According to Juan Carlos Santana, director of the Institute of Human Performance in Boca Raton, Florida, weight-lifting equipments provide a stimulus for your nervous system and muscles to adapt and grow. Depending on the type of tool and workout method, you can focus on muscle hypertrophy or growth, or strength and power without gaining too much muscle mass. All weight-lifting tools have their own advantages and disadvantages. Using the right tool and strategy will help you achieve your goals.
Dumbbells
According to Santana, dumbbells are easy and safe to use for most people because the center of gravity is at the handle, balanced by two equal weights on each end of the handle. You can use them to isolate muscle group for hypertrophy, or in full-body exercises to create function, balance, and strength.
They are also compatible with other exercise tools, such as stability balls and BOSUs, to train with. For example, you can do a chest press on a stability ball or a dumbbell squat on a BOSU.
Kettlebells
Unlike dumbbells, which provide a linear path of resistance, you can use kettlebells to train circular and other non-linear paths of motion, as well as using momentum. According to Brett Jones, who is a certified kettlebell instructor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a kettlebell resembles a cannonball with a flat bottom and a thick, luggage handle attached to the opposite end. Its displaced weight allows you to swing it and train movement patterns that you cannot do with dumbbells. Because of its shape and nature, you may find a kettlebell is more challenging to use than a dumbbell.
Corebar/Sledgehammer
The corebar resembles a regular barbell with weight plates only on one end. You can use this tool to train both vertical strength like a barbell and dumbbell, or circular movements like a kettlebell. Its unbalanced weight requires you to use your entire body to lift the weight rather than using a few muscle groups. Corebar training also teaches you to weight shift properly when lifting, which helps you prevent injury in other types of advance lifting.
If you do not have access to a corebar at gym or would like an alternative, use a 10- to 15-pound sledgehammer instead. It provides similar benefits to a corebar and requires much less maintenance.
Cable Column Machine
A cable column machine consists of stackable weight plates that are connected to a system of cables, pulleys, and metal rods. You can do various weight-lifting exercises, such as pushing, pulling, rotating, and squatting. In some models, you can adjust the height of the handles and change the handle types to create hundreds of different exercises at one station. However, this equipment needs a lot of maintenance, costs in the thousands, and is extremely heavy to transport.
References
- "Essence of Program Design"; Juan Carlos Santana; 2004
- "PTontheNet"; An Introduction to Kettlebell Training; Brett Jones; May 2005
- "Athletic Development"; Vern Gambetta; 2006
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