Equipment

The exercises in this book use a variety of equipment to help you overload your muscles and produce results. You may find a setup similar to this at your gym.

Plyo boxes

Short for plyometric, these boxes are used for jumping and stepping exercises. They vary in height and come in both wood and soft foam.

Medicine balls

Cushioned and filled with sand, these balls range in weight from 1 to 12 kilograms.

Power rack

This large structure has adjustable hooks on the sides, which let you set a barbell at custom heights. You can also attach safety bars to the rack so that you can lift without a spotter.

Dumbbells

These are like mini barbells. You hold them freely in one hand, and they’re great for isolation exercises. Weights range from 0.5 to 50 kilograms and up.

Clips

These secure the weight plates to the bar.

Pull-up bar

This is a fixed horizontal bar that’s often attached to the top of a power rack, or sometimes freestanding. You can hang on it for pull-ups and chin-ups.

Rings or TRX

Gymnastic rings or a suspension training system (TRX) are used for the same exercises. You hold on to suspended rings or handles to perform total-body pushing and pulling exercises. Resistance can be increased or decreased based on your body’s angle to the floor.

Barbells

Able to support hundreds of kilograms, you can attach multiple weight plates to the ends of these long metal bars to set them at a custom resistance. You may find women’s bars at your gym, which are 2 metres long, weigh 15 kilograms, and have slightly smaller grips than men’s bars, which are 2.2 metres long and weigh 20 kilograms.

Kettlebells

You hold these special bell-shaped weights by their handles. They vary in size and weight. Unlike a dumbbell, the kettlebell’s centre of mass extends beyond your hand, making it more challenging for your entire body and working different muscles at the same time.

Bench

A flat, padded bench is used for a variety of different exercises. You can sit or lie on it, elevate your feet, or use it to step up and down.

Weight plates

These are made of iron and attach to the ends of barbells. Plates range in weight from 1.25 to 25 kilograms.