Resistance Training Equipment: The Essentials

Training equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. Products promise insane results in no time flat. It’s hard to know what equipment is legit and what you can do without.
My philosophy has always been short and sweet. You really only need a handful of tools to get great results.

Before you go break the bank, decide if you need to buy any equipment at all. Maybe you like working out at a gym? Chances are they will have 99% of everything you need. Either way, here’s a list of tools that will help you get shredded at home or at the gym

Essentials

Power rack: This tool allows you to safely perform many lifts including the squat, bench press, and rack pulls. With adjustable pins or bars, you can set the start or end position to allow for endless full, half, and quarter rep variations. The bars safely define how low the barbell can travel and give you a great workout with or without a spotter.

Barbells: The bar you put the weight plates on. Pretty simple too with lots of variations.

• Standard barbell: 45 lbs, great for power lifts
• Olympic barbell: 45 lbs, different sizes for men and women, more elasticity allows the bard to bend for technical moves like the clean and jerk
• Trap bar: 65 lbs, perfect for deadlift and shoulder shrug variations
• Swiss bar: not so great for chocolate cake, but perfect for wiping up a sick arm exercise in no time flat
• EZ Curl bar: another fantastic bar for the arms and shoulders, grips allow for great tricep and bicep workouts
• Farmer’s Walk Bars: for all the true farmers out there, these bars will bring out that true redneck style workout for your next burn; two bars are carried parallel on either side of the body loaded with weight to challenge the back, shoulders, and legs.
• Axle bars: 2-inch diameter bars; collars don’t rotate; great way to challenge grip strength

Bench: Workout benches are a must. Standard benches are knee height and don’t adjust. Variable benches allow you to change the height by pulling a pin and either lowering or lifting the backside of the bench.

Weight plates: Weight plates come in many shapes and sizes. The three basic types are Olympic plates, bumper plates, and studio plates.

• Olympic plates are the gold standard because of the wide variety of movements you can complete. They come with a 2” hole for fitting the barbell in place. With rubber coating, these plates are perfect for performing cleans and saving your wooden floors. You can also find these in cast iron, bumper, technique, and fractional.
• Standard plates come with a 1” hole and will not slide onto Olympic barbells.
• Studio plates are mini plates that you can use in small spaces for a quick cardio workout.

Dumbbells: Ranging from 2.5 lbs to 100+ lbs, dumbbells allow for endless workouts in the gym or at home. Dumbbells come in fixed and adjustable types.

• Fixed dumbbells are the type you typically see on a rack. They come in rubber, polyurethane, and chrome. Rubber and PU dumbbells provide an extra outer layer to protect the metal and prevent chips to the dumbbell itself and the gym floor (which may be your nice wooden floor at home). Ends can be round or come in a hex shape. Hex dumbbells don’t roll away as easily and are great for circuit exercises.
• Adjustable dumbbells are more common for home workouts. They typically have a dial, pin, or other locks that allows you to drop or increase weight on the fly. While they can be somewhat expensive, for home gyms you end up saving a ton of money buying an adjustable set rather than a whole rack worth of fixed dumbbells. Common brands include Bowflex, Ironmaster, PowerBlock, and Nordic Track.

Jump rope: Classic tool that Rocky uses to get fit. Enough said.

Resistance bands: Because who doesn’t love a sweet adult-sized rubber band? Resistance bands come in many shapes and sizes. Types include power bands, tube bands with handles, mini bands, and figure 8 bands.

Medicine balls: I don’t need to tell you that there are many sizes and types of balls in the gym. These include slam, wall, medicine, and exercise balls. Each has its own purpose.

• Slam balls often have a rubber coating and are filled in a way that ensures the ball has no kickback. Because the ball doesn’t bounce off surfaces and absorbs shock, it's great for slamming against the floor and releasing all of that pent-up anger.
• Wall balls are not so great thrown at windows. They are typically bigger and heavier than other gym balls and are great for squat presses and side throws against a (you guessed it) wall.
• Medicine balls come in many varieties including plastic, vinyl, and rubber coating. Because of a softer shell, they are mainly used to add external resistance and should not be slammed against a wall, the ground, or your best friend. They are great for ab workouts, push up variations, and shoulder presses.
• Exercise balls are large balls that you can sit on or lift your legs on to challenge the base of support and make exercise harder. Less stability means more core work.

Tubing: When resistance bands become a thing of the past, switch it up and try some tubing. Most come with handles that allow the user to complete curls and presses with greater ease than the bands.

The rest

ViPR: The ViPR is a sick metal tube with handles in the center that allow the user to fight zombies while getting a killer workout. The tube itself comes in multiple colors and sizes. Alternatively, the tubes can be filled with water. This allows the weight to shift during movement and demands the muscles to work harder to stabilize.

Battle ropes: Ditch the weights and opt with rope to destroy muscle imbalances and shake up cardio routines as well. With 1.5” and 2” diameters, ropes can be designed to add muscle or to increase VO2 peak/endurance. The bigger diameters are great for strength, while the smaller diameters are great for endurance. 

Ropes also come in different lengths. 30, 40, and 50-foot lengths are common. Remember that a 40-foot rope is really only 20 feet when stretched. The farther from the wall, the easier the exercise becomes.

BOSU balls: Invented in 1999 by David Weck, the BOSU Ball is a fantastic way to challenge your center of mass and build muscular balance. BOSU stands for Bionic Oscillatory Stabilization Unit, which is an ode to how you can use the device. Ball side down, platform up provides an unstable base which is more challenging for athletic purposes. Platform down, ball side up is more stable and can be used for beginners and the elderly.

Gliding discs: Gliding discs can make a stable surface unstable, thus forcing the muscles to work harder to maintain balance. Lower body exercises include mountain climbers and split squats, while upper body exercises include push up variations.

Parallettes: A staple in gymnastics, parallettes come in many shapes and sizes. The small sizes move the body closer to the ground and force you to lift more bodyweight making the exercise harder. Taller seats offer more variety allowing the user to work both upper and lower body exercises into a routine.

Dip bars: Similar to parallettes, dip bars can be used for (you guessed it) dips. You can also use them for killer ab workouts.

SOURCES

1. Easter, M. (2019, October 21). A Beginner's Guide to Battling Ropes. Retrieved from https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19537513/how-to-use-battling-ropes/
2. Evans, C. (2016, November 18). Weight Plates Buying Guide. Retrieved from https://originfitness.com/knowledge-and-advice/weight-plates-buying-guide/
3. Evans, C. (2017, February 09). Guide to Buying Dumbbells. Retrieved from https://originfitness.com/knowledge-and-advice/guide-to-buying-dumbbells/
4. Pimental, J. (2019, February 28). 12 Different Types of Barbells. Retrieved from https://evofitnessequipment.com/2018/11/13/12-different-types-barbells/
5. Question: What is a BOSU ball and how does it improve balance? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://balance.lifetips.com/faq/120190/0/what-is-a-bosu-ball-and-how-does-it-improve-balance/index.html
6. Set, S. F. (n.d.). 5 Types of Resistance Bands & Which Resistance Bands are the Best? Retrieved from https://www.setforset.com/blogs/news/5-types-of-resistance-bands-which-is-best-to-buy
7. The Difference Between a Slam, Wall and Medicine Ball. (2019, December 11). Retrieved from https://protips.dickssportinggoods.com/sports-and-activities/exercise-and-fitness/how-to-differentiate-between-a-slam-wall-and-medicine-ball