What are the Different Types of Professional Fitness Equipment?

The term professional fitness equipment has two meanings. First, it refers to exercise equipment made especially for commercial use, as opposed to home use and second, it refers to any exercise equipment that is used by professionals. The equipment that meets the second definition is, in some cases, the same product used at home, either because there is limited choice, because the brand has made a name for itself, or because the cost does not put it out of consideration for home users. Professional fitness equipment may be more durable or have the ability to address a wider range of clients than a comparable home exercise product, or address storage issues that don’t face home users. Additionally, the types of professional fitness equipment can be considered in many ways, but one way includes the categories balls, cardio training, strength training, mats, storage, and other.

Balls not only play a role in a number of sports, but figure as an areas of professional fitness equipment. The balls used by professionals include squeeze balls for hand and finger exercises; exercise balls, therapy balls, or Swiss balls for working on alignment, flexibility, stability, and strength; weight balls toning and strengthening and resistance training; medicine balls for core and upper body strength training; reflex balls for training hand-eye coordination; and Bosu® balls for balance training.

There is a subgroup of professional fitness equipment that specifically targets cardio training. This includes equipment that one uses to raise the heart rate as well as equipment one uses to monitor the heart rate and distance traveled. In the first category are elliptical trainers, exercise bikes, rowing machines, stairclimbers, treadmills, and upper body ergometers. Monitoring equipment includes heart rate monitors and pedometers.

Professional fitness equipment for strength training includes dumbbells, gyms, hydraulic equipment, multi-station gyms, racks, selectorized equipment, Smith machines, weight benches, weight machines, and weights.

Storage is an essential element of professional fitness equipment. In some cases, cupboards or shelves will work, while various tubes may be left affixed to the spot where they’re used. Stacking racks for therapy balls, barbell racks, dumbbell racks, and the like may be essential to maintain order.

Many other items are use in professional gyms, health clubs, and physical therapy establishments. These include trampolines, wobble boards, slant sets, air pumps to inflate balls, specialized resistance equipment including fitness tubes in various weights and resistance bands of varying strengths, mats, mirrors, swimming pool therapy and exercise equipment, and specialized sports equipment.