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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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Best Strength Equipment
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Best Cardio Equipment
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Best Supplements
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Further reading
In this Alani Nu BCAA review, our testers explain whether this product is worth the high price tag, or if you’re better off saving your money. Read more
Since 1974, NordicTrack has created innovative exercise equipment for the home gym crowd. The NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle is one of the most technologically-advanced bikes that the company has put out. In the past year, the S22i has received a facelift to include faster Wi-Fi connectivity, improved HD graphics, and enhanced automatic trainer control.The S22i impresses with expansive interactive programing, adjustability, and an inertia-enhanced flywheel to create a smooth riding, quality exercise bike. The NordicTrack S15i, the brand’s other indoor cycle bike in this line, has similar features to the S22i but has a smaller screen and fewer resistance levels.When I test exercise bikes, I consider the footprint, assembly, durability, and overall workout experience. In this NordicTrack S22i review, I’ll give you all the information on what I liked and what you should know if you’re considering buying it.My Favorite Things22” rotating HD touchscreenFree year membership to iFit24 digital resistance levelsOffers incline and decline trainingMy CalloutsNot easy to move solo (203 pounds and bulky)Pricey at around $2,000Time-consuming assembly with many partsPaid subscription required to use iFit Read more
The upright row is just what you need for bigger shoulders and a strong upper back. Check out our guide to find out more about this awesome exercise! Read more
Learn how to do hammer curls correctly in the step-by-step guide along with the benefits of strong arms. Read more