Sports equipment is an essential part of any athlete’s arsenal. While sports equipment can be expensive, it’s well worth the investment for quality equipment. For beginner athletes, there are lots of different styles of sports equipment to choose from, and it can be a little overwhelming. To help you get started, we’ve compiled five essential pieces of equipment to suit your sports interests.
However, before investing in the right sports equipment, you should consider the appropriate sports clothing too. Having the proper sports apparel enhances your comfort and performance level. The correct uniform provides a level of protection and reduces the risk of injuries during training sessions. However, the type of sports uniform depends on the specific training you are choosing. For instance, if you are into weightlifting, you might want to go for a moisture-wicking shirt, compression pants, and a comfortable pair of athletic shoes. If you are into karate, you might want to consider the popular traditional uniform called “karate li”. Moreover, if Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is your choice of sport, it can demand a different set of apparel, commonly called “BJJ gi”. Are you someone who is looking for jiu jitsu apparel? You can explore various online websites that tend to offer a range of clothing options for the BJJ community, and you can choose the correct one that addresses your needs and requirements.
Now, let us see the types of essential sports equipment you may need as a beginner athlete. To help you get started, we’ve compiled five essential pieces of equipment to suit your sports interests.
Dumbbells
These are the most versatile pieces of equipment you can own. Whilst they’re great for training your arms with bicep curls, you can also do full-body exercises if you know how. They’re the best way to do weights without having to invest in expensive weight machines, and you can exercise pretty much every core muscle group with them. To strengthen your triceps, use your dumbbells to do overhead extensions and triceps kickbacks. Shoulders can be toned with shoulder presses and lateral raises, whilst your legs can be trained with lunges, squats, and deadlifts, all whilst holding your dumbbells down by your sides.
Treadmill
Even if your aim is to build muscle, you shouldn’t avoid cardio exercises. Cardio improves your overall health by increasing your heart rate and improving your lung capacity. Ultimately, cardio helps to build stamina, which in turn helps you to lift more weights. Running on a treadmill, even for a 5-10 minute jog, is enough cardio to get your heart pumping, but not so much that you’re too exhausted to lift weights. It’s best to use cardio as a warm-up and a cool-down before and after lifting, helping to boost your metabolism and burn fat. Whilst a treadmill won’t transform your body, you’ll feel better for a run, and you may notice your leg muscles become more toned.
Weight Bench
Using a weight bench can give you more variation when lifting weights. It helps to exercise different muscles, ensuring balanced muscle growth. Poor balance can lead to injuries and pain, so it’s important to mix up your routine as much as possible. Try using a weight bench to build your chest muscles with bench presses, dumbbell flyers, and straight-arm pullovers. Then, give your back some exercise with one-arm rows and reverse flyers. Finally, use your weight bench to perform more complex stretches at the end of your workout as part of your cool down. It’s a versatile piece of equipment that gives you many more possibilities when working with weights, so it’s worth investing in.
Leg Press
You might be tempted to work mainly on your arms, shoulders, and chest, and whilst these are important areas to work on, you shouldn’t ignore your legs. Your legs include the biggest muscles in your body, including your quads and glutes. They’re also naturally the strongest muscles on your body, so they’re actually surprisingly easy to work with a leg press. All it takes is a few sets on the highest weight you can manage comfortably, and your leg muscles should build relatively quickly. Use your feet to push off from the footboard to do calf presses, and your legs will soon look more balanced.
Yoga Mat
Stretching should never be underestimated. Flexibility is just as important as strength, and it will allow you to perform better in the long term. A yoga mat is a basic piece of equipment that you can use to quickly and easily create a comfortable stretching area wherever you are, whether that’s your kitchen floor, office, or outside in the park. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself whilst stretching, so a yoga mat provides safety as well as comfort. You’ll need to learn a few stretches to use it effectively, but once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be glad you invested in it.
Sports and fitness enthusiasts are always looking for new and better ways to train. Some like a challenge, and some like to train with specialized equipment designed just for them. Whether it’s cardio or weightlifting, investing in the right equipment is vital to your success.