How to choose right Exercise Equipment for Weight Training results
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How to choose right weight training equipment
You have joined a gym and now confused with the myriad of equipments you see. Choosing the right equipment can be a crucial difference as you will discover how much difference they can make. Also cover Home gym equipments.
Knowing the right exercise equipments, how to select the best ones and how to use them is very helpful for efficient workouts. Also equipments available often dictate what exercises you can perform, so its best to know.
Inside this Equipment Selection Section
- The Variety of Exercise Equipments available
- Top 3 questions before you select the right one for you
- My recommendation for equipment selection
The Variety of Exercise Equipments available
- Weight Training Machines
- Free Weights - Barbells and Dumbbells
- Resistance Bands
- Stability Balls
- Cardio Equipment
Weight Training Machines
These provide dynamic variable resistance using pulleys as those provided by Universal {R} and Nautilus {R}.
They are designed in such a way that weights determine that force your muscles are required to produce. Also they provide lesser resistance in weaker joint positions and greater resistance in stronger joint positions.
Although these are excellent I usually do them as finishing moves after I train with free weights.
But also keep in mind there are few exercises which requires machines like hamstring curls, thigh adduction and abduction exercises, lat pull downs, seated rows and triceps extensions to name a few.
Free Weights - Barbells and Dumbbells
Barbell Exercises are the best investment of time and money as the full range barbell exercises are excellent functional expression of human body movements and this functional training yields big results.
The biggest and best moves I recommend you start with like clean and press, bench press, squats, deadlifts and shoulder press all can be done with barbells with excellent results.
Barbells are easiest available but most people ignore them as not many know how to use them correctly. There are dozens of exercises in the exercise database done using dumbbells you can follow.
Dumbbells are another versatile piece of equipment. Simple to use, provide bilateral balance and coordination and add unmatched variety in exercises, they are so useful that I have an entire section dedicated to them at Dumbbell Exercises and Workouts.
Resistance Bands
Elastic resistance bands are great for workouts and come with rotating handles, are easy to use especially when you are away from home. They are like free weights in that you can work through a full range of motion and you can choose from hundreds of exercises.
Stability Balls
Ever noticed those big balls lying around almost always occupied by some pretty lady. Those are stability balls are excellent for core training. More about them in the Stability Ball section.
Cardio Equipment
Cardio exercises should be a part of your total body training program. Many weight trainers forget their most important muscle-heart. Don't let this happen to you. Check the cardio section for more cardio equipment selection tips.
Top 3 questions before you select the right one for you
What equipments have given me the biggest returns and what do I enjoy using and comfortable with?
Which equipments allow me the longest range of motion?
Does the equipments I selected allow me muscle training as well as cardio. Select more equipments for overall conditioning.
My recommendation for equipment selection
I always suggest you use free weights before moving to isolated machine exercises as they have given me the best returns in terms of muscle mass and strength. You can always add machine exercises but make free weight training your priority.
Now that you have selected the right equipment its time to learn theBest Weight Training Exercises.
Back to Weight Training Homepage.