Category: Fitness Equipment Guides

Whilst staying at home following the government advice, we all scrambled to try and find all of the dumbbells, kettlebells & barbells we could get. But, what about the lesser-known equipment that is just as effective at building muscle and strength?

In this blog post, we’re going to be looking through the brilliant but often ignored fitness equipment. This includes things such as balance boards, chest expanders, exercise mats and ankle weights. A lot of these can be used for strength training and most have adjustable straps. This ensures that they can be durable and versatile for the different types of exercise you can use them with.

Gym Balls

Gym Balls are large, inflated spheres used for exercise, they are also called ‘Fitness Balls’ Swiss Balls’ or ‘Yoga Balls’. They were first created by an Italian named Aquilino Cosani in 1963 primarily for the development of young infants, but the potential for aerobic exercise within it was quickly recognised. They are often integrated into yoga and pilates workouts.

They’re a brilliant piece of equipment, WedMD have listed numerous exercises you can undertake with a gym ball. These exercises include squats, press-ups, sit-ups, planking and more. They are also brilliant for core strength, slimming down legs, improving posture and balance. In fact, some people use them as a replacement for an office chair!

Although gym balls are mainly used for fitness, they are also popular with pregnant women. During a pregnancy, gym balls can be used to reduce the stress and discomfort in your spine, hips & lower back according to Care.

If you wish to improve your health and fitness and think you may benefit from one, we have plenty of in-stock and have different types to suit your individual needs. Most of our Ironman Gym Balls are under £10, you can choose one with handles or without handles. However, if this is the first one you will try we’d recommend going for one with handles and a ring, to keep you steady on the ball, this will help with maneuvering the many moves that are possible.
Our Ironman Gym Ball With Handles and Ring is A heavy-duty and sturdy exercise ball complete with resistance ropes & handles. This ball is specifically designed to give you a full-body flexible workout with over 30+ exercises that you can do to strengthen your core & your back. Whilst it also helps to tone your upper & lower body.

Chest Expanders

Chest Expanders or ‘Strand-Pulling’ is a chest based workout where rubber tubes or metal springs are attached to handles which offer a variety of exercises to boost strength.

Invented by Henry Cost in the mid-1850s, it has been used for medical rehabilitation since its inception. They were typically seen as a very luxurious item, often found in the homes of the wealthy throughout Europe. Livestrong mentions that chest-expanders reached their peak of popularity in the early 20th century, even though technology has come a long way, chest expanders have stood the test of time.

Whilst it shares a namesake with the chest, that doesn’t mean the only purpose is to build chest muscles – it actually has over 30 individual movements for your upper body. It provides excellent strength and rehabilitation and is usually a lot easier on your joints (elbows & shoulders) than the typical forms of resistance based training.

We currently have a few selections available, including our Grey/Black/Blue Chest Expander which is the strongest of the rubber tubes, the Red/Black Chest Expander which is just a bit easier than the previous and the Blue/White which is the least resistance tube chest expander, but still medium resistance.
If you want metal tubes however, they do offer the most resistance.

The Black/Blue Spring Chest Expander offers you the hardest workout imaginable and it comes with a 110mm wide handle to offer maximum comfort.

Body Weights

Body weights are extremely good if you are wanting to mix-up your workout and add extra resistance to areas you might not usually train.
We stock two different types of body weights here at SS Healthfoods, Weighted Vests and Wrist & Ankle Weights. Both are brilliant at adding a little bit of extra resistance to the area that they cover whilst working out, running or walking.

WEIGHTED VEST

Dick’s Sporting Goods outlined that weighted vests are very good at helping you develop strength, endurance and cardiovascular output by increasing the resistance that’s added to your body.

At first, you will lose energy much quicker and it can affect your breathing pattern and VO2 Max, but over time your body will adapt and will give you positive results. Weighted Vests can also benefit you in bodyweight exercises such as press-ups and plyometric movements as well as walking and jogging.
They’re so good in fact, a lot of professional sports teams and players around the globe use weighted vests before they put on extra weight such as Basketball & Tennis players.

We have five different types of weighted vests to help you with your training. We have a 5kg/11lbs version, one that weighs 9kg/20lbs, another that weighs 22kg/50lbs and the heaviest one we stock weighs 27kg/60lbs. You can also earn free delivery when you purchase either the 50lbs or 60lbs.
If you find that the vests are a little too heavy for you, they all come with removable weights. Just remember to make sure the weight is spread out evenly if you decide to remove some.

ANKLE WEIGHTS

Not only are they great for a leg workout, but they are also extremely versatile and they can be taken anywhere. Shape highlighted that ankle weights are brilliant for people who have desk/office jobs as they can easily target muscles which are inactive all day such as your glutes.
They also are great when used for physiotherapy. If you’re suffering from weak or injured hamstrings or knee problems, ankle weights can strengthen the affected area by growing the muscle around it.

Ankle weights can also train your abs, doing bicycle exercises, reverse abdominal lifts and knee-to-chest exercises all train your abs whilst you’re wearing ankle weights. Also, if you form on sit-ups aren’t very good, ankle weights can help keep your feet on the floor to correct form and posture.
Instead of doing sit-ups, wear ankle weights and perform bicycle exercises, reverse abdominal lifts and knee-to-chest exercises.

If you’re looking for ankle weights, we stock a pair of 2kg ankle weights which are soft, comfortable and adjustable for a perfect fit with velcro fastening to have a tight or loose as needed. You can also wear them around your wrist to turn them into wrist weights.

Balance Boards

Balance boards, or wobble boards as they are also often known as are boards which are balanced around a soft, rounded bottom made from plastic or wood.  You stand on the flat surface and try to balance yourself as long as you can. Not only are they good for balance training, but they also improve your posture. It does this by building up your core strength and strengthening your back and shoulders.

FitAndMe lists numerous health benefits that balance boards can bring such as reducing injury, mind/muscle connection, reducing back pain and improving your coordination and awareness.

If you think you’re up to the challenge Ironman Aerobic Fitness Balance Board and Straps is perfect for beginners as you can opt to use the strap to get you started and improve your balance. It can do a full 360 degree, so using the handles will definitely keep you sturdy from the start.

Exercise Mats

Exercise Mats, Gym Mats, Yoga Mats, they’re all slightly different but one mat can fit all the other purposes no problem.  They can help give you comfort when exercising when you’d otherwise be exercising on the gym floor, grassy surface or your own backyard.

The mats offer an extra layer of padding between you and the floor and are essential for those who are sensitive to hard flooring when working with heavy loads. They also offer a feeling of cleanliness when working out outside. Laying on a nice, clean mat in a park does have its perks.

If you’re looking for exercise mats. We have a 15mm thick exercise mat which will help you with all your aerobic exercises. Or we have some interlocking exercise mats which you can join together and form a bigger workspace

Honourable Mentions

As well as what’s listed above, there are also other types of fitness equipment that we sell that you might have never known you needed.

Power Twisters are used to exercise your chest, triceps, biceps, wrists, forearms & shoulders. You do this by applying pressure to the grips on the end of the bar then slowly bending the bar. Our Ironman Powertwister is a high-quality strength builder and resistance training bar. The power twister has handles on each end and a coiled spring in the middle where the tension of the bend will work against your muscles.

According to Healthline, sit-ups use your body weight to strengthen your core and abs and help promote your posture. However, for people who are new into their fitness regime, our Ironman Aerobic Deluxe Sit Up Bar has an oversized, non-damaging screw-on clamp, it attaches to any door and is adjustable to your dimensions. It is also fitted with neoprene-padded footrests to make every sit-up more comfortable on your feet and safer, it is lightweight and very supportive, offering fast release for portability so you can take it everywhere.

Weightlifting accessories are key to lifting the heaviest weights. Whilst you always do the work yourself, weightlifting accessories are there to provide you with the peace of mind that you have an extra layer of safety and support. They help you get a better, secure grip, correct posture or reduce the risk of serious injury in case something goes wrong.

In this blog post, we’re going to be outlining the key support accessories you’ll need when lifting weights. From wrist wraps to weightlifting belts, we’ll be going through their purpose and how they benefit you in your workouts.

Weightlifting Belts

Weightlifting belts are one of the most common pieces of body support in the gym, especially for those who are lifting the heavier weights. Juggernaut state several main purposes of weightlifting belts:

• Reduce the stress on your lower back so it is in an upright position such as during squats and deadlifts.
• Reduce the risk of hyperextension of your back during your overhead lift.
• Reducing lower back stress by compressing the contents of your abdominal cavity.

There are different types of lifting belts as well. Depending on your preference, you can opt for either a double prong belt or a lever belt – which both fasten securely to ensure that they don’t come loose during those crucial lifts.

They’re typically 10cm across in width. 10cm is the width for most people so the belt sits comfortably between their ribs and their hipbone, making lifting easier.

As well as the width, you need a good thickness in your belt. You want your belt to be stiff, and the thicker your belt, the stiffer it will be. Powerlifting federations across the globe have agreed on the thickness of 13mm on belts, so it will be extremely hard to find one thicker than that.

If you’d like some recommendations for lifting belts, we’d recommend either our Ironman Powerlifting/Weightlifting Lever Belt if you want a lever. Our SSS Quick Release Suede Belt is a double-prong belt, making it easier to put on and take the belt off around your lifts. Unfortunately, we do not stock any single-prong belts.

Dipping Belts

Dipping belts are different from your typical weightlifting belts. They’re commonly worn lower and serve a completely different purpose.

People who are veterans of the gym will know that, after a while, dipping your bodyweight is easy. That’s why dipping belts let you add weighted plates due to their chains which are attached to the belt.

Dipping belts are really good for pecs and tricep dips, chin-ups/pull-ups as well as squats. Whilst squatting with a dipping belt may sound unusual. Powerliftingbelts outline a brilliant squat you can do without the stress you usually get on your back.

When you attach the weights to the belt, stand-up with your feet shoulder-width apart and then start squatting as you would normally. However, when your legs reach the 90-degree angle, slowly raise yourself back up to your regular standing position and repeat as you usually would.

If you would like to buy a dipping belt, you can choose between a Nylon Dipping Belt or a Leather Dipping Belt. Both high-quality dipping belts but the difference between the nylon and leather belts is that a nylon belt is more flexible whereas the leather dipping belt is more rigid and thick.

Weightlifting Gloves

Weightlifting gloves get a bad rep, and are featured in a variety of meme’s, RDX Sports say that a lot of people believe that weightlifting gloves can actually do more harm than they do good. This is not true however, there are some risks you face when lifting heavy weights without gloves such as preventing calluses and losing grip.

According to Men’s Health, calluses are pieces of skin or tissue that hardened due to the friction of lifting weights. A lot of athletes and sportspeople experience callouses, causing them pain and discomfort. This is where weightlifting gloves come in, they have an extra layer in between the hand and the bar as it will absorb the moisture and reduce the friction, reducing the risk of calluses.

Along with reducing calluses, weightlifting gloves also have numerous other benefits.

Firstly, they increase your grip due to the fact the bar won’t be coming into contact with your sweaty hands. Sweaty hands make it increasingly difficult to have a solid grip on the bar, however, when you wear gloves, they will be dry and give you a great grip on the bar.

If you have a home gym, you’ll know the pain of cold barbells in the winter. Cold barbells are extremely uncomfortable to handle. Think of your weightlifting gloves as armour against the cold, chilly weather when lifting weights.

If you’re interested in weight lifting gloves, our Ironman White & Blue Weightlifting Gloves are ideal for you. These lightweight weight lifting gloves have a leather palm for the ultimate amount of grip. Say goodbye to callouses and cold barbells because these will only enhance your workout.

Wrist Wraps/Wrist Straps

As well as weightlifting belts, you’ll see plenty of people wearing wrist wraps in the gym. When you’re pushing for a PB (personal best), a heavier load than usual or recovering from injury, it is always best to wear wrist wraps as they provide comfort and support that can give you the confidence to lift more.

The main, most widely known benefit of wrist wraps is that they help stabilise the wrist to prevent you from hyperextension and promote proper wrist placement under the bar. When wearing wrist wraps, it stops you from losing any strength when correcting movements in your legs or shoulders.

If you need to buy some wrist wraps, our black and white Ironman Wrist Wraps are made from durable cotton, these elasticated wraps are fully adjustable and fastened with a strong Velcro grip. This, in turn, gives you a comfier workout to keep you working harder.

Knee Support

Protecting your knees is very important. If you injure your knee, you’ll find that everyday tasks such as walking can become extremely painful or impossible. That’s why safety is paramount when you’re putting weight on your lower body.

Whilst you may think knee wraps and knee sleeves are the same, they serve different purposes which depend on your fitness goals and activities in the gym.

KNEE WRAPS

Knee wraps are most commonly used by powerlifters and weightlifters. They are elasticated, similar to how wrist wraps are except knee wraps are longer and wider. They are wrapped around the knee in a spiral or diagonal direction when training your legs.

The reason as to why knee wraps are so renowned is that they theoretically let your lift more weight during your squats. When moving downwards in a squat, the knee wraps absorb and store elastic energy. The energy is released when pushing back upwards, resulting in the ability to lift faster and heavier.

As well as that, you reduce the stress on the tendons in your quadriceps which attach to the kneecap. So when you’re lifting those heavyweights, it’s always best to protect yourself and wear knee wraps.

We sell different types of knee wraps depending on the weight you’re lifting and how rigid you want your wraps to be. Our standard Black and White Standard Knee Wraps are great if you’re just adding a little bit of weight to your life. We also have some Yellow and Black Heavy Duty Knee Wraps when you’re putting on a substantial amount of weight or the Red and Black Double Super Heavy Duty Knee Wraps for the impossible loads.

KNEE SLEEVES

Knee sleeves are also common in and around the gym. They are a neoprene sleeve that fits snugly over your knee which acts as a compression device when you’re squatting or doing Olympic Lifting.

Be careful not to confuse knee sleeves with knee braces, they are not there to protect you from a previous injury but they are there to protect you against a potential, future injury. They do this by increasing the blood flow and reducing swelling & pain in the knee. This is done because the tightly fitted knee sleeve has provided you with a very good amount of compression. Knee sleeves also give you the ability to recover quicker, making you work so much more efficiently.

According to BoxLife, knee sleeves also decrease the risk of injury by limiting the movement of the patella (knee cap) during an exercise. Knee sleeves also provide you with lateral stability and increase proprioception – which is knowing where your other body parts are located when doing an exercise.

If you want a good pair of knee sleeves for your workout, our SSS Neoprene Knee Sleeves provide brilliant support for weightlifters.