Weight Equipment

Why Weights?

There are many different reasons to start resistance training (weights). Some people might be recovering from an injury, trying to avoid a recurring injury and some people just want to tone up and reap the physical benefits of lifting weights for appearance. Although these are all valid reasons to commence your weight lifting journey, there are other hidden benefits.

Weight training can increase your metabolism, this can help with weight loss and weight maintenance. It also has a positive impact on flexibility and balance, this will help you stay independent for longer later in life. Prevention or control of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, back pain, depression and heart disease! Weight training also increases bone density, this can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. These are just some examples of how important weight training can be for our health and wellbeing.

How many reps should I be doing?

When starting your weight lifting journey, you should always ease into training. Starting lifting too heavy, with incorrect form can cause serious injury and this will set you back months on your fitness journey. Always ensure form is correct, and for the first 4-6 weeks, weight load is minimal. 

Each exercise should be done 3 times with 12 repetitions, the magic number 12 comes from the idea that a set lasting around 45 seconds, with a focus on both eccentric and concentric phases of each rep, can optimally trigger muscle growth.

Once you have gained correct form and you are feeling confident within your lifts you can progress with more weight and more intense workouts.

If you are a new member, always book in for your gym assessment with one of our qualified PT’s to run through our equipment and get a demonstration.

Hypertrophy Training

The purpose of hypertrophy training is to increase muscle size, this means using higher repetitions, around 9-15 reps, with weights that you find slightly challenging, but don’t push you to your max. A higher rep range means your muscles spend more time under tension to encourage growth. Time under tension is key to create these small muscle fibre tears that grow back as stronger thicker muscle.

Leg extension

The leg extension is a resistance weight training exercise that targets the quadriceps muscle (m. quadriceps femoris) in the legs. The leg extension is an isolated exercise targeting one specific muscle group, the quadriceps. Our specific leg extension is a seated leg extension, this is a fantastic exercise for waking up those large muscles in the anterior of the legs, widely used in conjunction with our hamstring curl and leg press.

Laying Hamstring Curl

The Hamstring curl is a fantastic isolation exercise for the large muscle on the posterior of the legs. Using the lying curl machine can help control your movement and help your hamstrings move through a greater range of motion. Ultimately, this can help improve daily function, stability, and injury prevention.

Leg Press Machine

The seated leg press is a good exercise for beginners or physical rehab patients. The leg press machine helps beginners to gain more strength and lower body endurance to perform advanced leg exercises. This includes squats, deadlifts, and powerlifting exercises. This is a compound exercise that works all the leg muscles apposed to the leg extension that only works quads.

Chest press machine

The bench press is a compound exercise that targets the muscles of the upper body. It involves sitting on a bench and pressing and pressing forwards with both handles. The chest press machine is a safer more user-friendly version of the bench press, it requires no set up, just adjust the seat height and weight load before you commence movement.

Cable Machine

The cable machine is a large machine that has two stations. Both sides move up and down the full length of the machine with adjustable and changeable attachments. Each attachment is for a different exercise. Cable machines provide a wide range of resistance levels and exercise options, from low-intensity mobility drills to high-intensity strength training.

Shoulder press machine

The shoulder press machine is a weight stacked machine that trains the shoulders and upper body. This is a compound exercise. The movement requires you to be seated, grabbing the handles you push upwards over your head and lower slowly. This machine weight is a great introduction into the shoulder press or military press. It also protects the lower back while you are working through the movement. The seat is height adjustable.

Smith Machine

A Smith machine is a piece of gym equipment with a barbell that slides up and down two steel rails. The standard Smith machine is designed for controlled barbell strength-training exercises and allows for vertical movements only. The Smith machine eliminates the need to recruit stabilizing muscles to keep the barbell balanced, making it easier to lift heavier weights. Another benefit of using a Smith machine is safety. Since the barbell can't move sideways, it can be used to perform exercises that would normally require a spotter.

Power Rack

The power rack is a large square piece of equipment that is used for multiple different exercises. Mainly used for squats and bench press. This fantastic free weight rack requires you to set up the clips, barbell and safety clips before use, this is for more advanced users. It would be the next step up from the smith machine, same concept but with a detachable bar, this requires more balance and personal skill.