As you begin your journey to body transformation it is very important to understand the various types of equipment you can use for the purpose of strength training. Most of the equipment we have listed down here is commonly available in the gyms across India.
Most of the strength training equipment falls into one of three categories:
1. Equipment that provide constant resistance throughout the range of motion.
2. Equipment that provide variable resistance throughout.
3. Equipment that provide constant speed throughout.
Constant resistance equipment
These types of equipment provide constant resistance throughout the entire range of motion; they mainly consist of objects that provide weight. Free weights fall under this category which refers to Barbell, Dumbbell and the weight plates.
Barbells
Barbells are the bar that weight plates are loaded onto, they measure five to seven feet in length. There are various types of barbell available in today’s modern gym:
1. Olympic Barbell – These are one of the most common barbells you will find in almost all the gyms in India. These bars weigh 20 Kg (~45 pounds) and are seven feet in length. The ends of the bar are two inches (5 cm) in diameter to fit Olympic weight plates and the handle section where you grab the bar is one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.
2. Standard Barbell – Standard barbells comes of different sizes based on the quality. The weight loading section is about one inch in diameter to fit the standard weight plates and the grip section varies in diameter from 1 inch to 1.1 or even 1.2 in in most sturdy ones.
3. Fixed Barbell – These are the barbells with predetermined weights fixed on each of its ends.
4. EZ curl bar – These are special types of barbell that is bent at several points so it looks like an stretched out W. This allows a user to have a grip between a underhand (supinated) grip and a neutral grip. During the biceps curl this rod helps in taking the stress of the wrist and places more stress on the biceps.
5. Fat/Thick-handled bar – These are special barbell that are larger in diameter in the gripping section, usually 2 to 3 inches. They are rarely found in Indian gyms and are mainly used to develop greater grip strength.
6. Safety squat bar – These are like normal barbells with two short padded bars of around 12 inches running perpendicular to the bar in the middle. They are used for squats.
7. Trap bar – These are the weight bar that have diamond-shaped section in the middle. During the exercise a user stands inside the diamond shape and uses the neutral grip to hold the handles on the either side. This is mainly used for deadlifts and shrugs.
Weight Plates
These are the round plates that add weight to barbells and plate-loaded weight machines. In Indian gyms they are commonly available in weights of 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Kg. Here are the various types of weight plates:
1. Olympic weight plates – These plates have centre holes that are about 5.4 cm to fir on Olympic barbell.
2. Standard weight plates – These plates have a centre hole about 3 cm to fit on a standard bar of 1 inch diameter.
3. Bumper Plates – These are the Olympic weight plates with rubber outer rim to reduce dame to the floor and the weight plate in case it is dropped.
4. Collar- These are the clamps used to hold the weights securely on the barbell or adjustable dumbbell. The collars used in Olympics are about 2.5 kg.
Dumbbell
Dumbbells are the short-handled barbell primarily used with hands. It is usually about 8 to 12 inches in total length with the gripping portion about 6 inches in length. Some dumbbells are solid steel or rubber/fiber with round or hexagon ends. Some use weight plates and the total weight of the dumbbells can be adjusted.
