Strength Training For Beginners: Equipment 101

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Strength Training For Beginners Equipment 101
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•  Lets be honest. There is an awful lot of
  strength training equipment out there and an
  incredible number of videos and articles telling
  you how to use them.
• Despite all this information, its incredibly
  easy to get lost in it all. Not to mention, if
  youre going to the gym for the first time, it
  can be incredibly nerve-racking going to the free
  weight area with all the muscle-bound men (and
  women) everywhere.
• You can make all the notes in the world and watch
  all the YouTube videos, but no matter how much
  time you put in to doing that, its still a scary
  place to be.

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What Equipment Do I Need?

• Thats a great question. Theres a lot out there
  to choose from however, its not the right
  question to ask first. The first question you
  need to ask yourself is
• How Strong Am I Currently?
• Before you spend any money on equipment, you need
  to know the answer to that question. If youre a
  beginner, your equipment needs will be far less
  than that of an advanced everyday athlete (even
  though they prefer minimal equipment, too!) So if
  you dont know the answer to that question, lets
  find out if you pass some of our basic strength
  assessments.

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• Answer yes or no to the following questions
• Can you hold a 2-minute plank?
• Can you hold a 2-minute glute bridge?
• Can you hang from a bar for 60 seconds?
• If the answer is no to any of these questions,
  your equipment needs will be extremely minimal to
  begin with. Thats because you have to master
  your own bodyweight first before progressing to
  anything more complex.

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• If thats the case, we recommend the following
  options of equipment to purchase based on your
  budget constrictions
• Extreme budget Nothing. There are plenty of
  bodyweight exercises we can do.
• Small budget Pull-up bar (ideally wall mounted)
• Medium budget Pull-up bar and a TRX system
• Unlimited funds Pull-up bar, TRX system, set of
  kettlebells (8kg, 12kg, 16kg, 20kg, 24kg)

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• Its not that much equipment, is it? In fact, all
  the equipment above can be stored at home. You
  dont even need a gym membership. You dont need
  all the fancy machines, gizmos, and adverts you
  see everywhere. Theyre nice to have, maybe, but
  theyre not essential for you to get stronger.
• The fitness industry is one big lie. Its built
  on the foundation of preying on peoples fears
  and trying to sell to those fears. The equipment
  listed above is tried and tested, a proven method
  of helping beginners (and advanced) people get
  stronger with minimal fuss and minimal
  expenditure.

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Why Fixed Weight Machines Are Bad in the Weight
Room (For Beginners)

• Walk into any commercial fitness gym and youll
  see a plethora of machines for various strength
  training exercises. The debate on whether
  machines or free weights are better has been
  around for decades. There was a time when
  machines ruled the gym world and were the only
  way to train. Then, scientists realized that
  while machines are good for training size and
  strength, they neglect key core and stabilization
  muscles. This led to people believing that
  machines were BAD for you.

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• So heres the thing. Fixed weight machines have a
  place in the world of fitness. However, for
  beginners, we stay well clear of them. As a
  beginner to strength training, we need to create
  the foundations for strength training. Think of
  the foundations of your house. If those
  foundations are rocky, your house will come
  tumbling down. Its the same with your body. We
  need to build those foundations with good
  bodyweight strength and awareness first.

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• Fixed weight machines are non-functional. They
  dont train complete human movements that are
  necessary to move well, perform, and cope with
  everyday life. Weight machines dont translate
  well into functional strength for daily
  activities and athletic endeavors. They neglect
  the smaller stabilizing muscles the important
  muscles around the joints that, if neglected, can
  lead to chronic injury, poor posture, and pain.

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• So if you are a beginner who answered no to any
  of those questions above, think bodyweight first.
  Lets create the foundations for the fun,
  exciting strength training we can do at a later
  date.

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But What if I Answered YES to All the Questions
Above? What Equipment Do I Need?

• If you answered yes to the three questions, it
  means youre not a complete novice to strength
  training and you are now progressing into the
  world of intermediate training. We need to ask
  you more intermediate questions to determine your
  equipment needs.

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• Here at Strength Matters, we have a number of set
  standards for strength. This is based on years of
  experience and working alongside some of the
  keenest minds in fitness. Everyone has a slightly
  differing opinion, but on the whole, we all agree
  on key elements.
• Here are some of the Strength Matters strength
  standards and questions you need to ask yourself

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• Can I do 3 pull-ups?
• Can I do 3 chin-ups?
• Can I do 5 push-ups?
• Can I crawl, knees off the ground, non-stop for 5
  minutes?
• Can I do 5 reps x bodyweight back squats?
• Can I do 5 reps x 1.5 bodyweight deadlifts?

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• That might seem like a lot of questions, but
  these are just some of the basic strength
  standards we have at Strength Matters.
• If the answer is no to any of these questions,
  it means we need to get you stronger ASAP. Here
  are our recommendations on the equipment that you
  need

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• These our baseline strength levels for optimal
  healthy living. Dont worry if you arent there
  yet or you think Theres no way I can do that.
  Many people have thought that, and they went on
  to smash these numbers.
• In terms of equipment, did you see what we did on
  the unlimited budget? Weve put two pieces of
  cardio equipment on the list. Cardio doesnt make
  you weak. It does in fact make you stronger.
  Cardio makes you weak is actually FakeNews.

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• Extreme budget Pull-up bar
• Minimalist budget Pull-up bar, TRX, kettlebells
  (12kg, 16kg, 24kg)
• Medium budget Pull-up bar, TRX, kettlebells
  (12kg, 16kg, 24kg, 32kg), Olympic barbell
  weight plates
• Unlimited budget Pull-up bar, TRX, kettlebells
  (12kg, 16kg, 24kg, 32kg), Olympic barbell
  weight plates, squat rack, concept 2 rowing
  machine and/or assault bike