manufacturer.
We know that not everyone wants to buy used equipment, and even if you do, you might have a hard time finding a specific piece of equipment in your area. You can also join the Home Gym Community, our GGR Facebook group, which is a great resource for finding equipment, DIY ideas, and more.
Thankfully, we’re here to help you find the best manufacturer deals year-round, even if prices continue to increase. Our best advice is to bookmark our dedicated sales pages, which are regularly updated with any current promotions and offers from various equipment companies.
We track any sales on barbells, squat racks, dumbbells, kettlebells, and more, so if you’re looking for a great deal, these pages will point you in the right direction:
- Memorial Day Sales
- Fourth of July Sales
- Labor Day Sales
- Black Friday Fitness Equipment Deals
- Holiday Gift Guide
- New Year’s Fitness Sales
Thoughts From Garage Gym Reviews’ Founder
Back in December, GGR founder Cooper “Coop” Mitchell recorded a detailed video breaking down the tariffs and his predictions for the home gym equipment market.
At the time of filming, we’d already had 7-12% tariffs on goods imported from China, but the new tariffs proposed by the Trump administration hadn’t been implemented yet. Coop spoke with many home gym equipment companies, and many predicted that prices would have to increase if the tariffs were imposed, but no one was sure what would happen at that time.
You can watch the full video below, but as it’s been five months since recording, I asked Coop if he had any updated news to add and what his thoughts and predictions were as we head into the summer of 2025.
Coop said, “Many companies spiked prices and have since lowered them, although not to previous levels. What happens next is hard to say. My assumption is prices won’t fall.”
Nobody can predict the future, but if the tariffs increase further, gym equipment prices will likely follow. Unless the tariffs are removed entirely, prices are unlikely to get any lower, so we may be seeing the lowest prices we’re going to see for quite some time.
Here’s Coop’s original reaction video if you want to hear more of his thoughts.
Tariffs Affecting Gym Equipment Prices: Final Thoughts
None of us can control tariffs, but we’ve already seen the cost of gym equipment increase, and we don’t expect it to get any lower, even if tariffs are removed.
If you’re in the process of building a home gym and feel frustrated by the increasing costs, you’re not alone. However, we think that prices are only going to go up in the future, so while the higher prices are unfortunate, this may still be the best time to pick up any new equipment you’ve had your eye on.
- Tariffs increase the cost of importing gym equipment and materials from other countries, which is why many gym equipment companies have raised their prices.
- While the tariffs may not be permanent, economic data shows that once prices go up, they rarely come back down, and we don’t expect to see lower prices any time soon.
- If you’re in the market for home gym equipment, you may not see lower prices in the future, and prices may very well continue to rise.
Tariffs Affecting Gym Equipment Prices: FAQs
Will tariffs affect gym equipment?
Yes, if you’re buying directly from the manufacturer, we’ve already seen many fitness companies impacted by tariffs raise their prices to ensure they still make a profit.
Does a tariff affect the price of goods?
Yes, for any goods imported from a country that has a tariff imposed on it. A tariff means that the company importing the goods into the United States has to pay additional fees and taxes, and since businesses need to make a profit, the company will likely increase the cost to consumers due to the tariffs.
Why is gym equipment so expensive?
Gym equipment is often built from high-quality materials and carefully manufactured for function, safety, and durability. Good equipment that’s built to last isn’t cheap to manufacture, so the best fitness equipment tends to cost more than cheaper equipment.
References
- Producer price index by industry: Sporting and athletic goods manufacturing: Gymnasium and Exercise Equipment. FRED. (2025, May 15). https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCU3399203399207
