Best of Roundups
By Nicole Davis, CPT, PN1-NC
updated June 24, 2024
We test and review fitness products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we may earn a commission. Read our disclosures.
The Best of the Best in the Industry
Our Strength Favorites Our Cardio Favorites Our Nutrition Favorites Our Recovery Favorites Our Favorite Apps FMW 2023 FMW 2022
How We Chose Our Top Picks
At Garage Gym Reviews, fitness and nutrition are what we do and what we know. Our team of experts, including certified personal trainers, nutrition coaches, Olympians, dietitians, and more, spend a considerable amount of time actually using these products, testing them during our own workouts and rating them using our proprietary multi-point methodologies.
We created Fitness Most Wanted to shine a spotlight on the products that we think are the best out there—those that innovate, those that provide great value to the user, and those that challenge others in the same product category to up their game.
Relying on our years of collective experience, we present to you the 50 products on our Fitness Most Wanted 2024 list.
Our Strength Favorites—Most Innovative
Rack Functional Trainer
REP Ares 2.0
This premium cable attachment can transform your squat rack into a functional trainer. Newly updated, the 2.0 version features 260-pound weight stacks with swiveling pulleys and a more open design.
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Lat Pulldown
ATX Trinity Tower
This lat pulldown allows for the ultimate in positioning, featuring three pull directions and a rope length adjustment to change the handle height, stretch, and pull stroke.
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Lever Arms
PRx Halo Arms
This might be the most versatile jammer arm system ever made. You can lock the arms in place vertically or horizontally or unlock them for movement side to side. Also key, they work with any 3”x3” upright with ⅝” or 1” hole spacing.
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Jammer Arm Handles
Rorman Strength Megalith
What’s so cool about these handles is that they rotate a full 360 degrees, allowing for ultimate comfort and range of motion. The handles feature aggressive knurling with a center knurl mark, too.
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Small Garage Gym Tool
Madd Spotter Dumbbell Spotter 2.0
Make your overhead dumbbell exercises more effective (and safer) by using a pair of these. They hang from a barbell and help you forgo the setup to overhead dumbbell exercises, which wastes time and energy.
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All-In-One
Freak Athlete Nordic Hyper
We’re huge fans of this piece of equipment: It helps to build the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back and can replace six different machines for your home gym.
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Adjustable Dumbbells
REP x PÉPIN Fast Series
While these haven’t shipped yet, we’re really jazzed about them—they have a very similar design to the original PÉPIN dumbbells at a fraction of the price.
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Barbell Collars
Titan TwistLock Pro Barbell Collars
Although these collars are a bit spendy, they’re lightweight, magnetic, and easy to use—plus, they feature a medium volcano knurl, and who could ask for more?
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Weight Plates
Weight It Out Bumper Plates
We reviewed the steel plates from this company and are excited to get our hands on their bumper plates launching this summer—these 45-pound bumpers are only 1.3 inches thick!
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Belt Squat
Fringe Sport Mammoth Belt Squat
This is one of the cheapest, best-designed mammoth squats out there. It has a modular design, which means it fits all racks on the market today.
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Functional Trainer
Torque Anker 7
This space-saving wall-mounted functional trainer sits only 9 inches off the wall, but has dual 225-pound weight stacks and fully adjustable uprights.
Nordic Curl
Shogun Sports NORD-EX
This combines a back extension machine with a Nordic bench in a compact package; we can’t recommend it enough for posterior chain work.
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Cable Machine
REP Adonis
This single-tower cable machine acts as a functional trainer with a moving trolley, but here’s the cool thing: The fixed low row and lat pulldown provide a 1:1 ratio and the functional trainer provides a 2:1 ratio.
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Barbell Storage
Darko Barbell Anchor
If you’re short on space in your garage gym, look no further: Mount these to your power rack and store your barbells efficiently and out of the way.
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Knurled Goodness
JD Gym Equipped
If you’re a lover of good knurling, look no further than this company, which handcrafts everything from attachments to handles to custom products like a knurled espresso portafilter handle.
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Leg Extension/Leg Curl Combo
Prime Fitness Plate-Loaded Machine
This 2-in-1 combo machine allows you to easily transition from the leg extension to the leg curl and is equipped with special technology to allow the user to overload different portions of the movement.
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Most “Surprisingly Useful”
Prime Fitness Prodigy Pad Attachment
Whether you want to use this horizontally or vertically, the Prodigy attachment offers nine angle pad adjustments, 12 length adjustments, and 11 width adjustments for a lot of versatility.
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Rack Attachment
Bulletproof Isolator
This product is on our list for the second year in a row for a reason—this easy-to-use squat rack attachment allows you to execute leg extensions, hip thrusts, preacher curls, and more.
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Specialty Bar
REP Open Trap Bar
Another product on our list two years in a row, this trap bar is still top-notch. Its handles rotate and are removable, plus there’s an integrated deadlift jack. Yes, please.
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Cable Attachment
Dynepic Spiral Strength Dually
This attachment features a rotational mechanism at the top that allows for improved muscle activation and isometric work, both great for burnout.
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Lat Pulldown Bar
Mutant Metals ARC Pulldown Attachment
This attachment allows you to take Mutant Metals handles that you already own and transform them into a lat pulldown attachment; we love an upgrade in usability!
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Pull-Up Bar
Kensui Swissies V2
Talk about a space-saving pull-up bar—these neutral grip attachments, complete with knurling, slip right onto any bar and can hold up to 800 pounds. V2 makes the original better by accommodating bars of different diameters.
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Dip Attachment
Rogue Velocidor
This dip attachment is a standout because it features multiple width and angle adjustments for a customizable dip experience on your power rack.
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Bench
Ironmaster Super Bench PRO V2
New in the 2nd version, a handle to move it around, plus laser-etched numbered adjustments and a tapered bench pad, make this GGR founder Coop’s personal favorite bench.
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Fancy Equipment
Oak Club Mag Pin 3
Use these to affix your attachments to your rack in style. They feature two-toned aluminum construction, and various accent colors are available.
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Leg Press
Gymleco 45-Degree Leg Press
Leg machines typically take up a lot of space, but this compact option from Gymleco would be great for a home gym. Not only is it space-efficient, it has an open design as well.
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Squat Rack System
Eleiko Prestera
The amount of customization this system offers is insane: type of rack, dimensions, storage options, lifting platforms, cable systems, and other rack attachments—the possibilities are almost endless!
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Outdoor Gym Equipment
SwingSesh
If you’re a parent, you’ll get it. SwingSesh combines a swing set for your kids with an outdoor home gym—GGR founder Coop has one and loves it.
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Brand
REP Fitness
REP has introduced some of the best equipment of the year, including the Ares 2.0 cable attachment, the Arcadia functional trainer, and the Adonis cable tower. Even more is coming this year, too.
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Best in Show
Beyond Power Voltra I
We think this is the most innovative home gym product of the year. Even though it’s pricey, it’s compact and smart, taking cable machines to new heights.
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Our Cardio Favorites
Most Innovative Cardio Machine
Torque Fitness Relentless Ripper
This ski machine can be mounted to a wall or a rack and offers 10 levels of magnetic resistance to provide a low-impact, high-intensity workout.
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Most Innovative Rower
Ergatta Rower
If competition keeps you motivated to exercise, this rower’s gamified experience could be right up your alley. The Ergatta rower looks beautiful, too.
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Most Innovative Sled
Torque Tank M1
This sled uses magnetic resistance instead of plates and can also be pushed and pulled. Plus, it’s foldable. What more could you need?
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Most Innovative Treadmill
Bells of Steel Dreadmill
Use this machine as a manual incline treadmill for walking or jogging, use it in sled push mode, or pick up the built-in farmer’s carry handles for a 3-in-1 solution for versatile training.
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Best Treadmill Under $1,000
ProForm Carbon TLX
This machine has great specs for under $1,000, including a 3.0 CHP motor, 60-inch belt length, and 0 to 12 mph speed range.
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Best Exercise Bike
NordicTrack S22i
This bike has been around for a while but we really enjoy it—a 22-inch touchscreen plus 24 resistance levels and -10% decline to 20% incline range make it stand out.
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Our Nutrition Favorites
Best BCAAs
1st Phorm BCAAs
With 7.5 grams of BCAAs per serving and a top-notch taste, we love these BCAAs. They’re also priced well.
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Best Pre-Workout
Transparent Labs BULK
This pre-workout has all the important ingredients, including caffeine, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, and betaine anhydrous, all at research-backed dosages. We love the effects this provides.
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Best Protein Powder
Legion Whey+
A staff favorite at GGR, this whey isolate protein powder offers amazing flavors with 22 to 24 grams of protein per serving and no artificial ingredients. Our favorite is Cinnamon Cereal.
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Best Creatine
Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate
You can’t beat this creatine for the price. WIth 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per serving, good solubility, and third-party testing, the value is top-notch.
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Best Greens Powder
AG1
Although this is pricey, it’s worth the money for a greens powder, according to our experts. It tastes good enough to drink on its own, too, which is a plus for greens powder.
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Best Electrolytes
LMNT
This is one of the cleanest electrolyte supplements you can buy. It’s salty, but it does the job well. Our favorite is the Orange Salt.
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Best Mass Gainer
Transparent Labs Mass Gainer
With a great carb-to-protein ratio and quality ingredients, you can’t go wrong with this mass gainer. We tried Chocolate Glaze Donut and were big fans.
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Best Meal Delivery Service
Home Chef
If you like to cook but just need help keeping things new, Home Chef is our favorite. The meals are delicious, the portions are a good size, and the variety is great. Plus, customer service is A+.
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Our Recovery Favorites
Best Cold Plunge
Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro
This tub is premium—with its built-in sanitation system, impressive chiller, and overall size, this is the top option for those who want the best of the best.
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Best Home Sauna
Plunge Sauna
If you’re looking for a sauna that brings the heat, look no further—this one can get up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s spendy, but worth it for the quality.
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Best Massage Gun
Theragun Prime
Now in its 5th generation, this massage gun provides impressive value—its force, depth, and speed range are unmatched for the price.
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Our Favorite Apps
Best Personal Training App
Legion Coaching
GGRE lead reviewer Lindsay Scheele swears by this app, using it to get in the best shape of her life. Get custom diet and training plans via 1-on-1 coaching for real results.
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Best Nutrition App
WeightWatchers
Several GGR team members have tried WW and stand by its appeal, especially for beginners. It’s easy to use, sustainable, and teaches really solid habits to achieve weight loss goals.
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Best Free Nutrition App
MyFitnessPal
If you’re just looking for an app to track your nutrition (macros specifically), you can’t beat MyFitnessPal. It provides a ton of valuable tools for free.
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Best AI Fitness App
Juggernaut AI
Several GGR teammates are long-time users of Juggernaut AI—the level of personalization, versatility, and accountability that you get for the price is well worth the monthly cost.
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Nicole Davis, CPT, PN1-NC
Nicole is an editor at GGR. She's been a journalist for the last 12 years and a CPT/group fitness instructor for the last 7 years.She grew up playing tennis, became an avid runner in college, competed in a bikini competition in her mid-twenties, and even completed a triathlon. Her workout of choice nowadays is CrossFit, plus logging her daily steps. After her first daughter was born four years ago, she became especially passionate about prenatal and postnatal fitness, teaching stroller bootcamp classes and working with expecting moms as clients.Post-journalism school, Nicole worked in print media as a magazine editor for 8 years, then went freelance for a while, writing for fitness websites and manufacturers in the industry. Now, as the the Editor of GGR, she brings her expertise in fitness to writing and editing honest reviews on everything you might need for your home gym.
Further reading
Hyperwear Hyper Rope Battle Rope Review: In-Depth Review (2024)
by Cooper MitchellAnyone who’s ever used a battle rope knows how quickly it can jack your heart rate up and leave you feeling winded. Even the fittest people I know can get their behinds whooped by a battle rope.You might normally see these long and heavy ropes in use at the gym, but they’re also an excellent choice for a home workout. Like most home gym equipment products, there are tons of battle ropes to choose from, spanning a wide range of budgets. Choosing one can get tricky, as you always want to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.In our Hyperwear Hyper Rope battle rope review, I take a look at the patent-pending design of this unique piece of workout equipment. Is the Hyper Rope one of the best battle ropes? Let’s find out.RELATED: Read My Hyperwear Hyper Vest Elite Weighted Vest ReviewWhy You Should Trust Us I’ve tested many a battle rope in my day. I’ve used budget options that fray within days of use and high-end ropes that don’t show a single sign of wear after years. From traditional battle ropes like theOnnit Battle Ropes to niche fitness rope products like theInertia Wave, I understand what materials, construction, anchoring systems, and designs make a good battle rope. Read more
DIY Mass Gainer: You Make the Shake, and Your Body Makes the Muscle
by Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LDIf weight gain is your goal, increased calories are the game plan. You can take pre-mixed mass gainers or get creative with these DIY mass gainer recipes. Read more
A Personal Trainer’s Advice on How to Do One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
by Shane McLean, CPTEver wondered how to do one-arm dumbbell rows with proper form? Here you’ll get everything you need for good form. Read more
Protein Drinks for Seniors: Meeting Increased Protein Needs
by Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LDProtein drinks for seniors can help bridge the gap between nutrition needs and nutritional intake to support lean muscle, bone health, and immune function. Read more