In the recent past, a lot of strange gym equipment has emerged to satisfy the growing market for workout equipment. Some of the unconventional workouts have proven to be total rip-offs: some on the other hand produce excellent results.
Here is a list of some of the rather strange gym equipment that can actually help make your workout sessions much more productive.
Weighted Jump Ropes
If you exercise a lot, you certainly know that skipping rope is a great full-body exercise. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t help much in terms of working and building muscles. This is where weighted ropes come in. They increase resistance in your ordinary rope-skipping routine which in turn engages your muscles much more intensely. There are different ways to use a weighted rope. You can either skip forwards or backwards, imitating a backward run.
Weighted ropes come in different weights, usually ranging between 1 and 2 pounds. It is important that you pick the right weight for your body or else you may lose form as you skip. Additionally, the ropes come in different styles. You will find beaded, leather, and even wire cable ropes. Whichever style of rope you choose is really up to your preference.
Battle Ropes
Battle ropes are an effective way to boost your stamina, speed and power. They are great because they engage all muscle groups in your body, like the abs, glutes, arms and hips. They are also unique and different from kettle bars, dumbbells and bars because they engage your hips in a completely different manner. This can help to open up your hips and boost your pelvic floor strength. Another device that can also help improve pelvic floor strength is the Yoni egg. Not sure how to use a Yoni egg? Well, you can start by simply wearing it around the house or sleeping in it. As you get used to it, you can then start doing yoga or Kegel exercises with the Yoni egg.
You will get a killer workout with variations such as spirals, big snap downs and quick hand waves with battle ropes. They are ideal for beginners since they are not difficult to master and produce excellent results. For durability, choose those that are weather and waterproof. They will serve you for longer.
Parallette Bars
These are also ideal for beginners since they are light in weight and easily portable, not to mention extremely easy to use. If you are looking to increase the intensity of your dips, press-ups and L-seats that are performed off the ground, then these bars are your best bet. They can help tone arms as well as work your chest, shoulders, core and back.
Sand Bags
Sand bags are outstanding thanks to the element of instability they add to virtually any work out. If you want to have a more intense routine, then substitute your dumbbells and kettle bars with sand bags. The instability that the sandbags cause forces your muscles to work harder in order to regain stability, which in turn results in improved stamina and grip strength. Sand bags come in a variety of sizes and materials. It is best to choose those that are made of durable, machine- washable materials for ease of maintenance.
Water Balls
Water balls look a lot like medicine balls on the outside, but that is just about as far as the similarities go. On the inside, they are partially filled with water. This water swirls around as you perform exercises such as leg curls, pushups, Russian twists or even wall squats. The goal is to keep the water from sloshing around, and this adds extra difficulty to your exercise. Thanks to the added challenge, you will engage more muscle groups which translates to a better and much more productive full- body workout.
Suspension Trainers
Suspension trainers work a lot like sand bags, in that they cause instability to make exercise much more intense. They can be used with virtually any body weight movement; from dips to lunges to push- ups to even leg curls. They use your own body weight to engage more muscles, resulting in a powerful full-body workout. They help improve stability and flexibility, and their versatility is unparalleled.
Ab Wheels
If you are looking for equipment that will help you strengthen your core, then Ab wheels might just be the answer to your question. Like the sandbags and the suspension trainers, they add instability to your workouts thus engaging your muscles even more. You can crawl laterally, forwards or backwards with the wheel strapped to your feet, and the intensity of trying to move at all will be immense. You can also perform roll outs when you are holding the wheel making them a tad more challenging. If you have been experiencing back problems, then you can do leg curls and hip lifts to alleviate the pain.
Monkey Bars
Monkey bars are not an exclusive reserve for kids; they can help make your workouts a bit more productive. They are particularly useful in working arm muscles and opening your wrists, shoulder and elbows naturally. They also boost your overall stamina, balance and agility. Simply hanging on the bar can help boost your grip strength a great deal. You can even try swinging across the bars or even performing pull ups on them. All these exercises will help improve your arm strength significantly. Fortunately, monkey bars can easily be found on playgrounds, so you don’t have to worry much about the cost of purchasing one.
Chest Expanders
Chest expanders are very appropriately named: they are used to open up your shoulders and increase the size of your chest. They are often overlooked, although they are powerful workout equipment. You can do presses, shoulder circles or even rows with them to work your arms and shoulders.
Sleds
Sleds work best for athletes and those that are higher up the fitness ladder. They work a wide array of body muscles: from glutes to quads to hips and even arms. Not only do they boost muscle strength and stamina, but they also improve speed. You can add any weight you want to the sleds to make your exercises a lot more challenging.
If you go to the gym ardently but have been reluctant to try out any of the equipment mentioned in this article, then by all means go ahead and try it. Don’t let the novelty of the equipment put you off; you may be surprised by what you find. Even fairly queer equipment such as the sandbags and the suspension trainers have a lot to offer. Try them out and see for yourself.