| Original Article: Gym Appratus Guide |
Last updated: 17/01/2006
| Just what apparatus does a serious bodybuilder need to work out with. Starting off with the basics, you need a flat bench with stands and a pair of squat racks. Next most in the list, maybe an inclinable bench, leg curl machine, Chin up bar, pull down machine and so on. It may seem a lot but a home gym with just a flat bench, squat racks and a set of heavy enough weights will allow you to do a very productive workout if you know how to. For more variety most people choose to join a public gym which may range from $120 to $1200 per year. Weights Today vinyl-covered weight plates are seldom seen. Vinyl-covered plates contain cement filling. They usually last about 2 years before they split open and become useless. Another draw back is that vinyl plates are bulky and you can seldom load more than 70 kg on a bar, often far less. On the other hand, cast -iron weights hold far more weight per unit length and comes in plates weighing 20kg or even 45kg. Vinyl plates cannot be obtained in plates more than 10kg. For those who have a higher budget, I recommend rubber-covered cast iron plates. These are kinder to the floor and made less noise. Plus they look cool like they are made of the same material as the first Batman's suit. Nowadays, standard bars with smooth surface ends are hard to find in Singapore, most shops now carry screw thread bars. I personally still prefer the first type with collars that have two buttlefly screw each. But these are extinct already. Olympic Weights More and more public gyms have Olympic weights. In spite of Olympic weights usually cost more than double the price of regular cast iron, and that the Olympic bar will be three to four times the cost of a standard bar, serious trainers never fail to seize the chance to use an Olympic bar in place of a regular bar. The precision in an Olympic set made it the top choice. Olympic bars allow plates to be loaded on each side separately without it becoming tilted to one side. Olympic bars also have revolving ends that helps to stabilise the bar during lifting actions. 7 feet bars are good for big compound movements like the presses, squats and deadlifts. For arms exercises, shorter 5 feet Olympic bars and E-Z bars are more ideal. Weight-Training Belt The best belts are nearly always made from thick leather, although there are synthetic ones in the market now. Belts are necessary to the bodybuilder, especially for exercises like squats, standing presses, rowing, cleans and deadlift movements. The main reason for wearing a belt is to add support to the lower back. There is no doubt that you can lift more in most movements wearing a belt. For example in squat, as your legs straighten, the tummy is inclined to push outwards, while the lower back may be under the pressure to round out.A tight beltat this critical period will brace the entire mid section, hold you in to give added stability to your entire squatting action. As a consequences you will be able to use more weight, which in turn translate into more muscles. You do not have to wear your belt for the whole workout. You can hang it up when you don't need it or simply wear it loose, tightening it just prior to performing the aforementioned heavy exercises. Weightlifting belts traditionally comes in 4-inch and 6-inch widths. The 4 inch version is the "official" one permittedin Amateur competition . The 6 inch variety is not permitted in the official competition because of the greater supports it affords. Dipping Belts Dipping belts are very important to the serious bodybuilders, and are worn around the hips and occasionally around the neck. Their purpose is to enable a bodybuilder to easily support additional weights while performing such exercises as dips and chins. Plates can be threaded on the chain part of the belt or dumbells hung over the chain. A dipping belt can make several nonapparatus exercises into first-class progressive resistance movements. Neck Harness A muscular neck is very physically impressive and helps to prevent neck injuries from accidents. Neck work can be done after regular training sessions or at home. Training neck with traditional bridging exercises may result in neck’s vertebrae problems later in life. Neck muscles can be developed and strengthen by safer exercises. Certain gyms have excellent four-way neck machine (like those from Nautilus and Cybex). Head straps can be very effective if they are used safely and resistance applied very slowly. Low reps neck work should be avoided. Be careful when doing neck work. The neck is a delicate structure and is easily strained. Never train neck to failure in a set. Just stick to grind out sets of 10-15 reps with a moderate weight and add weight in small increment when comfortable. Neck training does not need to be pushed like other body parts. There should be no extremes of neck movement especially to the sides. This apprarus effectively adds resistance to side-to- side and fronr-to-back movements of the head. Power Straps The trouble of not using straps is that the grip will fail before what the body can pull. That will hinder the development of the back muscles. You will be worried of the bars falling off your hand than repping out. Wrist strap and hooks can usually enable you to pull more poundage, whether it is on a barbell, dumbbell, pulley or machine. While this hinders improvement in gripping strength, and may lead to a decrease in gripping strength, it does enable you to work the target muscles more intensively. Do not strap on for the first time and increase the weight of exercise by 10kg-20kg. If you do, you may injure your shoulder and elbow connective tissue haven’t been conditioned to the poundage increases. This is especially so if you’re yanking the bar instead of pulling it. Increase the poundage in small increments over a few weeks and keep the form tight! That will prevent injuries. Power Rack This is a versatile and powerful equipment. It allows partials. Using power rack as the mainstay in training will help you realise your maximum potential. Power rack is a tool that can take an intermediate level bodybuilder to advance level. Power rack can be used as a safety for novice bodybuilders. Skipping Rope Jumping rope is great for calve and co-ordination training. They are also a great warm up exercise 1-2 minutes is enough to get the body ready for training. Joint Wraps The longer you bodybuild, the greater will be the poundages you use in each exercise. The heavier the weights you use, the greater the strain on your joints and the greater the potential of injuring one of them. The heavier you train the more you need to rely on belt and joint wraps. Most bodybuilders use a weight lifting belt firmly around their waists whenever they are doing squats, overhead presses and heavy back exercises like deadlift, barbell rows etc. The belt adds stability to the middle of the body, protecting the lower back and abdomen from injury. Joint wraps can protect a joint weakened by previous injuries. Wraps come in 2 types, neoprene or elastic fabric strips, which can be wrapped around a joint. Neoprene are good for injury rehabilitation as it trapped heat and the velcro type can be tightened to provide support. Wrapping a joint take a couple of turns around the limb 4-6 inches above or below the joint, wrapping over the first turn of the fabric to anchor one end of the wrap. Then wrap upwards and downwards in spirals, be sure that the wrap overlaps itself enough so that you always have 2 layers of fabric over the joint. When you finish the wrap tuck the loose end of the fabric under one or two of the coils to anchor it securely. You can put a rubber tube over the joint first and then cover the joint with wraps with the method previously discussed. The combination of rubber and fabric wraps is very therapeutic, because moist heat is kept around the joint as the fabric support the joint while allowing you to perform leg exercise without worsening the injury. |
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