Joining a gym for a fitness program is a good choice. But when you visit the gym for the first time, you are dazed by the numerous exercise machines and equipment present. Thousands of questions arise in your mind like what are these and how would they help you in your program. To have an idea about the equipments you would likely be using, will be helpful to you. This article provides an overview of a few types of commonly used exercise equipment found in gyms.
Some of the Commonly Used Machines in Gyms
Gyms have mainly two categories of equipment – machines and free weights.
Free Weights
The basically used equipments for building body are free weights. They are said to be “free weights” since no cables, pins, pulleys or weight stacks are attached to these. Some types of free weights are described below:
- Barbell:
Barbell is an iron bar having a length ranging from 4 to 7 feet. The weight plates are placed on the barbell. The barbell needs to be held by both the hands to perform barbell exercises.
The Olympic barbells top the list of barbells, which are 7 feet in length and 45 lbs in weight. These barbells can bear huge weights of more than 800 lbs. Some of the Olympic barbells can bear more than 1000 lbs of weight load.
- Dumbbells:
A short barbell is called a dumbbell, having a length of about 10-15 inches. You need to hold a dumbbell in each hand to perform dumbbell exercises. Most of the gyms consist of rack of dumbbell which has a number of fixed weight dumbbells. The weight of these dumbbells usually ranges from 5 lbs to 100+lbs, having 5 lbs increments.
Gyms also have adjustable dumbbells, consisting of small collars clipping on the dumbbell ends for holding the plates of weight. These are comparatively cheap and consume less space. You can ideally use them for a gym setting at home.
- Weight plates:
Weight plats are available in the range of 2.5 lbs to 100 lbs. weight plates are generally made of iron, but a number of home gyms consist of weight plate made of plastic. One of the commonly used weight plate is the Barbell Set of York Plastic. These are good for starters. However, its thickness does not allow much weight to be placed on the dumbbells and the barbell.
Machines
You can perform various types of exercises using machines in gyms. Some of the machines work on specific types of muscles. While some other work on the entire body. In general, machines are easier and safer to use than free weights.
A few types of machines are described below:
- Leg press machines:
Many people think that squats provide the best leg exercise. However, if you go for using machines, the leg press machine offers an effective leg exercise. Mostly, these machines are set on an angle of 45 degrees. These machines enable you to lift heavy weights safely, without the risk of slipping or falling. Compared to squats, the leg press machine lays less stress on the knees and lower backs.
- Hack Squat Machine:
The hack squat machines significantly develop outer sweep of thighs.
It is best to make use of both free weights and machines to make your exercise program more effective.
Conclusion:
After getting an idea of the equipment present in gyms, you need to determine which kind of equipments you need to use for your fitness program. You can seek the help and suggestion of fitness trainers in this regard.
Author’s Bio:
James Pattrick is an exceptional writer. She has written many articles on Fitness like Personal Trainers Phuket. Her writings always contain authenticate information.