Weight Training Equipment

Welcome to the wonderful world of weight training equipment.  If you’re interested in getting into weight training, you will either need to join a gym, or create one in your own home.  Either way, you will need to familiarize yourself with the equipment used for lifting weights.  This article will give you a brief, non-exhaustive overview of what your general options are when it comes to weight training gear.  We will begin by examining the different types of weight setups available, looking at the actual weights themselves, and seeing what kind of racks and benches you will be needing.  We will finish up with a brief look at the world of body weight training equipment.

Types Of Weights

Before we delve into the different kinds of weights available, let me say that this site will be mostly focusing on what are known as free weights rather than machines.  As their name suggests, free weights are simply heavy pieces of (typically) metal with some sort of grip.  Countless exercises can be performed with these basic tools.  A machine, on the other hand, is a large mechanical device devoted to one particular exercise, for example, the leg press.  There is much debate about which type of equipment is best to use, but I’m going to skirt that debate and just tell you that I think free weights are the way to go.  Free weights, unlike machine, force you to involve your whole body in a workout, which gives you a more complete, real world workout.  Machines attempt to isolate your muscles in ways that they never do in the real world, which isn’t optimal in my opinion.  I shall be writing more on this topic later, but for now, I will simply be listing types of free weights rather than machines.

Dumbbells

photo credit: rick

Dumbbells are quite simple.  Typically coming in pares of a given weight, dumbbells are the most versatile weight training gear on the market.  With a full set of dumbbells, you can do any sort of weight training program in existence, apart from those with a very specific barbell focus, and even there they serve some use.  Dumbbells can come in fixed weights (as picture), or in an adjustable form that allows you to add and remove weight from a fixed handle.   These should be the core of any weight training setup.

Barbells

photo credit: Toesmasha

Barbells.  The name conjures up images of brawny men struggling to lift immense amounts of weight.  Indeed, if you are going to lift heavy, barbells are the way to go.  Heavy squatting and deadlifts will have you putting on muscle faster than any other method, and the barbell is the tool you use to get this done.  Barbells are pretty much all adjustable, unlike dumbbells.  There are two major bar sizes, the “standard” size and the “Olympic” size.  The Olympic sized bars are thicker and beefier to hold added weight.  These are the most common at commercial gyms.

Kettlebells

photo credit: kl.fitness

A kettlebell is a fun type of weight that has been increasing in popularity.  Resembling a canon ball with a thick handle attached, kettlebells are used more or less like dumbells, though they do provide a different “feel” to the exercises.  Something to think about if you want to change things up.

Racks and Benches

Weights are great and all, but you’ll need some of this gear here to take full advantage of your weights, the barbells in particular.

Bench

A simple weight bench allows you to do a wide range of exercises.  This is pretty much the core of any weight training set up once you’ve purchased the weights.  They come in many different styles, but you can’t go wrong with a good basic bench.

Squat rack/Power Cage

photo credit: jontunn

Squats are an amazing exercise, but they require putting yourself underneath a heavy bar.  A squat rack will allow you to do this.  If you’re serious about weight training, you’ll be wanting to squat, and a rack is essential.  A power cage is like a squat rack that surrounds you.  Movable bars can be placed underneath you to catch the bar if you have to drop it off your back.  This eleveates some of the need for a spotter, increasing safety.  Power cages often have other features added on, such as pull up bars and dip stations.  More about those in our next section…

Body Weight Training Gear

Sure, this isn’t weight training as most people see it, but these bodyweight training essentials are an excellent item for anyone serious about fitness to consider purchasing.

Pull up bar

Pull ups are a great exercise, and adding a pull up bar to a home gym (or even just a bedroom) is a great idea.  You can even get “door gyms” that mount on your doorframe, holding themselves in place via a cantilever.  Handy.

Rings

photo credit: Raphael Goetter

Gymnastics rings are one of the ultimate tests of strengths. With a set of rings, you can do pull ups, dips, muscles ups, and a huge variety of strength building moves. An amazing challenge for athletes of any level.

So, this should give you a nice quick overview of some basic weight training equipment.  Be sure to explore the rest of the site to learn more about each in further detail!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 5:44 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.