Weight-lifting products that can be used at home are in high demand as gyms remain shuttered because of the coronavirus
- Pelotons aren't the only workout equipment in high demand as gyms remain closed.
- Amazon and other retailers show many barbell and dumbbell products out of stock.
- While some states have allowed restaurants and stores to reopen, gyms largely remain shuttered.
Dumbbells and other weight-lifting supplies are in high demand as gyms are largely left out of early reopening stages in the United States.
On Amazon, a pair of neoprene-coated dumbbells has risen to the top ranks of best sellers in the sports and outdoor category — with every weight option from 1 pound to 20 pound currently out of stock.
Weighs are in short supply at national sporting good chains too. At Dick's Sporting Goods, high-end adjustable weights were mostly out of stock online, with few lighter counterparts available either. Academy Sports and Outdoors, another large chain, also showed outages online for many varieties dumbbells and barbells. Walmart did appear to have more options in stock than other sites, though many products were similarly sold out and unavailable.
The weights are, naturally, trickier for shippers given their heft, only adding to the pain for Americans cooped up at home. While bars and restaurants have started to reopen in some states, gyms — with their propensity for heavy breathing and bodily fluids — largely remain shuttered.
A newfound uptick in demand for at-home workouts has helped other companies in the fitness realm, especially those like Peloton, whose stock has climbed more than 58% since the beginning of the year, easily outpacing the market's coronavirus-induced downturn.
The demand is likely around to stay, experts say.
"We expect accelerated consumer gravitation toward fitness/wellness apparel in the wake of COVID-19," Randal Konik, an analyst at Jefferies, told clients following Lululemon's report that showed an overall drop in sales but healthy increase in online orders.