Sophia Martinez

I built my first home gym with a $40 used barbell from a garage sale. It bent at 300 pounds during a deadlift, dumped the barbell on the floor, and scared me straight into learning what separates a real barbell from a glorified pipe. That was a decade ago. Since then, I have tested more … Read more

If you only have room for one answer, here it is: the CAP 2-inch Olympic Bumper Plate Weight Set is the best weight plate set for most home gyms in because it ships with pairs from 10 to 45 pounds, uses a steel floating hub that survives real drops, and runs a fraction of the … Read more

After three months of testing 12 different pull-up bars in our home gym, in my garage, and in two different apartments, I can tell you the best pull up bars in are the ones that match your space, your body weight, and your training style. Our team hung, kipped, and dead-hanged from each one. We … Read more

I built my first home gym in a converted garage with bare concrete. After dropping a 45-pound plate on day one, I realized the floor was a problem. That crack in the slab cost me $800 to patch, and I had to buy proper gym flooring anyway. Since then, our team has tested more than … Read more

If you have ever walked into a CrossFit box or scrolled through a home gym Instagram, you have seen athletes launching themselves onto a sturdy platform and landing with a confident thud. That platform is a plyo box, and it is one of the most effective, space-efficient tools you can add to any training setup. … Read more

I’ve spent the last three months testing medicine balls in my garage gym, throwing them against walls, slamming them into concrete, and pressing them overhead. The team has been reviewing medicine balls since 2018, and we have personally trained with over 40 different models across wall ball, slam ball, and rubber medicine ball categories. When … Read more

Slam balls changed how I train at home. After dragging a 20-pound bag of sand across my garage for a year, I finally caved and bought a real slam ball. The difference in my overhead slams, my grip during sweaty sets, and the noise my neighbors tolerate was immediate. If you have been searching for … Read more

If you are hunting for the best battle ropes to round out your home gym in , you are in the right place. Our team tested 10 of the most popular anchored and cordless models over the past three months, logging more than 240 workouts in garages, basements, and driveways. We measured every rope for … Read more

I never thought a set of straps could replace my gym membership until I spent 90 days testing the best suspension trainers on the market. After packing, unpacking, sweating, and stretching with eight different models, I learned one thing: not all suspension trainers are built the same, and the wrong one will leave you frustrated … Read more

I have spent the last three months testing 8 of the most popular ab rollers on Amazon, and I can tell you this much: the difference between a $13 roller and a $40 roller is not the wheel itself. It is everything around it. The handles. The spring. The knee pad. The way it tracks … Read more