Exercise Equipment to Give Your Whole Body a Workout
If you've ever been to a gym that is professional, you will have seen exercise equipment that allows you to work out your entire body. It can range from expensive professional equipment, heavy-duty, and powerful to more compact, do-it-all machines that you can put to use at home.
No matter what type of equipment you are using, be sure to "bake-in" progression and regression to help your students or clients improve their fitness. Remember that even the best equipment will only deliver results if it is used regularly.
All-in-One Exercise Systems
All-in-one exercise systems combine the functions of multiple pieces of equipment into one unit. They usually include a bench, squat rack and attachments for a variety of exercises that target muscles in the arms and the back, shoulders and legs. Some may include an electric pulley and cable system to provide resistance to help with weight training. Certain all-in-one fitness systems, like the Life Fitness G7 home gym come with a selectorized method of resistance, which allows users to alter the weight they are using by simply pulling a pin. Some of these machines can be folded or put away to save space.
Certain all-in-one exercise systems employ a polymer rod referred to as Power Rods to create tension instead of traditional iron weights. All-in-one models like the Total Gym and Bowflex systems utilize this kind of technology. These systems offer a way to train your entire body without the necessity of weights, however they require you to do certain strength-training exercises using your own body weight.
Other all-in one exercise systems incorporate both weights and an incline pulley system and cable, such as BodyCraft X3 System. It has a dual weight stack of 200 pounds that allows you to perform dozens different exercises for strength training. It comes with a variety attachments, including shorter and longer bars with dual D-handles, single and double and stirrup handles.
Other all-in one exercise equipment, such as the Tonal and Tempo Studios, incorporate technology to help ensure the correct posture while exercising. Both products make use of 3D sensors to monitor 25 joints, compare them to mirrors or other reference points and determine when your form has changed. They provide real-time feedback that helps guide you back to your proper form. This feature can help lower the chance of injury and ensure that you are focusing on the correct muscles in the best method possible. This is especially important when training athletes to compete in sports. For instance, if you're working on an upper-body exercise that is related to running blocking, you must be sure you are working on the muscles required by the sport.
Weights
Weight training helps build muscles, strengthens bones and improves balance, and burns calories. Athletes may train with free weights (dumbbells or barbells), machines which provide guided movements or bars and cables for a variety of pull exercises. Resistance bands offer resistance to exercises using body weight and can be a great option to incorporate them into training for younger athletes or those with no access to weights.
Coaches should be cautious about putting young athletes into low rep ranges while using weights. This can lead to injuries and muscle pain. Athletes in middle and high school should use weights that can be lifted more than six times with proper form.
Resistance Bands and Tubing
Tubing and resistance bands provide a versatile alternative to exercise with weights. They are used by professional athletes across all sports - football players, UFC fighters, bodybuilders and more - to improve performance, increase strength and power and increase muscle mass without the need for heavy free weights.
The practice of elastic resistance training has been around for over a century. Athletes of all ages, fitness levels, and genders utilize elastic resistance training to increase the strength of their muscles, speed and agility. Tubes and resistance bands can be used to give you a a complete workout. They are lightweight and affordable.
Flat resistance bands are typically made of strips of latex or stretchy fabric. They have handles attached to both ends. When they're not being used they can be rolled and put in luggage or a backpack. They are lighter than tubes resistance bands and can be used for more exercises.
Tube resistance bands consist of hollow, cylindrical tubes coated with plastic or rubber. They're usually designed to be attached to a door, bar or pole, or some other stationary object. They're great for pulling and pushing exercises. They offer various levels of resistance, based on their thickness and tension. They're also more durable than standard resistance bands, and usually come with a built-in snap guard to protect against over-stretching and possible injury.
One of the major advantages of using elastic resistance training is that it permits you to alter the focus on certain muscles during an exercise by changing the direction of the pull. For instance, a study performed at Brigham Young University showed that changing the direction of force during an exercise like a squat or step by directing the tubing band towards the front of your leg altered the focus on quad and hamstring muscles.
Another advantage of tubing or resistance bands is that they are a good option for athletes who prefer to exercise independently instead of working with a group or trainer. You can also carry the tubing with you on trips because they are small enough to fit into luggage or backpacks.
Aerobic Machines
Cardio exercises increase endurance and strength of the cardiovascular system. They also help in burning calories and release feel-good chemicals called endorphins. The most popular types of cardiovascular exercise include walking, jogging, using an elliptical machine or a stationary bike and climbing on a stair climber. Equipment for indoor gyms is preferred over outdoor exercise for a variety of reasons. The major benefit of cardio equipment is that it offers an environment that is controlled and allows for a customizable workout. A lot of machines have built-in monitors to monitor heart rate time, distance and distance for more precise workouts.
Treadmills provide a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that can be used for walking, running or stair-climbing. They also let users control their pace and incline as well as their resistance level. These features make treadmills a great option for those with knee issues or who want to improve their fitness without putting too much stress on their joints.
Stair climbers have become popular exercise equipment since they work both upper and lower body at the same time while burning a lot of calories. Stair climbers are designed to resemble an endless flight of stairs. They are great for strengthening the legs and core, as well as the arms while targeting muscles in the back, shoulders, and shoulders.
The Jacob's Ladder provides a challenging, total-body exercise. The unique piece of equipment is designed as a ladder, and comes with separate rungs that serve as foot platforms. cycle workout bike of this unique equipment are connected to a continuous chain that moves when the user climbs. This causes the ladder to move at a speed determined by the user's speed of climbing and allowing them to select their own level of intensity.
Stationary bikes and treadmills are also popular cardio machines. They offer a full-body low-impact cardiovascular exercise. They allow users to alter the level of resistance in order to focus on specific muscles. For instance, some ellipticals come with the "Rolling Hills" program which adjusts the machine's resistance to simulate biking or running up hills. Other stationary bikes and ellipticals come with interval training programs to increase endurance.