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Everyone wants to stay in good shape and look muscular. So, you can build muscle and burn stomach fat with the right exercise equipment. Building muscles sends you on a health and fitness journey. Some people do it through their diet, and some use muscle-building protein supplements, while some attain this aim by working out intensely. Of course, exercising is a better and safe option, but choosing the right exercise equipment is critical.
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So, in this article, we have compiled a list of the best exercise equipment that is safe and affordable. We have also scribbled the factors to consider while buying proper muscle-building exercise equipment and various considerations you must take. So, read down the lines and find the top ten exercise equipment to help you build muscles fast and safely.
Top Ten Exercise Equipment to Build Muscles
1. Calf Machine
Fitness experts say calves are the most challenging muscle group to grow. However, a seated-calf raise is a movement that can help make your calves muscular and attractive. To do this easily, you can buy a calf machine.
A calf machine is a value-added accessory you must add to your gym for the strength and fitness programs to work out your calves effectively. This exercise equipment squeezes the calves, because it increases blood circulation, and thus stimulates muscle growth.
There is a seated as well as a standing calf machine. The function of the two is different, but the principal aim is to work your calves to get leaner and muscular. A seated calf machine is a favorite choice among fitness freaks because it works the soleus muscle while the standing position is less effective at developing the soleus. In addition, the vertical machine works the outer muscles of your calves better, which helps your calves look bigger and muscular.
How the calf machine works
This exercise equipment works quadriceps muscles in the thigh, gastrocnemius, and soleus, known as calf muscles. The machine also develops hamstrings, i.e., the muscle at the back of your thighs and the butt muscles, also known as gluteus maximus.
How to use the exercise equipment correctly?
The aim is best accomplished when you maintain a 90 degrees angle at your knees. The right way to do the exercise is to sit on a calf raise machine. Place your thighs under the pads and place your hands on top. Flex your calves as much as possible and hold the position for a second and then release. You can also adjust the height of the pad through the lever. Then, do 10 – 12 reps to build your calf muscles.
The free weight exercise the calf machine replaces
The machine replaces a barbell seated calf raise that requires a flat bench, block, and barbell. It develops your calves as jumping ropes do. The calf machine is an excellent alternative to single-leg standing calf raises, squat hold calf raises, and leg press calf raise. You can also do seated calf raise with the help of dumbbells.
The common mistakes during this exercise
The calf machine helps to build the stamina needed to run, cycle, and walk. It improves muscle growth and bone tissues, which prevent ankle injuries. However, there are some common mistakes that people make during calf exercises. These mistakes inhibit muscle development. One mistake is insufficient muscle contraction. It is essential to stretch the muscles fully to contract eccentrically, resulting in effective muscle growth. You need to train the calf muscles frequently. Most bodybuilders do not work these muscles frequently, so they do not develop faster. It is crucial to start with the number of sets and increase the reps when the muscles get used to the exercise.
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2. Dumbbells
Dumbbells are the affordable and most common exercise equipment you can find in any gym or home gym. They are the most effective gear to work different parts of your body if you are on a budget or space-constrained. They can help you build muscles in your arms, chest, shoulders, back, legs, and butt. Just use different weights to change the intensity of your workout according to your need.
Manufacturers design dumbbells considerately, ensuring that you may hold them conveniently while sweating. They usually make them up of iron powder and cement featuring rubber-coated rods, making holding them easier and comfortable. You should wear a pair of weightlifting gloves to prevent damage to your hands.
How the dumbbells works
The dumbbells work on many muscle groups. They benefit the shoulders the most. However, they also work on the arms just as hard. In addition, dumbbells also workout the pectoral, biceps, legs, glutes, and calves. You can do many exercises using dumbbells like the bench press, bicep curl, shoulder press, bent-over row, one-arm swing, lung, calf raise, triceps raise, and many more. They do an excellent job of isolating the target muscle group.
The common mistakes during this exercise
Warming up the muscles is vital before lifting heavyweights. You must stretch your muscles to improve flexibility and blood circulation to avoid injury by lifting heavyweights. The bodybuilder should not do the reps quickly because you cannot maintain the correct format at a higher pace. Therefore, you must do the reps adequately so that the muscles and expand and contract appropriately.
Some people do not hold the dumbbells properly. Properly holding them is necessary to do an effective workout. Another major mistake is breathing wrong. When you lift the weight, you must exhale, i.e., breathe the air out when doing the most challenging part. If you don’t breathe this way, the oxygen does not reach the muscles. People also make mistakes while doing rows, bicep curls, and weighted squats with the wrong posture.
The best part is that you can use this exercise equipment with variations. Dumbbells are readily available in the market. We recommend using free weights from FitnessFactory.com as the best way to strengthen your muscles, burn calories, and build a better body.
3. Lateral Raise Machine
The lateral raise machine is another good option for your home gym if you want to look muscular. It works your triceps and shoulder muscles effectively. In addition, the device is affordable and straightforward. Therefore, you will see it in most of the gyms and fitness programs.
How the lateral raise machine works
You can use a lateral raise machine to develop the muscles of the shoulders and triceps. If you want to get a boulder shoulder look every bodybuilder dreams of, then you must do lateral raises in the correct form. You can do it with light weights, and it pumps the muscles very well, resulting in the effective growth and development of the muscles. This exercise equipment also prevents the upper body from injuries by strengthening the upper-body muscles.
The machine is affordable and useful, but you can also do lateral raises with dumbbells. The instructions are the same for doing the lateral raises as with the exercise equipment.
Correct form
To do lateral raises, you need to stand with your feet apart. Bend your hips and knees and hold the dumbbells in your hands. Raise the dumbbells with your arms up to the height of your shoulders. Stay in the position for a second and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
The common mistakes during this exercise
It is important not to lift heavy weights that can damage the shoulders during raises. Your shoulder muscles develop best when you do more reps with light weights. So, do at least 10 to 20 reps to boost your muscles’ growth.
Another mistake is raising the weights too high. Lifting the weights too high will cause pain in your arms and shoulders. In addition, lifting the weights high causes the workout to shift to the upper traps, which is not the aim of this exercise equipment. Finally, we recommend not holding the dumbbells tightly because this form shifts the workout to the upper body muscles.
The machine works many muscles and proves to be the best shoulder builder every bodybuilder dreams about.
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4. Preacher Bench
Building biceps is quite challenging, but using a suitable machine can do wonders in less time. If you are looking for exercise equipment to shape up your biceps, the Preacher bench is must-buy equipment. We also know the machine as the Preacher curl machine, and it works great for working out the biceps. The exercise equipment isolates the biceps muscles, strengthens them, and makes them more prominent.
However, it is crucial to use the correct technique. It is very effective for working out your biceps with dumbbells. The exercise equipment is excellent for beginners and is simple to use. Its core aim is to concentrate blood into your biceps by squeezing them. As a result, the muscles grow, and the biceps look bigger and stronger.
How the preacher bench works
If you want to get the toned and massive biceps, you must have your eyes on the preacher curl machine. The exercise equipment differs from the traditional biceps curl and effectively isolates your biceps to boost muscle growth and development. It works all three elbow flexors, i.e., the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis.
How to perform the exercise?
You can do preacher curls in several ways. You can perform it using dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, EZ bar, and kettlebells. So, you have plenty of variation to do the exercise with. The exercise feels great and exciting, and you do not get bored while working out.
To perform the exercise with the EZ bar, sit at the preacher’s bench. Hold the EZ bar in your hand at the shoulder’s length and rest your elbow on the pad. Stretch your arms down fully so that you stretch the biceps while inhaling. Now curl your arm up to the starting position and breath out. Stay in the same position for a few minutes to squeeze the biceps thoroughly and boost muscle development. Repeat the steps until you reach the desired number of reps. You can do the same steps with other exercise equipment as well. Ten to 12 reps are excellent to boost biceps muscle growth. You can also perform reverse preacher curl and single-arm preacher curl to bring variation.
The common mistakes during this exercise
The preacher curl will tone your muscles effectively and prove to be the best isolating bicep exercise only when you do it with the correct form.
The most common mistake which people make while performing the preacher curl is not contracting the muscles properly. It happens when you do the exercise swiftly. Squeezing the biceps is vital to gain the desired size and strength. So, you must not be impatient. Also, hold your arms up to your shoulder length for at least a second before lowering back down. Some people do the exercise with greater reps and low weights. However, doing the sets with more weights and low reps grows the biceps effectively.
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5. Pull-Up Bars
Use Pull-up bars for simple exercise equipment that can help you build muscles safely. They are simple yet effective. They are readily available in most gyms. In addition, you can make the pull-up bars yourself. The equipment comprises a horizontal bar supported by two poles at a specific distance.
You can use pull-up bars to build the muscles of the arms and chest. They work on your body the same way that push-ups do. You can fix them on your door to get an instant workout in your home gym. What you have to do is to reach the bar using your arms by lifting your body.
How the pull-up bar works
Pull-up bars work all parts of your body. However, it is a great apparatus to work your back, shoulders, and arms. It also gives an exceptional workout to your abdominal muscles. In addition, the bar helps to improve endurance and strength. It is versatile gym equipment and offers a variety of exercises.
An exercise you can perform with the pull-up bar
You can perform plenty of exercises with the pull-up bars to extend the workout to your total body. Standard chin-up, negative pull-ups, behind-the-neck pull-up, climbed pull-up, windscreen wipers, bat-wing chin-up, and Gironda sternum chin-up are common exercises you can efficiently perform using the pull-up bar.
The common mistakes during this exercise
Pull-up bars are very effective in doing a whole body workout. However, some common mistakes defeat the aim of your workout. Do pull-ups with the full hang because this is how you thoroughly work your back and arm muscles. Partial reps are not adequate and won’t bring excellent results for muscle-building. Also, while doing pull-ups, you must control your shoulder blades and elbows.
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6. A Suspension Training System
A sound suspension training system offers you a whole-body workout. The system is expensive, but it provides the benefits of many small gym equipments. Through this equipment, you can perform many exercises which create tension between your body and the straps to make the body leaner and muscular.
The system comprises two straps, an anchoring system, and a looping mechanism. It helps you learn seven major moves, i.e., push, pull, plank, squat, rotate, lunge, and hung, which work every part of your body. The straps of the machine provide a lot of resistance and weight capacity. You can also use the resistance bands if you don’t have an appropriate place to hang the straps.
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7. Hack Squat Machine
The Hack squat is another essential piece of exercise equipment to work many groups of muscles. It helps build your lower body muscles, including calves, hamstrings, quads, and glutes. The best thing about the equipment is that it does not strain your back like the other gym equipment. It is an excellent tool for beginners and brings strength to your legs.
The hack squat is an angled machine that requires you to stand and drive the movement through your legs. The device is safe and is a value-addition to your workout time if you need to work your quads effectively. However, you must not use this exercise equipment if you are having knee pain or lower back pain.
What does Hack Squat work?
The hack squat offers a great compound exercise for the lower body muscles.
How the hack squat works
Straighten your legs and place your shoulders on the shoulder pads when you are doing a hack squat on exercise equipment. Keep your head upright and your body tight. Breathe in when you perform the eccentric part and breath out when you do the concentric one. Also, you can hack squat using a barbell.
The common mistakes during this exercise
Some people stop breathing while doing squats, while some drop the chest, ignore the core, and squat too fast. You should not rotate your knees in or out or squat too low to do an effective workout.
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8. Rowing Machine
A rowing machine is another excellent idea to work your muscles. The device mimics rowing and feels like you are rowing the boat. The muscles it targets are the arms, chest, glutes, and legs. It gives you an upper body and lower body workout. It requires you to pull the handle attached to a large magnetic wheel while pushing the pedals.
Rowing machines are readily available online and in the local market. It has an ergonomic design that is easy to handle. The device comes with different resistance levels to adjust the resistance according to your need. The modern rowing machines come with many features, including the LCD to display the number of calories burnt, the time duration of your workout, and the number of rows you complete.
The exercise equipment is spacious, but nowadays, most of these machines come with a folding mechanism to save space. Other features include Bluetooth connectivity, heart rate monitoring, and music players. Also, the machine uses a techy rowing machine.
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9. Stationary bike
If you cannot go to the gym and attend your spinning cycle class, it is a great idea to buy a stationary bike for your home gym. You can use this exercise equipment to work out your arms and legs to build powerful muscles. The stationary bike mimics a bicycle ride and offers adjustable resistance. In addition, the bike offers multiple resistance levels, so you can choose the resistance you need for your workout.
Most stationary bikes have adjustable heights and different adjustable handlebar positions. In addition, they have adjustable seating positions to accommodate people of various sizes. Also, some bikes come with a chain-based system, while some use a belt-drive system which is smoother and quieter than the traditional bikes having chain-based functionality.
They also equipped the latest stationary bikes with an LCD screen showing calories burnt, the distance covered, and the workout duration. You can also get a foldable one if you are short of space. If you don’t have a budget constraint, then you can also get a classy one with stunning looks and a tablet or phone holder to keep your essential accessories safe while working out.
How the stationary bike works
The stationary bike mimics the actual bicycle pedaling exercise, which is beneficial for calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps. It strengthens your lower body muscles and offers an excellent workout for the back, glutes, and core. The strength you gain depends on the resistance level you choose while working out. The greater the level of resistance, the better the workout.
How long should you ride a stationary bike?
A good 30 to 40 minutes of bicycle riding every day is good for losing weight and building up leaner muscles. You can extend the session to sixty minutes once your muscles get used to the exercise equipment.
The common mistakes during this exercise
Aim to ride exercise equipment correctly in every position. Some people put all their weight on the bike and cycle with a bent back. Your back should be straight, and you must not hang on the bike to work your muscles adequately. Also, do not put your hips on the saddle and strain your lumbar, which causes back pain. Don’t move excessively forward, hunch your back or run side to side. Finally, avoid putting all your weight into your arms.
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10. Bench Press
The bench press is another commonly found gym equipment that works great to build muscles. We see it in most gyms because of its effectiveness in workouts. This exercise equipment works on the muscles of the chest, arms, and back. It is also suitable for those who play sports like hockey and football.
The bench press uses a bench, barbell, and weights that you press up and let down to gain strength and stamina. In addition, it increases blood circulation, which results in the development and growth of muscles.
Bench Press Works
The bench press works the upper body, especially the chest, and the triceps. However, it also works other upper body muscles like the deltoids, forearms, and back.
How the bench press works
You can do the bench press with a lot of variations to work different muscles. The traditional bench press works the shoulders, arms, and pectoral muscles. You lay flat on the bench and push the barbell up quickly and let it down slowly.
You can perform an incline bench press if you want to work your upper chest and shoulder. To accomplish this exercise, lean backward with the bench angled to 45 and 60 degrees. Another way to workout your lower chest and shoulders is the decline bench press. You must switch the exercise to different variations to not overwork one muscle group to get a good workout.
The common mistakes during this exercise
While doing the bench press, it is vital to keep your elbows close to your body. It allows for a better form and does not cause shoulder strain. Most people encounter intense shoulder pain after doing bench press, and the reason is flaring the elbows out. In addition, people lift their feet while lifting weight. You must avoid this mistake to benefit from using the exercise equipment appropriately. Instead, stick your feet to the ground so that you may lift the weight quickly.
When working the chest correctly, gently touch the bar to your chest, but do not bounce the bar off your chest. You should control the exercise, and if you bounce the bar off your chest, you are cheating yourself.
Lifting your head off the exercise equipment is another mistake while doing the bench press. The form is incorrect and causes a lot of strain on your neck, resulting in acute neck pain. Keep your wrist straight when you hold the weights. Bending the wrist is also a common mistake that causes strain to your wrist bone.
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Wrapping Up
Looking leaner and muscular is a dream of every bodybuilder. But, to fulfill this dream, you need practical workout tips, information about the correct form, and exercises you need to carry out to get powerful muscles.
We hope that the comprehensive information about muscle-building and fat-burning exercise equipment helps you plan your health and fitness journey. Let us know about your muscle-building journey in the comments section below, and also tell us how the information above helped you achieved your goals.
