As a personal trainer for 15 years, I‘ve seen home gyms run the gamut from makeshift to state-of-the-art. When meeting new clients, the very first thing I ask is: "what equipment do you have access to?" Their answer determines everything from the exercises we can safely perform, to reasonable goals we should set.
I believe everyone deserves studio-caliber gear for the investment training requires in time, sweat, and money. But until recently, commercial-quality usually meant sacrificing some key aspect that made home workouts more practical. Professional machines took up way too much space, lacked mobility, intimidated beginners, or carried unreasonable price tags.
That‘s why I got genuinely excited when Maxpro Fitness disrupted the scene in 2018. Here was gym-tier equipment addressing all my usual objections in a single brand:
- Compact
- Portable
- Versatile
- User-friendly
- Durable
- Affordable (with financing!)
Now three years since its launch, does Maxpro still live up to its promising startup pitch? Can these products turn any garage or garden shed into a functional training zone? I performed in-depth testing to see if average gym-goers can train like pros with Maxpro in their corner.
At-Home Fitness Booms After Covid Facility Shutdowns
Before reviewing Maxpro‘s catalog piece-by-piece, let‘s zoom out to examine the home gym market fueling this company‘s rapid rise…
When the pandemic forced gyms to close for months on end, 33% of former members replaced the equipment they missed with at-home alternatives. The majority (54%) gravitated toward basic workout staples like dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, etc. However, 16% invested in more specialized strength machines typically only found in commercial training facilities.
This shift kickstarted a home gym equipment boom expected to reach a $4.3 billion valuation by 2025 according to ResearchAndMarkets.com. We saw retailers struggling to keep rowers, spin bikes, and power racks in stock to meet demand. Connected fitness apps like Peloton captured shut-in consumers desperate for accountability and community.
Now as shuttered facilities reopened with safety restrictions limiting capacity, many longtime members realized they preferred having greater control over their training environment at home. Without crowds, they could blast their favorite workout playlist and make as much noise as those last few reps required!
Maxpro Capitalized Early On Growing At-Home Fitness Market
Headquartered in Chicago, Maxpro Fitness began when founder Nezar Akeel joined forces with a team of auto engineers and product designers from Detroit. Their mission: make commercial-style equipment realistic for home spaces by maximizing both durability AND portability.
This scrappy Midwest startup operated in stealth mode during early development until exploding onto the national stage in 2020. After wowing investor Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, Maxpro secured $500k in funding to scale up manufacturing. Legendary NBA big man Shaq also joined Maxpro‘s sponsor stable to endorse their uniquely versatile machines.
So in just a few years, Maxpro catapulted from a hobbyist brand to one of the most visible players bringing pro gear into everyday athletes‘ homes. Now with brick-and-mortar showrooms planned in major cities, they aim to keep eating up market share.
"We feel like we‘ve only scratched the surface of possibilities for portable fitness. The feedback from trainers and clients inspires our engineers to constantly push boundaries." – Nezar Akeel, Founder
I‘ll now break down Maxpro‘s equipment categories so you know exactly what to expect from these industry upstarts.
Foldable Strength Equipment
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