Joining a gym is the first step toward getting your body in shape and living a healthier lifestyle. The only way you will achieve success is if you put your membership to good use. Knowing what the gym has to offer in the way of equipment is a definite plus. Once you walk through the doors, you have plenty of stuff to choose from to build your muscles and shed fat.
Weight Machines
Weight machines are sometimes maligned for their inability to produce sufficient results when it comes to exercise. According to MayoClinic.com, weight machines are effective at building strength. Gyms have machines available to target every major and minor muscle group. Each machine comes equipped with adjustable padded seats or benches, movable lever arms and weight stacks to adjust your resistance. When you are just starting out, it is best to use machines to learn proper form and to slowly acclimate your muscles to training.
Cardio Machines
Cardiovascular exercise is performed in a repetitive motion for an extended period of time. This type of exercise is used to produce weight loss and improve the health of the heart and lungs. Multiple cardio machines are available at gyms, such as treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair climbers, rowers, ladder climbers and exercise bikes. Each one of these simulates an activity that you would normally perform outdoors. With the exception of the treadmill, all of these machines are low-impact. They all offer speed or resistance adjustments that allow you to increase your intensity. An arm ergometer is a special cardio machine that you may not find in all gyms. This machine is operated by sitting in a chair and turning cranks around in a circle with your hands. The ergometer would be a good option if you have a knee injury that prevents you from placing any pressure on your feet.
Free Weights
Free weights include dumbbells, barbells and weight plates. These tools are often favored by seasoned weightlifters because they cause a high amount of muscle fiber recruitment during exercises. A standard barbell weighs 45 pounds. The weight plates that you slide onto the ends from 2 1/2 pounds to 45 pounds. Dumbbells start at 1 pound and go well over 100 pounds. This gives you plenty of resistance to make sizable gains in strength and muscle.
Balls
Stability and medicine balls each range in size, but have a completely different appearance. A medicine ball is made out of hard rubber, and is small and compact. A stability ball is large and filled with air. Both tools are predominately used to work the core — the muscles found in the abdomen, sides and mid to lower back. Stability-ball exercises require you to sit or lie on the ball, use it for a prop or roll it. Medicine balls are held in place, swung, thrown or slammed into the floor or wall during exercises. They generally range in weight from 1 pound to 30 pounds.
Bands
Rubber resistance bands come in two different forms. One is flat and wide, and the other is tube-shaped and has handles fused to the ends. These tools get used for exercises you would normally perform with free weights and machines. A biceps curl for instance, is performed by stepping on the center of a band and pulling the handles up as if they were dumbbells. Bands range in resistance from extra light to extra heavy. In most cases, a darker colored band signifies a heavier resistance.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Weight Training: Free Weights vs. Machine Weights; Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.; February 2011
- ExRx.net: Arm Ergometer
- National Strength and Conditioning Association; Machine Versus Free Weights; Jeffrey M. McBride, Ph.D., CSCS
- American College of Sports Medicine: Selecting and Effectively Using Medicine Balls
- iBodz: Bicep Curl with Resistance Band
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