There is a lot of new equipment and devices in the fitness world today. Loads of new equipment for gyms and home use alike. Some of it is truly innovative and some of it is useless. After seeing my share of equipment come and go over many years of training I’ve come to realize that old school equipment is still some of the best stuff out there. The reason is simple, what worked well in the past still works today.
Let’s cover a few of these pieces of equipment that would be good for a gym or for home use.
The exercise ball. The Duroball or Paul Chek’s Swiss Ball are two of the best and sturdiest exercise ball brands available. And when it comes to an exercise balls the sturdier the better. What is good about the exercise balls is the range of exercises that can be done with the ball alone. Then you add dumbbells or kettlebells to your ball workout regimen and you double even triple the amount of exercises you can do.
Next is kettlebells. These are great pieces of workout equipment. Kettlebells may be new to some people here in the US but they are old school for most Russians. Kettlebells if used correctly, which a lot of people don’t do, can be a great for overall body strengthening. You can use kettlebells to strengthen isolated muscles as well. But kettlebells training gives you the unique ability to work and strengthen multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This is a benefit you don’t get with most other types of equipment or machines. So you are working out efficiently and saving time also.
One more old school piece of equipment to give you a great workout is the medicine ball. This is another tried and true piece of exercise equipment that people have been using for years. Medicine ball workouts, like kettlebell workouts, can be a great way to work many different muscle group at the same time. This is because with both of these pieces of workout equipment you have to balance them as you work with them. This action causes your body to have to engage many different muscles to move and control them. This makes training very effective and efficient. Also it has the benefit of developing very functional strength which is what we need to perform everyday activities. i
These old school pieces of equipment are a real win win. You get great workouts, save time, build the kind of strength we all need for everyday life, and they are very affordable to buy. So when you’re thinking about 21st century training don’t be afraid to go old school.