3 Rarely Used but Effective Types of Fitness Equipment

Whether you’re looking to maintain your health and strength during the coronavirus lockdown or are just starting to look into getting fit, there are plenty of different pieces of equipment you can use to help along the way. There are classic choices like treadmills, free weights, kettlebells and mnuch much more, but there are also more unconventional or unusual options which can be incredibly effective.

3 Rarely Used but Effective Types of Fitness Equipment

These rarely used pieces of equipment can be found in both commercial gyms and home gyms, it’s just about knowing what you’re looking for and how to use it effectively. To help out anyone looking to adds something new or beneficial to their workout, here are three of the most commonly forgotten fitness equipment items worth making use of.

Steppers ~ Rarely Used but Effective Types of Fitness Equipment

Steppers

Steppers are similar to inclined treadmills but instead of using a single smooth conveyor belt, they feature steps that cycle in a similar way. These steps usually don’t move as fast as a treadmill would, mainly because the value in a stepper isn’t necessarily in the speed at which you can step – instead, it’s about endurance. Imagine going up an extremely long flight of stairs? Once you reach the top, your calves and legs ache from the journey – a stepper emulates this exercise, training different muscles to a traditional treadmill.

Inclined treadmills do demand additional work from your running muscle groups but steppers are particularly effective at toning your calves. Plus, as you don’t run up them, the focus is more on the time that your muscle is under tension, which has been proven to have a significant impact on muscle development. Whether you’re burning calories or building strength, steppers work.

Vibration Plates

Vibration plates are one of those pieces of equipment which people look at sceptically. This is often because of how vibration plates are sold. Advertisers often advertise them as easy muscle toning options that require little effort, which is not only hard to believe but a little untrue. To truly get the most value out of a vibration plate, it should be used whilst doing conventional exercises and stretches like squats.

When combined with other standard exercises, effective vibration plates force your muscles to work harder, improving both calorie burning and muscular growth. This makes vibration plates suitable for casual home use and dedicated, athletic use too. Whatever your fitness goals, there’s a good chance that, alongside a traditional workout and nutrition plan, a vibration plate will help accelerate your results. 

Just don’t think that standing on the plate for a few minutes will have any effect, as it won’t – stretches and exercise should be done whilst you are standing on the plate.

Skipping Ropes ~ Rarely Used but Effective Types of Fitness Equipment

Skipping Ropes

Finally, one of the most well=--known yet uncommonly used fitness options – the skipping rope. Skipping ropes tend to be associated with children playing or boxers training, but they can be really useful from an exercise and health perspective.

Boxers use skipping ropes for two reasons. Firstly, they create a familiarity with being light on your feed, which is essential for boxers as they must be agile. This isn’t necessarily important for the average individual but it is beneficial for a range of sports outside of boxing. However, alongside this increased agility, boxers use skipping ropes to strengthen their calves and legs. This is important as most of a boxer’s punching power actually comes from the legs and the twisting of the body.

This is a key example of how skipping ropes can have a serious impact on leg strength and endurance, toning those muscles whilst also being perfectly suited to keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone. For both losing wait and developing strength, skipping ropes are an excellent choice.

Whilst far from the only fitness equipment worth using.