fitness equipment

For the vast majority of ordinary fitness practitioners, fitness equipment has never been “the more, the more professional”. 1-3 pieces of core equipment that adapt to their own training stage, exercise preferences, and usage scenarios are more than three times more efficient than a roomful of unused internet celebrity models. There is no need to blindly buy all the so-called family bucket sets just to “look professional”.

When I first started working out two years ago, I ran into a lot of pitfalls. I followed bloggers’ recommendations and bought adjustable dumbbells, folding dumbbell benches, kettlebells, elastic band sets, wave balls, and spinning bikes. There was even a brand that claimed to “build your waistline in 7 days.” "The abdominal slimming machine can be used four or five times a week except for the pair of dumbbells. Three thick winter coats are hung on the spinning bicycle. The wave speed balls are piled on the balcony as a cat's nest. The abdominal slimming machine has long been sold as scrap. The money wasted is enough to apply for a two-year business health card.

I saw two completely different logics for using equipment when I was at Shangjian before, which was quite interesting. In the eyes of those veteran powerlifters, all the equipment in the world combined is not as useful as barbells, squat racks, and bench presses. All fixed equipment and small tools are just frivolous. If you want to increase your strength, you have to use free weights. I have seen the elder brother who competes in the national competition. He trained around these three for three months without even touching the high pull-down machine next to him. But the coaches who do functional training on the other side completely disagree. They prefer small equipment such as medicine balls, elastic bands, and balance mats. They believe that free weights put too much pressure on novice joints. Small equipment can not only adjust the movement pattern, but also train deep stabilizer muscles. It is too universal. When I was recovering from lumbar protrusion, I relied solely on elastic bands for the first two months to find strength. It is indeed much friendlier than deadlifting a barbell.

When it comes to ordinary people's choices, there is actually no need to worry about which side to take, just look at your actual situation first. If you are working in a rented house, forget about squat racks and Hack machines. Your landlord will not let you drill expansion screws into the wall. A pair of adjustable weight dumbbells and a few elastic bands of different pounds can basically cover all the basic movements of the chest, back, and core of the legs. My colleague lives in a 30-square-meter single apartment and bought a folding dumbbell bench that he usually stuffs under the sofa. It is enough for bench presses and arm extensions on weekends. It can be packed in the trunk and taken away when moving. If you have an unused second bedroom or terrace at home, and want to save yourself the trouble of grabbing equipment and queuing up to take a shower, it will definitely be better to go directly to the fixed equipment. Last year, my friend converted the guest room at home into a mini gym and installed a high pull-down machine and an inverted pedal machine. Now he can do it when he comes home from work and just change his shoes. After practicing, he can directly take a shower. He has gained 8 kilograms of muscle in half a year. It is more cost-effective than applying for an annual membership card for ten consecutive years.

When it comes to this, I have to mention "Is the treadmill an IQ tax" that has been debated online for several years? There are positive and negative examples around me. Aunt Zhang, who is retired downstairs, bought a high-end Taichung treadmill the year before last. She gets up at 6:30 every morning and runs for 40 minutes, even if it’s windy or rainy. She lost 16 pounds in half a year and her blood pressure has stabilized a lot. Everyone who meets her says it’s money well spent. But when young people around me buy treadmills, nine out of ten of them end up being used as clothes drying racks. My own treadmill was one of my own. Before I bought it, I had an ambition to run 5 kilometers a day, but after three runs I felt tired. Now I have four coats and two pants hanging on it, which is embarrassing to say the least. To really say whether it is worth it or not, it all depends on whether you can insist on using it, and it has nothing to do with the half cent of the equipment itself.

Oh, by the way, many people ask me "Can I exercise without equipment at all?" The answer is of course yes. In 2020, the epidemic was locked down at home for three months. I didn’t even bring any dumbbells home, so I relied on bottled mineral water as weight-bearing. I did push-ups, lunges, and Bulgarian split squats every day. In three months, I lost 2 points of body fat and basically lost no muscle mass. In the final analysis, equipment is just an auxiliary tool. If you have the right force exertion mode and proper training awareness, mineral water bottles, chairs and even stairs can be used as fitness equipment. If all movements rely on force, and you practice for three days and rest for five days, it will be useless even if you are given a top-notch gym.

I have stepped into many pitfalls in the past few years, and I feel more and more that the core of fitness is always the word "persistence". If you really want to buy equipment, go to Shangjian first and use the one you want three or four times. Make sure you can really adapt to the movement and maintain the frequency of use before spending money. Don't place an order immediately because of the grass planting videos of Internet celebrities. After all, no matter how good the equipment is, it is just a waste product that takes up space if it is left gathering dust in a corner. It is better to spend more than ten yuan to buy an elastic band and start moving it today. It will be better than anything else.