Introduction
For years, I’ve been passionate about fitness, hitting the gym daily. Have you ever wondered how much you know about the various fitness equipment in the gym? Do you know their names and how to use them properly? Today, I’ve compiled some of the common sports equipment found in modern – day gyms. Let’s explore them together.
Gym Areas
The gym area is generally divided into several parts: Aerobic area, anaerobic area, personal training area, dynamic cycling room, yoga room, group exercise class room, dance room, shower room, etc. Large – scale gyms may also have swimming pools, simple meal areas, reading areas, etc. Whether it’s a large or small gym, the fitness equipment is basically similar. Let’s introduce them one by one.
Aerobic Exercise Area
Treadmill: The treadmill is one of the most familiar pieces of equipment. Whether at home or in the gym, it’s a must – have for many. It’s mainly used for warming up before exercise and fat loss. With continuous updates, it now has more and more functions and is an essential hardware in the gym.
Elliptical Machine: Also known as the spacewalker, its motion state is like walking in space without gravity. It’s a cardio – training facility in the aerobic area. Although it has only entered the public eye in recent years, it has been widely recognized. Its biggest advantage is that when using it, the knee joint doesn’t bear a single – point force, and it doesn’t cause the same impact on the knee as running on the ground. Exercising on the elliptical machine can enhance the strength and endurance of the waist muscles, and also play a role in slimming and fat – loss for the hips, thighs, and abdomen.
Dynamic Cycling: It’s an energetic indoor cycling training course that combines music and visual effects, a favorite cardio exercise for those looking to lose weight. In essence, it’s not much different from an ordinary bicycle, except that it’s fixed in one place and its structure can be adjusted according to body height. The wheels of dynamic cycling are counterweighted to increase the training load, and its electronic braking system allows for easy pauses when people are very tired during training.
Rowing Machine: Also called the rowing machine, it’s a piece of equipment that simulates rowing on water for training. When using it, it can play a certain role in muscle gain for the waist, back, chest, and arms. It’s a great piece of equipment for fat – loss and body – shaping.
Anaerobic Exercise Area
Dumbbells: They are named so because they make no sound during training. Like barbells, they are essential hardware auxiliary fitness equipment in the gym, with weights ranging from 1 to 25 pounds. Their main material is cast iron wrapped in a layer of rubber. Common dumbbell training methods include dumbbell bench press, dumbbell curls, dumbbell rowing, and seated dumbbell shoulder push, etc.
Barbell: It’s a core training equipment and also used in weightlifting. Composed of a crossbar, barbell pieces, and cards, it has many training purposes, from the chest to the back, buttocks, and legs. Different weights can train different parts, making it an indispensable muscle – strength training equipment.
Smith Frame: This is a common piece of equipment in every gym, especially suitable for beginners. The sliding track has protective devices, so it won’t sway around, and it can prevent injury from a sudden fall of the barbell during force – exertion. It can be used for exercises like deep squats, bench presses, sitting heel lifts, and dip rowing, etc. It’s a training equipment with high safety performance.
Gantry: Also known as the double – arm cross – training machine or “Big bird”, it’s a multifunctional training equipment with a “door” – like appearance, similar to an engineering gantry. There is a pull – up bar in the middle of the beam. Popular gantry training movements include rope clamp chest and standing rope pull – down, and there are also many other movements like rope biceps curls, rope triceps pull – down, standing rope push – forward, and dip rope side planks, etc.
Barbell Bench Press Rack: It’s said that a gym without a barbell bench press rack can’t be called a qualified gym. Composed of a bench, barbell, and support frame, it’s the most basic equipment that every fitness professional comes into contact with in the gym and is also the most basic movement for pectoral muscle training.
Butterfly Machine: It’s a machine used for flying bird clip chest, mainly for practicing the pectoralis major and chest seam. During training, the counterweight and sitting height can be adjusted according to personal needs, usually used at the end of overall training.
Deep Squat Rack: Similar to the Smith rack, the difference is that the barbell bar of the deep squat rack is separated from the rack, and the bottom of the rack has a bar support for protection, preventing the barbell from slipping off the shoulders during squat training and causing injury.
Seated Leg Extension Trainer: It’s a piece of equipment for isolated training of the quadriceps femoris. Sit on the flexor bench, lean the waist and back against the guard, hold the armrests with both hands, and hook the crossbar with the two ankles to prop up the counterweight and straighten the two legs.
Supine Abdominal Board: Also known as the abdominal board or supine board, it’s a device for training the abdomen. It’s simple and portable, and the height can be adjusted. Many people will have a supine board whether they are in the gym or doing home – fitness.
Seated Chest Thrust Trainer: Suitable for those who are new to fitness without a foundation, it’s a fixed fitness equipment, easy to use and safe, and is an independent training equipment for enhancing chest muscles and arm strength.
High Pull – down Trainer: It’s also a necessary piece of equipment in the gym, specifically for building back muscles. Unlike pull – ups, which have high requirements for people, the high pull – down has a very low threshold and is suitable for anyone without a fitness foundation. When doing high pull – downs, the distance between the two hands can be wide or narrow, with a wide grip training the width of the back and a narrow grip training the thickness of the back.
Seated Rope Rowing Machine: It’s a special training equipment for the back, mainly exercising the latissimus dorsi and the thickness of the back muscles. Generally, this equipment is related to high pull – down as they are both for back training.
Common Auxiliary Training Equipment
Bulgarian Croissant: An emerging training equipment in recent years, shaped like a cow horn, created by a Bulgarian wrestler. With different weights and training methods, it can improve the coordination of body parts, explosive power, and joint flexibility.
Kettlebell: It has a long history. It’s a free – strength training equipment, and kettlebell training can improve the overall quality and comprehensive strength of the body, especially significantly improving the body’s balance and coordination.
Yoga Ball: Also known as the fitness ball, some people consider it an adult toy in fitness training. Despite being made of rubber, it can withstand 400 kg of pressure. With different methods, it can train the whole body and is a highly enjoyable training equipment.
Agility Ladder: Also known as the speed ladder, it’s a soft ladder placed flat on the ground. Training on it with various jumps can increase the body’s flexibility. It combines sports and games, making it highly enjoyable for people of all ages.
Tactical Rope: It’s a very versatile training equipment used in fitness, boxing, WWE, MMA, and some ball sports. Through training with it, the body’s overall strength and muscles can be improved, especially the explosive power. It uses the centrifugal force of rope vibration to form a semi – circular arc, and during training, it focuses on the overall body coordination and stability.
With the continuous development of the sports industry, fitness equipment is constantly changing. More and more new equipment is emerging, bringing fun and freshness to fitness enthusiasts. However, no matter how quickly the products change, what matters is that we should maintain the habit of fitness and a healthy mindset. After all, fitness is not a short – term thing but a long – term persistence for a healthy body.
