Furnishing a new gym with equipment is not always easy. There are dozens of gym equipment to choose from and as many questions to answer to allow you to purchase the right equipment regarding your available space.
In this mega guide to buying gym equipment, we will try to answer all the common questions of those who are looking for gym equipment. So here are questions and answers about buying gym equipment, be it a home gym or a professional gym.
Let’s start with the most important part and find out together: what equipment is there in a gym?
At first sight
- Gym equipment is great for achieving many different fitness goals.
- There are so many pieces of equipment that it can be dizzying.
- Getting familiar with the names and functions of gym equipment can help you choose the right equipment to help you achieve specific goals.
Also Read: Gaining Muscle Mass
The intimidation of the gym
For some people, especially if you’ve never been to one on a regular basis, gyms can be quite intimidating. We usually see warriors training with tense muscles that seem perfectly confident and comfortable.
Or there’s someone on the treadmill, sipping from the bottle, looking like they’re running for hours while you doubt you’ll even last five minutes.
Gyms are great places and usually have a lot of different equipment that can help you reach your fitness goals. But first, we have to overcome our inhibitions.
One way to do this is to be knowledgeable about some of the equipment and know the basics of what they do.
So we will go over some of the more common equipment found in a gym and the names of the gym equipment and basic functions.
Also Read: How to Get Biceps at Home in 1 week
What’s in a gym?
In general, a gym will have a lot of this equipment:
Equipment for doing cardio
This type of equipment helps get the blood pumping and the heart beating. Working with these machines will help you increase your overall fitness level.
With regular use, you may notice that your breathing is easier as you walk up the stairs and you will generally feel fitter and more energetic!
Tapis Roulant
This is a machine for walking, jogging and running. You will recognize it by the long belt that is wide enough to stand upright. Many gyms have several treadmills, they are quite popular sports machines.
Exercise bike
This is the easiest to recognize because it looks like a bicycle, but it can’t go anywhere! There are some types of exercise bikes that are more like regular road bikes, except there is no rear wheel. Some types of exercise bikes have a large enclosed fan instead of a front wheel.
There are also some types we use in a recumbent sitting position, called recumbent bikes, which some people find more comfortable to use, but tend not to activate all different muscle groups like upright bikes. Here is our article on the best exercise bikes Under 300.
Rowing machine
This machine is on the ground and usually has a large enclosed wheel or fan in the front, as well as a handlebar and footrest. At the rear, there is a seat mounted on a horizontal rail. The seat slides back and forth as you pull the handle.
Stepper or climber
These are quite compact and vertical machines with two separate pedals. They often have a safety rail or handles to hold on to. When you put your feet on the footrests, push down to simulate the action of climbing stairs or climbing a mountain.
Also Read: How To Increase Bicep Size Without Weights
Cross country skiing
This machine has a horizontal track similar to the rowing machine, but a cross country machine has two separate footboards attached to the track, as well as handles for stability and to aid movement. A cross-country skiing machine is used by sliding the legs alternately back and forth, simulating the action of skiing.
Elliptical
This machine is like a cross between a treadmill and an exercise bike. Stand on the pedals and push down to move the footrests in an oval motion while keeping your hands on the handles.
Ellipticals can be used forwards and backward, making them more versatile than other equipment.
Other equipment that can be found in a gym that is useful for cardiovascular work, as well as balance and stability, are jump ropes and steps.
Speaking of jump ropes, when you see very long ropes, they are called battle ropes and are great for full-body training. They can be used in training programs, such as Crossfit, and in other ways.
Gym balls are often found in many gyms. These are large inflated balls that are used in various ways during training. They can be used to improve core balance and stability, incorporated into floor exercises and when working with free weights, as well as other uses.
You can also find balance boards or balance cushions, which consist of a flat round disc housed atop a half sphere and are used for both balance and stability.
Some gyms also have beams that are used as balance boards. Both can be used in training.
Resistance equipment
In a gym, resistance equipment can be divided into two categories: free weights and associated equipment and resistance machines.
Also Read: Practical Guide On How To Train At Home Without Going To The Gym
Free weights and associated equipment
KETTLEBELL
Even though they’ve been around for a while, kettlebells have had a recent surge in popularity, so you might see a few at your local gym. You can’t go wrong – a kettlebell looks like a metal ring with a handle on top and a weight on the bottom. Here is our article on the best kettlebells.
Kettlebells are great for fitness, toning, strengthening, endurance, stability, and core balance, but you need to know how to use them correctly, if you are simply trying to copy the people you see around you, chances are you it hurts you.
WEIGHTS AND HANDLEBARS OR DUMBBELLS
In most gyms, there will likely be a set of dumbbells, which are basically small, portable bars with weights at each end. We’ve all seen them, even though we’ve never used them.
They are usually used in pairs and are supported by a rack that goes from the lightest to the heaviest. Dumbbells can range from very light – half a kilo – to very thoughtful – over 50kg and more. Some dumbbells are adjustable, a handle is used and weights are swapped at each end as needed.
ROCKERS AND DISCS
Barbells are fairly long metal poles with a weight at each end, like large dumbbells. In addition to the barbell, there are discs that come in different weights and can be added to the barbell to provide the specific amount of weight you want to work with.
There are several sizes of barbells that can weigh from 2 kg and up, but the largest barbell is an Olympic barbell, which weighs 20 kg.
Barbells can have different attachments, such as a triceps bar, which is a device that sits in the middle of the barbell to allow for a better grip when lifting weights to strengthen the back of the arms.
Also Read: Running is good for your health
WEIGHTS BENCH
You should also find a weight bench or more than one. This is a stable structure designed for use with free weights.
A basic weight bench is a rectangular flat bench with a padded top that can be used to sit, lie down or rest and that is meant to help you position yourself in the best way to do a specific exercise.
BENCH BENCH
This bench is similar to a free-weight bench but also incorporates a rack fixed to either side of the bench so it can hold a barbell. A bench is ideal for developing chest and arm muscles.
A bench can be flat, inclined, fixed, or adjustable and each is used differently. An incline bench, for example, can be placed at a high height to help target the shoulders and upper chest.
POWER RACK OR SELF-SUPPORTING CAGE FOR TRAINING
A power rack is a rectangular scaffold-like structure open on one side. It is designed for use with a barbell, which can be placed at different heights. It can be used in many different exercises, such as squats, bench presses, and deadlifts.
Power racks can be built in many ways, they can have support for the discs, or a pull bar, which is a bar placed high up with the protruding handles used to exercise mainly the upper body by pulling the weight of the body towards. The bar.
The most important function of a power rack is to hold the barbell before and after the lift and to be able to grab the bar if you have a problem during the exercise. This is known as “spotting” and can be done by a training partner or this type of gym equipment.
There are other types of racks, such as the squat rack and the Smith Machine designed for similar purposes, but for other types of weight lifting exercises.
Also Read: Is walking as good as running?
DIP STATION
It is a freestanding structure with two separate dumbbells protruding from it. It is a rather versatile device for working the muscles of the arms, upper back, and chest.
The cars
Now let’s move on to the types of gym equipment that have a lot of mechanical moving parts. It can be difficult to know exactly what each machine is and what it does. Here is a more detailed look at some common machines.
LAT MACHINE
This is a rather compact vertical machine, which is usually placed against a wall. The weight stack is in the back, with a padded seat in the front and a long handlebar, attached to the weight stack by a pulley. You can work your upper back muscles with this machine.
PEC DECK
This machine consists of a seat and vertical back support with a large handlebar and padding. Outside of one of the dumbbells, or behind the seat, you should see a weight stack. To use a pec-shaped plate, the dumbbells are pulled together in front of you against the resistance of the weight limit set.
This machine is ideal for developing the muscles of the chest, shoulders, and arms, but can be used very effectively to isolate the pecs.
LEG PRESS
This machine has a flat or incline bench to lie down on and a flat plate to rest your feet on. The weight is connected to the plate, which you push back and forth to strengthen, sculpt and tone many of the large muscle groups in the legs.
Also Read: Weight bench exercises for beginners
LEG EXTENSION
You can use this tool to precise work on the front thigh muscles, the quadriceps. It is basically a chair with a weight stack on one side. A leg extension has an attachment in front of you to position your legs correctly.
The legs are positioned under two pads, one on the upper part of the thigh and the other on the lower part of the shin. The top pads isolate the anterior thigh muscles, forcing them to do all the work of pushing the bottom pad up to straighten the legs.
MACHINE FOR ADDUCTORS AND ABDUCTORS
As for the weight stack and seat, this machine resembles the pec deck, but instead of two nice handles, there are two supports for legs and feet, with the pads placed at knee height.
If you want to work the adductor muscles in the inner thigh, you need to place your feet on the plates so that you can squeeze the pads and bring the footrests together. To work on the abductor’s muscles, you need to place your leg on the opposite side and push your knees outward.
Also Read: How to Get Biceps at Home in 1 week
Conclusion
When it comes to equipment commonly found in the gym, the sheer amount available is pretty overwhelming for most people, so it’s no surprise that we all feel a little confused when it comes to gym equipment names.
However, by breaking things down into smaller chunks and putting most of the equipment into different categories, and finding out what they do, we can make it a lot easier and learn some of the basics related to gym equipment.
We discussed various types of cardiovascular equipment, took a brief look at some of the smaller equipment, such as ropes, steps, balance boards, and balance beams.
We also took a look at the various types of free weights, benches and racks, and other weightlifting equipment, before moving on to some of the great mechanical strength machines that make an appearance in many gyms.
Whether you are considering buying your own equipment or hitting a local gym, I hope after reading all of this you will feel a little more comfortable and more knowledgeable about gym equipment names.
Hi, I am Matt Storace and I am a former personal trainer and founder of Beast Biceps. We had to find ways to train at home. When I started looking for the equipment I needed, I quickly realized that there were no good resources online. So I created Beast Biceps. It is a treasure trove of information developed from my experience and research. Read More Here
