Your first time in the gym can be a little overwhelming, especially with the advancements in equipment. Gone are the days of a few steel plates, bars, and dumbbells. Commercial gyms these days offer a multitude of equipment variations. To maximise your training programme and improve your gains, it's important to know and understand the staple pieces of equipment that every gym should have. 

This Blog will give you a 'A Tour of the Gym Equipment in a Well-Stocked Gym'.

Free Weight Gym Equipment 

Free weights refer to a weight that moves freely. The free movement increases muscle activation and therefore adaptation (strength & size) of stabiliser muscles, crucial for injury prevention. 

Free weights can come in different varieties, the most common being Dumbbells, Barbells and Kettlebells.

Dumbbells

Dumbbells are crucial to have in your gym. They can come in a range of weights, allowing gym goers to optimise their workload. Therefore, you can train with a resistance that provides enough stimuli for progression whilst remaining safe. A large benefit you get with dumbbells is that you can fail a lift safely. This means you can train maximally if your on your own.

Also, dumbbells offer unilateral movements, which are extremely effective in improving movement performance compared with traditional bilateral training (source). Interestingly, unilateral resistance exercise can even provide contralateral improvements (source). This is extremely beneficial to clinical populations, such as those who have sustained an injury (i.e., an arm fracture), meaning that dumbbells can be used in a unilateral movement to limit strength atrophy in injured individuals. E.g., suppose you lift only using your right arm, you will get a compensatory effect. Your left arm (unexercised) will still develop some adaptation in size and strength to limit the decrease in strength from inactivity.

Additionally, their small size makes them a versatile piece of equipment  They can be moved easily for individual use or grouped for classes. With these, it is also important to have sufficient dumbbell storage. This provides a professional look, keeps the weights organised and limits the risk of trip hazards and damage. 

 

Barbells & Weighted Plate Gym Equipment

Barbells are an essential piece of equipment to complete two of the most popular resistance training sports: Powerlifting and Olympic Lifting. 

Powerlifting comprises completing 'compound lifts': Bench press, Squat and Deadlift. Even if you don't participate in the sport, these lifts will likely be a part of your training programme. The multi-joint nature of these movements means that there is a larger neural involvement to activate more muscle groups. This means more muscles will be working. Thus, resulting in overall greater increases in strength and power over single joint exercises (source).

Likewise, Olympic Lifting is not only used for people participating in weightlifting. It is commonly used amongst athletes who want to improve the rate of force development (power). Research finds that weightlifting and its variations are most effective in providing increased power compared to traditional resistance training. However, you should complete Olympic lifting with caution and get training from a qualified professional, due to the complexity of the movement. When purchasing a barbell, it is very important to also consider purchasing a rack, bench and the correct flooring to optimise your gym space. A rack and bench will open the exercise possibilities, such as squatting and bench press. The correct flooring will improve safety (less slip hazards) and protect the flooring underneath and your equipment. 

For more information on the correct flooring for your gym space, check out our previous blog on 'The Best Flooring For A Home Gym'.

Kettlebells

Kettlebells have become popular, likely due to their use during dynamic strength movements, merging strength and endurance together. Additionally, research suggests that kettlebell training can be effective at improving powerlifting and weightlifting performance. This proves that you can gain similar physiological benefits for strength improvements as you can with barbells, but for a fraction of the price. 

Exercises such as unilateral "bottom up press" can be done in a way to maximise the activation of stabiliser muscles. By keeping the kettlebell completely inverted the whole way through the movement, it maximises the engagement of wrist and shoulder stabilisers. This will be great for injury prevention throughout your programme. 

Similar to the dumbbells, these offer a versatile piece of equipment that takes up little space. However, they can easily clutter the gym space and cause trip hazards. Therefore, it is also essential for you to purchase a kettlebell rack. 

Example Exercises For Your Free Weight Gym Equipment 

Here are some important free weight exercises for you to add to your fitness programme:

• Dumbbells: Incline Bench Press, Shoulder Press, Unilateral Bent Over Row, Bicep Curls, Walking Dumbbell Lunges,
• Barbell: Bench press, Squats, Deadlift, Olympic Lifting, Military Press
• Kettlebells: Kettlebell Swings, Clean & Press, Goblet Squat, Bottom Up Press

Here at Exersci, we understand that budget can be a major factor in what you purchase for your home gym. That's why we also offer adjustable and versatile pieces of equipment. For example, the Adjustable Kettlebell, Dumbbell & Barbell Set, the Cement Octagonal Adjustable Dumbbell & Barbell Set and our 50kg Adjustable Barbell & Dumbbell Set.

 

Benches & Racks - The Support System

Benches

Gym benches are crucial to explore the multiple exercises mentioned above. We recommend choosing the light commercial weight bench for a larger-scale gym. If you need something to fit into a smaller space, you may want to go for the adjustable weight bench. Great for home gyms. Both offer an adjustable seat and back rest to maximise your workouts with a range of exercises and have heavy maximal loads of 250 Kg, making them suitable for heavy lifters. The main differences between them are that the adjustable weight bench can be folded to pack away easily, making it easily transportable and helps keep your space tidy. With that said, the light commercial weight bench can be stored vertically to optimise your space.

Racks

Racks can come in many shapes and sizes, but most have similar foundations. They provide support for a barbell, which is specifically helpful when completing squats or bench press. This allows you to load the bar and start your lift with ease. Additionally, most racks will come with some sort of support base or safety racks. These are essential for you to train safely, allowing you to drop the weight or fail a lift without risk of getting 'trapped' under the bar. 

At Exersci, we have a range of racks to suit your fitness needs and budget. 

Our more budget-friendly racks come in the form of the heavy-duty squat rack with weight bench support and the premium squat rack with bench support. These tick the boxes for those starting, offering an affordable yet effective set-up for you to start completing some barbell lifting.

Combine the 2 with the foldable bench rack and dip bars.

Power racks are also a common sight within most gyms. These are very similar to the aforementioned equipment. The difference lies in the material used and the thickness of the bars. They are specifically equipped to allow for heavy loads; therefore, they are essential when partaking in power lifting. 

Smith Machines

Smith machines are great for beginners. Essentially, it is a barbell that is attached and slides up and down two steel poles. This will offer you a guided path to start learning a technique. It takes off a large majority of the tension that can be placed on the lower back, thus limiting the likelihood of injury. These are also great for use in rehabilitation programmes, where slower, more controlled movements are wanted.

 

Resistance Machine Gym Equipment

Resistance machines can be used to isolate specific muscle groups or create another safe, guided method for lifting. Additionally, they are also valuable regression and progression tools. For instance, in our previous blog 'How To Do Pull-Ups For Beginners: The Perfect Form', we mentioned the lat pull-down as a regression of the pull-up. However, it doesnt only have to be used to regress. 

Our EX2 and EX3 with cable systems are great examples of this. They provide a power rack, with a built-in pulley system that can be modified for lat pull-down. Therefore, if pull-ups are something you struggle with, you can load the cable system at a weight less than your body weight. This allows you to perform the optimal rep range for adaptation (8-12 repetitions; Source). Comparatively, if you find pull-ups easier, and thus are exceeding this optimal repetition range, you can overload the machine to train maximally and induce greater adaptation. 

Other examples of useful resistance machines are the leg press and chest press. These are great for improving stability through the movement. As such, you can either learn a new lifting technique to go on to free weight exercises or lift maximally with less stress on stabiliser muscles, making the movement safer. 

Cardio Machine Gym Equipment

Most gyms usually offer a range of cardio machines to meet your fitness requirements. Treadmills, bikes and rowers are commonplace in commercial gyms. 

Recently, however, the use of air bikes and ski ergs has become increasingly popular, making cardio a full-body experience. Like the rower, these staple pieces are self-powered, allowing gym owners and goers to move them freely without having to be near a source of power, making them ideal for home gyms and studios. This alleviates potential trip hazards and adds versatility to your gym space. What's great about these machines is that, although they are self-powered, you still get the digital connectivity and performance tracking. Research has shown that cardio equipment that incorporates upper and lower musculature involvement, such as the air bike, can improve physical fitness while also developing upper and lower body strength. Thus, it is an ideal piece of equipment to include in your programme.

 

Functional & Versatile Gear

Outside of the typical machines and free weights, there is also an abundance of gear that allows you to enhance power, mobility, coordination and recovery. This includes equipment such as:

• Resistance bands
• yoga mats & blocks
• Medicine balls 
• Foam rollers

Resistance bands are a popular topic throughout these blogs. This is simply because of their versatility and their ability to enhance strength and conditioning programmes. You can use these to add resistance for you to progressively overload and maximise adaptations. Additionally, you can also use these to regress movements, similar to the lat pull down, aid yoga positions and complete variable resistance training. 

Yoga practice, like the use of foam rollers, offers a great modality for physical recovery following sports events. It has also been found to improve psychophysical wellbeing (Source), as well as being effective in improving health-related outcomes similar to general exercise (Source). Therefore, yoga mats and blocks will likely be incorporated into well-equipped gyms. If you want more yoga-specific recommendations, see our previous blog entitled 'Yoga Equipment For Beginners: Everything You Need To Know'.

Conclusion: Know Your Kit, Train with Confidence

Collectively, this blog post identifies the crucial equipment that should be available to you within any gym. It is important to understand the complexity of some training modalities, and should be considered when designing your training programme. Free weight exercises are by far the most popular and we suggest adding a range of techniques, incorporating dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells into your programme. Additionally, if you are a beginner, it is recommended to experience similar movements that you will experience with free weights through resistance machines. These will provide a fixed movement that limits the risk of injury and allows you to develop a foundation of strength to smoothly transition into your free weight exercises. 

Endurance is also a crucial aspect of general well-being and fitness, thus you should make the most out of the aforementioned machines discussed under the section labelled 'Cardio Machines'. By incorporating full body endurance, it will develop cardiovascular fitness concurrently with muscular strength and endurance in working muscles typically used within resistance exercises. 

This blog should provide the necessary information for you to start your fitness journey with confidence. It is important to understand that everyone starts somewhere, a key motto in most gyms, and you should be encouraged to try out different styles to know which suits you best. 

Check out our diverse range of equipment to start or upgrade your training space at www.Exersci.co.uk or contact us for more information and consultations.