| When doing weight training, you need the right quipment, or at the least Gym membership.
I believe Gym Membership sometimes ends up similiar to the quit smoking schemes. If you do not have the will power to do it yourself, then it is almost positive that anything you try is not going to last. In fact Gyms operate almost like banks. If everyone who was a member turned up, there would not be anywhere near enough equipment to go around - same as if everyone wanted to withdraw money from a Bank..The bank would close its doors.
In some rare cases people consistantly go to the gym over a period of many years, so for these people, membership probably works, however if they had the space at home, it is far cheaper to buy your own equipment. For the majority - its the guilt trip of cancelling the gym membership that keeps the gym income going - even if they are not going!
At present, a lot of people also go to the Gym because they want to show off or be social etc etc. Sad I know, but hey, each to their own.
The bad news, for all Gym members is that gym equipment is a much better investment than membership unless you are in desperate need of social interaction and acceptance, or more space in your home.
For the price of the basic membership, you are already well on your way to building up the equipment you need to keep fit. You dont need fancy machines. Just a bench and some free weights and you can achieve all your goals. |
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So I started with a couple of dumbbells, a barbell and enough weight so I could max out where I needed.
I slowly built upon this humble beginning until I have the current set. I am still after more, the more weights and bars, the less quickchanging needed during your routine. Of course with regular use the wieght required also goes up!
I intend to add another bench (without weightbar brackets), a chin up bar and a few more weights as I need them. But thats it, I dont want any fancy four in1 machines or stuff. The Lat Machine was a bargain, and I love it but the same thing can be achieved with free weights.
Ditto with the situp bench - not essential but certainly worth the money! A good flat exercise mat is also a good investment. I just use a cheapo closed cell foam mat bought from the local variety shop |
| A Barbell is the most basic weight training equipment. Its just what is says. A bar. Put some weights on the end and lift, pull, and squat your sweaty way into stronger muscles.
I use a few variations on it. As well as the straight bar, I use an EZBAR and a TRIBAR. See photos. These help target specific muscles but are not a requirement. A straight bar is just fine |
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| The Dumbbell(s) are a small hand held version of the Barbell, usually coming in sets and are, like their barbell cousin, basic weight training equipment. They are small sticks to put weight on and again, strain your way to better muscles. They come in two basic varieties. Fixed weight and Changable weight. If you go for fixed you will need many sets of them to cover all the different weights. If you go for changables, you only need one set, I have 4 sets of changables because I like to just go from Set to Set without all that messing around with changing weights.
I also (like many many people) change weight often, so with the same set of weights I can make any combination... |
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The Bench. I have a incline bench, it is ok, but a little old. I re-covered it recently to extend its life, but I am building a new one. I think an incline bench is essential. Apart from the Barbel/Dumbbell combo, the bench is a very basic piece of training equipment. There are many varieties, I want one that inclines to 90 degrees and does not have barbell supports (because I already have one with barbell supports). It is for my flies and skulls, and to support my back during the military presses.I need more space around home! |
| I also have an incline situp bench, its a little decadant but hey, it was cheap, and with crunches and situps I need all the help I can get at this age. |
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The Lat Machine. This is a wonderful device for Lats and Triceps. I am lucky I got this at a bargain, it is at least 14 years old and still going strong.
This is the only machine I recommend buying. I love mine, and there are many uses for it. |
| So on to the Cardio side of my equipment... I bought a treadmill because I hate going outside and running, especially if it is raining. I also think that I can have a much more controlled run on the treadmill, mine allows incline adjustment (although its a small basic model that packs away well). I also picked up a Crosstrainer. It is a modern model complete with heart rate monitor etc etc. I love it but it kills! I believe the Crosstrainer is a better machine for weight loss, and general fitness, however a full beginner will get sore at first. It is easy to use, and fully programable. Having both types of machines allows me to vary my training, which is a very good thing. Crosstrainers take up a lot of space compared to treadmills (especially my folding treadmill).. |
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The last equipment I want to show are the very ones you should avoid at all costs.
The "ab-Doer", "AB-Glider" and other such nonsense so called "fitness machines" are little more than money making machines preying upon silly people who think they can cut corners and get a ripped body with next to no effort and a new fangled machine. All the ads and commercials show actors or models that spend at least 1 hr a day working out doing real exercises on real equipment, and have done so for countless hours. They all imply that you too can have a body
like this, with a 10 minute workout everyday, just by buying and using their machine. What a load of crap! Most of these schemes end up with the consumer shelling out for a piece of equipment that gets used around 5-10 times max and ends up in the garage or cupboard along with the battery operated fly swatter and automatic cheese cutter that also doubles as an omelete maker. Junk, just pure junk. BTW I have an Ab-Doer. I tried this piece of junk out just to prove a point to myself. Yup, its pure junk.
I might remake it into a 90 degree bench for using as support while doing military presses. But to use it as they say - what a load of shite. A straight broom stick to do twists is far more effective. Preying upon weak and demoralised unfit people is low and reeks of desperation and greed. People should beware about anyone or anything that uses actors, models and sports people to sell. If it really is that good and works, it will be well known and not usually sold using info-mercials or the shoppers channel.
I dont see a lot of commercials for Barbells and Dumbells these days! But they work and most people agree they are essential gym equipment.
So don't get caught up in the glossy brochure, if it seems too good to be true - it probably is. |
