🏋️ Our favorite treadmill under $1,000

Welcome to Home Gym Club! March is Women’s History Month, but did you know the National Women’s History Alliance chooses a different theme every year? This year’s theme: “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”

What’s in today’s newsletter:

• We tested the budget-friendly ProForm Carbon TLX Treadmill.

• We drank 50+ protein powders and found the 14 best for women (really, anyone).

• Need new gym flooring? Check out our Stamina Gym Flooring review.

• We’ve got the 13 best pull-up variations for next-level back training.

Cardio Zone

ProForm Carbon TLX Treadmill Review

If you’re in the market for a new treadmill for your home gym but don’t want to fork over thousands of dollars, you’re in the right place. We don’t want that for you either.

If you’re willing to skip a built-in touchscreen and use your device for programming, check out ProForm’s Carbon TLX Treadmill. We have all the essential details you need to know on a machine priced under $1,000. 

For our ProForm Carbon TLX review, we’ll give you insight into our hands-on experience with the machine, which hit the market early in 2024. It’ll be a solid option for some but not for all. Let’s find out where you fall!

Supps Corner

Best Protein Powders For Women

Each month, about 14,000 people search for the “best protein powder for women”. Allows us to let you in on a little secret: There’s not really a difference between a protein powder for men and women (except a targeted marketing campaign). However, if that many people are searching for it, we consider it our responsibility to educate and inform.

Thanks to our roster of female-identifying product testers and their knowledge of women’s nutritional needs, we feel confident in recommending the best protein powder for women (or anyone, really).

Our testers are made up of certified personal trainers and nutrition coaches who’ve personally—as in, scooped and swigged—more than 50 varieties of protein powder and narrowed our findings down into categories like:

• Best tasting

• Best organic

• Best budget

• Best with collagen

• Best for pregnancy

Review

This Floor Has Stamina

Whether you’re building a garage gym or outfitting a commercial space, one of the most critical components of your setup is the flooring you choose. Proper gym flooring provides a more comfortable workout, protects your equipment (and floor) from damage, creates a non-slip surface for training, and absorbs the sounds of clanging barbells. You could just lay down horse stall mats (which people do), but there are other options we think you should also consider.

In this Stamina Gym Flooring review, we’ll explain everything you need to know about these durable floor mats to help you decide if this is the best foundation for your home gym.

Back Attack

13 Best Pull-Up Variations

One of the best examples of a fundamental strength exercise is the pull-up, the undisputed king of bodyweight exercises and a cornerstone of any comprehensive calisthenics program. This simple but effective movement is awesome for building muscle and strength in the upper body (specifically, your back). It’s also a minimalist’s dream since you only need a pull-up bar and grit.

The problem is…pull-ups are hard, with studies showing that many people can’t complete a single rep). For other folks, pull-ups aren’t hard enough. Thankfully, we have Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR senior director of fitness content, sharing the best pull-up variations for all skill levels—even beginners can begin building the upper-body strength needed to start incorporating pull-ups into their routine.

Quick Hits

Hit Your (Gluteus) Max

• We asked a certified personal trainer to list his favorite gluteus maximus exercises. Here are his top (or should we say bottom) eight.

• Want to try Ritual supplements but experiencing sticker shock? We’ve got a Ritual promo code for you.

• If you’re curious about the latest supplement trends, check out our supplement research study to see what may be on the horizon for this industry.