Exercise equipment
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Exercise equipment is any object used in exercise. This can include balls, treadmills, weights, light benches, bicycles, track shoes, jungle gyms, hydraulic equipment or protective equipment such as a back brace.
Exercise balls
Exercise balls are available in a number of forms. There are large pilates balls specifically suited to pilates exercises. Medicine balls are somewhat larger than a basketball and are used as a training aid for a variety of different exercises. There are also a number of different types of timing balls used in developing accuracy and timing of martial arts strikes and kicks.
An exercise ball can also be used to help treat low back pain and to prevent future back pain episodes. The ball helps by strengthening and developing the core body muscles (the belt of abdominal and back muscles) that help to stabilize the spine (or vertebral column). An exercise ball creates instability to the exercise that normally wouldn't be there, forcing the body (and the core) to keep balanced. This strengthens the muscles that are doing the balancing.
Exercise balls work for many types of athletes, including older people and pregnant women. There are specific exercises developed for use with the ball that are appropriate for these and other special interest groups.
Weights
Weights come in three main forms,machines, dumb bells and barbells. A dumb bell is a small bar with weights on either end, and is held in a single hand, a barbell on the other hand is a large bar with weights on both ends, and both hands are used to grip it.
Dumb bells and barbells are both useful for exercising different muscle areas and maintaining safety throughout a workout, but machines are both safe and also what is known as an isolator. Machines usually only have one path of motion, meaning that it follows a direct path through a system of pullies and/or attachment to an immobile frame. Some examples of weight machines are Smith Machines, Leg Press and Mechanical Shoulder Press.