Racks Equipment

Dumbbell Rack

Weight Tree

Barbell Rack

There are several different types of rack found in the gym. There are racks that are used for storing weight plates (also called weight trees). There are racks for storing barbells, dumbbell racks, etc.

There are also racks for doing exercises such as the power rack or squat rack. There is also a special rack/machine called the smith machine, which is a combination of a machine and free weight barbell. 

Squat Rack

Smith Machine

Power Rack

Chin Up Bar Equipment

Chin Up / Dipping Bars

The chin up bar is a iron bar that it either bolted to the wall or part of a exercise machine (i.e. the power rack, universal multi-station, etc.). Chin ups are great for working the back, biceps, and forearms. 

Dipping Bars Equipment

Dipping Bars

This is a set of parallel bars. Dips are a great exercise for working the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Stability Ball (Swiss Ball) Equipment

Stability Ball (Swiss Ball)

Any exercise that you would normally do on a bench can be done on the stability ball. You can do exercises like bench press, dumbbell flyes, shoulder press, lateral raises, pullovers, crunches, reverse crunches, etc... This is an excellent piece of equipment. The ball can move and roll so it increases your balance and strengthens the small stabilizer muscles. 

Abdominal Bench Equipment

Abdominal Bench

This is basically just a decline bench that is used for doing abdominal exercises. It has rollers that you hook your feet into so you do not slide off the bench. 

The Arm Blaster Equipment

The Arm Blaster

The arm blaster is a two foot long, 6 inch wide, flat, curved metal bar. There is a strap that goes behind your neck to hold the metal bar is flat across your mid section. It works similar to a preacher bench by eliminating body momentum and allows you to isolate the biceps. 

Preacher Bench Equipment

Preacher Bench

This bench is designed for working the biceps. It has an angled pad that you you're your upper arms on. This pad prevents you from swinging the weight so you can isolate the bicep muscles. 

Hyper Extension Bench Equipment

Hyper Extension Bench

This bench is used for working the lower back, hamstring, and glute muscles. Some gyms have a hyper extension bench that can also be used for sit ups to work the abdominals. 

Hyper Extension Bench

Benches Equipment

Flat Bench

The most common piece of equipment in any gym is the bench. There are three types of benches - flat, incline, and decline. Some benches are adjustable (i.e. they can be adjusted to either flat, incline, or decline). Some benches have racks on one end for holding a barbell, while other benches do not have any racks. The benches that do not have any racks are generally used for dumbbell exercises. 

Olympic Style Flat Bench

Olympic Style Incline Bench

Tricep Bar Equipment

Tricep Bar

This is an oval shaped bar that has two parallel hand placements. Even though it is called a tricep bar, you can use it to work other bodyparts besides the triceps. Similar to the EZ curl bar you can use it to work the muscles from different angles and it can reduce the stress that a straight barbell can place on the wrists. 

EZ Curl Bar Equipment

EZ Curl Bar

The EZ curl bar is designed for working the biceps and triceps. It is a shorter then a barbell and has angled hand placements. This is good for working the muscles from different angles and reducing the stress that a straight barbell can place on the wrists. 

Weight Plates Equipment

Olympic Barbell and Weight Plates

Weight plates range from 2.5 lbs. to 100 lbs. They are usually iron, however, many home gyms have plastic weight plates. Many people are familiar with the York Plastic Barbell Set. While this is ok for someone who is just starting out, the thickness of the plastic weight plates limit the amount of weight that can be placed on the barbell and dumbbells.

All weight plates found in commercial gyms are made of iron. There are two types of iron weight plates - Olympic plates for the Olympic barbells and standard weight plates for the 1 inch thick standard size barbells. 

Standard Weight Plates

Dumbbells Equipment

A dumbbell is a short barbell, usually 10 - 15 inches long. Dumbbell exercises are performed with a dumbbell in each hand. Most gyms have a dumbbell rack that has an assortment of fixed weight dumbbells. They usually have dumbbells from 5 lbs. - 100+ lbs. in increments of 5 lbs. (i.e. 5 lb. dumbbells, 10 lb. dumbbells, 15 lb. dumbbells, etc...).

Hex Style Dumbbells

Pro Style Dumbbells

Dumbbell Rack

There are also adjustable dumbbells that have small collars that clip on the ends of the dumbbells to hold the weight plates. While they are not a convenient as a rack of fixed weight dumbbells, they are much cheaper and take up less space. They are ideal for a home gym setting.

Adjustable Dumbbells

The Barbell Equipment

The barbell is a long iron bar that is between 4 and 7 feet long on which weight plates and placed. Barbell exercises are performed by holding the barbell with both hands.

Olympic Barbell

At the top of the list are Olympic barbells. They are 7 feet long and weigh 45 lbs. These are heavy-duty bars that can handle huge weight loads of over 800 lbs. Some Olympic bars can handle weight loads of over 1000 lbs. Because they are so big they are used mostly for heavy basic exercises such as bench press, squats, and dead lifts.

There are smaller versions of the Olympic barbell that are between 4-6 feet long. These bars are generally used for smaller exercises such as barbell curls, shoulder presses, bent rows, etc...

Many gyms also have a barbell rack that has an assortment of fixed weight barbells. They usually have barbells that are from 20 - 100 lbs. in increments of 5-10 lbs. (i.e. a 20 lb. bar, 30 lb. bar, 40 lb. bar, etc...). 

Fixed Weight Barbells

Besides Olympic barbells, there are standard barbells. These are the types of barbells that you will see for sale in most department stores. They are 1 inch thick and usually 5-6 feet long. These are ideal for a home gym setting. 

Standard Size Barbells and Dumbbells