Best Gym Equipment You Have Never Used [EXPERT GUIDE]

Next time you’re at the gym take a look at the personal trainer section. Chances are you will see dozens of unique training tools that you may have never used before.

Some of them may look a little strange – perhaps even useless, but many of them are highly functional and very fun to use.

Face it, weight training can get a little boring sometimes.

After a while I myself find myself becoming bored with the same dumbbells and barbell exercises and started looking for unique ways to condition my body for better strength and more effective weight loss.

Through my search, I found dozens of workout tools that you can use to build more strength and develop a better functional conditioning level.

In this guide I am going to break down some of my favourite workout tools that are a little out of the ordinary – plus I’ll explain how you can best use them to build strength.

Best Gym Equipment You Have Never Used

Battle Ropes

Alright, this might be a workout tool that you have already used but it’s just one I simply could not leave off my list.

Battle ropes are just so versatile, fun and very good for building conditioning in the arms and shoulders.

Battle ropes can be used in almost any gym setting at any skill level and have a series of exercises that can be stacked together to create a thorough workout experience.

Battle Ropes TOP-TIP:: don’t treat them like a cardio device. Instead, don’t be afraid to be explosive with them. One of my favourite exercises to do with battle ropes is burnout pyramids.

Here you will do 10 pushups followed by 20 single arm swings, 8 pushups 16 swings, 6 pushups 12 swings – until you get to 0 pushups and then work your way back up. If you can do this 3 times without failure, you’re one strong athlete.

Parallettes

Hands down my favourite workout tool. Originally a gymnastic device used to train the strength of elite level gymnasts, modern parallettes are now available at most gyms and are great for developing upper body and core strength.

Parallettes are unique because they offer a much healthier wrist position for many of your pushing movements which will allow you to load on more volume without worrying about injuries.

You can use parallettes to train exercises like handstand pushups, pushups, dips, L-Sits and so much more. The basic premise here is not to limit yourself and have fun with them!

Medicine Balls

Despite what you may think, medicine balls can actually be a very effective way to grow stronger. Since most gyms will have an array of weight levels you can start at a low weight and work your way up, building strength and losing weight – just like any other free-weight.

Where the medicine ball prevails above other fitness tools is in its ability to be used explosively.

You can use a medicine ball to train to throw, pushing, even pulling motions in an explosive way and you don’t have to worry about it falling and breaking.

Medicine balls are also one of the more complete pieces of equipment for your home gym as its versatility, relatively inexpensive and super fun to use.

Suspension Trainers

This is more of a general term for any device that hangs from the ceiling and has multiple handles. Devices like the TRX and Gymnastic Rings are the most popular ways to develop functional strength, improve stabilizer muscles and improve conditioning.

Using a suspension trainer will lead to an entirely new avenue of success in your strength. The devices are arguably the most versatile piece of equipment available as they offer an almost unlimited amount of training and fitness exercises for any skill level.

Advanced athletes can use them for strength, stretching, mobility and even conditioning – but the beginners could also follow form and use them in a very unique way to build strength. The best part – these devices are usually relatively cheap and can be used by almost anyone to develop more strength at home or at the gym.

Suspension trainers are a fitness device that you really wouldn’t want to miss.

Resistance Bands

For some reason, there is a negative stigma on resistance bands. It seems that people view them as an accessory movement or an assistance device, but really a resistance band can be used to build a very good level of strength and conditioning throughout the body.

The best part about resistance bands is that they will develop strength through the entire range of motion. Since the band gets harder and harder as it is stretched you have a recipe for success in developing strength in all movements and systems in the body.

Resistance bands like high-quality therabands can also be used to work through the injury, train out deficiencies and even improve mobility.

If you consider yourself a strength athlete you should always have a set of resistance bands hand for warm up, mobilize and develop strength.

Pull Up Bar

This is one of the most common fitness devices, but it is rarely used. I mean think about it – how many people do you see using the lat pull-down machine rather than the actual pull-up bar?

It’s crazy to see people using a machine versus the actual pull-up bar but sometimes it’s just easier and more comfortable to get down into some lat pulldowns.

If you’re not strong enough to use a pull-up bar you can grab yourself some resistance bands and tie them over the top to assist you in the pull aspect of the movement.

There are always ways to work into your strength – don’t be afraid to start from the basics.

Pull Up bars are one of the best exercises for developing a concrete level of strength and conditioning in the back, shoulders, arms and core. If you haven’t been on a pull-up bar lately, we encourage you to give it a try.

Finding Your Fit

Not all of these fitness devices will apply to you. Some of them may feel awkward or unnecessary, but it is always important to emphasize variability in your training.

If you are only using devices like dumbbells and barbells you may not be growing stronger in other movements.

Emphasize variability in your training, setup circuits and have fun with new and unique gym equipment. If you ever have questions about the best way to use some of these gym devices you can ask one of the local trainers – they usually have a good knowledge of the functional fitness tools.

Related: The Best Fitness Accessories for Your home Gym

Gabriello Ianniruberto

Gabriello is a writer and strength expert best known for his science-based and practical approach to Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Strength. After serving in a directors position for The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Gabriello moved towards writing to help more people understand the importance of living a healthy life. Gabriello’s writings have been published in several languages on some of the largest health and fitness websites helping people learn, grow and understand the complex components of optimizing human performance in a simplistic way.

Gabriello also takes on specialized, high-performance athletes who are in need of strength, mobility and conditioning programming to optimize their fitness through his Earned Fitness program.

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