Top 3 underrated gym equipment at PureGym Preston
There's a lot of equipment in PureGym Preston, but these 3 pieces are rarely used and are criminally underrated!
Undoubtedly, the cardio machines and the free weights are the most used pieces of equipment in PureGym Preston.
The fixed machines get fairly busy during peak times, and there's always someone on a cable machine.
What I want to do today is tell you 3 of, what I believe, are the most underrated pieces of equipment in the gym.
And the best part?
These peices if equipment aren't used often,
So even when it's busy in the gym,
you should be able to still use them.
Number 1 - The gymnastic rings
If we can thank CrossFit for anything,
It can be for bringing the price of gymnastic rings down.
The rings are so versatile, you could train every part of your body using them.
Some exercises will be more practical than others,
But the potential is there.
The rings are rarely in use at this gym which makes them criminally underrated.
Especially considering that gymnasts of both genders craft a chiselled frame and a great physique from using the rings in their training.
You can do your usual gym exercises on them; rows, push ups, dip, pull ups, assisted squats, etc.
The reason why they work so well is because they're unstable.
Being hung from a rope means they're always moving.
When you're using them during an exercise your muscles have to work far harder in order to stabilise the rings.
To give you an example, I can probably do a good 20-30 dips on a regular bar.
Put my on a pair of gymnastic rings and I'm managing 10, maybe 12.
But those last 2 won't be clean reps...
You need to take your time with them and learn to use them properly,
But if you're not using them in your training plan currently,
You definitely should be!
Number 2 - The Sled
The sled is another one of those magical pieces of equipment that can target most of your body.
The idea of the sled is that it adds weight to you that you have to drag or that you have to push.
Attach some gymnastic rings with a fast pace walking backwards and you'll get a solid quad burn.
Slow it down add some extra weight and you'll build mobility and bulletproof your knees.
Extend the rings out and you can pull the sled towards you with one big motion, targeting more of your upper body.
Step behind the sled and it becomes a quad and glute killer when you add loads of weight and take slow strong steps.
Go faster with less weight while pushing the sled and you'll get a solid cardio workout in!
The sled is super versatile and definitely a great piece of gym equipment to add into your plan.
Number 3 - The Roman Chair
If you guessed that the blacked out piece of equipment on the thumbnail of this blog was the Roman Chair, well done.
That image gave me "guess that Pokémon" vibes.
The Roman Chair is so so so underrated!
Whether you want to build big glutes, increase your mobility, or get crazy strong pulling power, the Roman Chair is your best friend.
When you're using the Roman Chair, you're typically doing a hip hinge movement (bending forwards at the hips).
This not only is a common movement day to day; running, jumping, picking things up from the floor, going up stairs, etc, but it's the exact movement you need in order to train your glutes and hamstrings.
When I was training for my ultra marathon, I'd hold 30kg in each hand and do reps of hyperextensions on the roman chair.
Whether you're an athlete, a gym goer trying to become a gym grower, or someone just looking to stay moving and healthy, the hyper extension is a key piece of equipment.
Hopefully you can add these pieces of equipment into your training plan.
If you need a hand at all or have any questions about it, feel free to reach out to me 👇