Last Updated on February 14, 2025 by grubdunkman
Gyms offer a large selection of equipment to perform exercises for different muscles. For the beginner it can be challenging to navigate through them. In this guide we will cover the basics. We will look at different categories of gym equipment. We will also include photos and description for each kind of gym equipment. Let’s start with some bigger units, that can be not too familiar. By the end of this guide we will know gym equipment names and their key functions.
Cable Gym Equipment Names
Many machines in the gym utilize cables to distribute the resistance of the plates on the weight stack or barbell plates. You can find them in the commercial gym, and they are also popular to have at home.
Smith Machine
In its most basic form the Smith Machine doesn’t have to contain cables. However most modern models have cables to add weight to the barbell and sometimes to counterbalance the weight of the barbell. If you see the barbell on vertical or slightly angled guides most likely you are looking at the Smith Machine. The barbell can be secured at the different height levels and has a safety spotter. The Smith Machine provides possibility to lift the barbell in controlled trajectory supported by the guides. The popular exercise performed on the Smith Machine include the bench press, the squat, the shoulder press and others.
Functional Trainer
A cable machine that can be easily recognized by dual cable pulleys, located on left and right sides is a functional trainer. Many modern units combine functionality of the Smith Machine and the Functional Trainer. At the end of the cable you can see some kind of an attachment to hold with your hands. We covered different kinds of the attachments in our blog post Functional Trainer For Sports.
Cable Crossover Machine
Similar To the Functional Trainer, but with pulleys located wider apart. This machine takes more space than a functional trainer, but provides access to more exercises, where arms are extended away from the body. There is no strict definition of how wide it should be. Some models can be called crossover machines or functional trainers.
Upper Body Gym Equipment Names
Lat Pulldown Machine
This machine is designed to develop back muscles, commonly known as lats. This machine is easily recognizable by the horizontal bar attached to the cable which you pull down with your arms.
Low Row Machine
This cable machine has a pulley located close to floor level and the platform for the feet of the athlete. This machine primarily targets the muscles of the back, such as lats, rhomboids and traps.
Fly Machine
This machine is designed to isolate and work the chest muscles. It is also known as a pec deck and a chest fly machine. The fly exercise you perform on this machine is similar to dumbbell fly on the bench, but with easier balanced and controlled movements. You can recognize this machine by two arms on left and right that can move towards each other.
Chest Press Machine
This machine provides you a way to perform bench press with a predictable limited trajectory. This way you can focus on maximum load without a need to stabilize the weight. This is a new approach that lets you target the chest muscles differently for more effective muscle development. Similar functionality can be achieved with a Smith machine.
Tricep Dip Machine
Lets you perform tricep dips in a seated position. Similar functionality to the dip station, but your body remains in the same position, while the arms move down.
Bicep Curl Machine
This machine uses barbell plates or a weight stack for resistance and lets you perform bicep curl. Trajectory is limited by the geometry of the lever, so the weight doesn’t need to be stabilized by the athlete.
Preacher Curl Bench
Popular tool for biceps development, preacher curl machine features a wide angled pad to place your elbows on. Most preacher curl benches also have a stand to place a barbell, so that you can lift the weight closer to starting position. You can also release the weight easier once your set is complete. Preacher curl bench often has a seating position, however standing version also exists.
Deltoid Raise Shoulder Press Machine
Also known as a lateral raise & shoulder press machine this tool help isolate shoulder and deltoid muscles for more effective workouts. The machine consists of a seat and two pairs of adjustable handles. One for shoulder press and the other for deltoid raises.
Seated Row Machine
This machine has two vertical levers, usually with a floating angle hand grips. It lets you perform rows in a seated position.
Lower Body Gym Equipment Names
Leg Press
One of the most popular machines in the gym. It also very often seen on social media. The leg press lets you perform a pressing move against the weight resistance. You can recognize it by angles guides and the platform to push with your legs. Leg press develops muscles of the lower body, such as quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
Hack Squat Machine
Often combined with the leg press, hack squat machine is a great variation for conventional squats. Hack squats develop leg muscles such as quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Hack squat machine looks like a reverse leg press machine. You can recognize it by two shoulder pads with handles, angled rails and a platform for your feet to stand on.
Leg Extension Machine
This machine is designed to develop quadriceps, the muscles located at the front of the thigh. It allows you to perform leg extensions, which is straightening the leg against resistance.
GHD Machine
Glute Ham Developer, also known as GHD machine is less popular but very efficient gym machine. You can recognize it by two pads designed to support your thighs while performing the exercises.
Little by little we studied some more complicated machines, so that’s time to cover some more recognizable ones. However it might be useful, since some machines possibly are not available at your gym. This guide will help you find out what’s available on the market and in the fitness realm. Let’s take a look at some equipment for cardio exercises.
Abductor / Adductor Machine
Abductors and adductor are the muscles in your hips and inner thighs. Adductors are located on the inner side of the thighs, they move thighs together towards the centre, known as adduction. Abductors are located on the outer side of the thighs, they move the thighs away from the centre. Abductor / adductor machine lets you perform both exercises. It isolates these muscles to work them effectively.
Belt Squat Machine
This machine features a belt connected to the pivoting lever with weights. This setup lets you perform squats with additional load on the spine. It is popular as a safe way to squat with heavy weights, as well as to add the variety for squat workouts.
Pendulum Squat Machine
This advance machine lets you perform squats with controlled trajectory limited by the machine. The weight is lifted by pushing the pads located on athlete’s shoulders.
Seated Calf Raise Machine
Less common than other lower body machines in the gym. Seated Calf Raise Machine is designed to work calf muscles. In the seated position you push a lever loaded with plates up using your calves.
Standing Calf Raise Machine
Similar to seated calf raise machine by function, this machine has a design that let’s you exercise your calf while standing.
Reverse Hyperextension Machine
This machine became popular recently. As opposed to hyperextension bench, this machine is used by laying flat horizontally and raising your legs with resistance.
Hip Thrust Machine
Here we are in the zone of unique less popular machines. While its more common to see hip thrusts performed with the barbell, hip thrust machine also exists, and lets you perform this useful exercise in controlled environment. It is usually plate loaded, you can recognize this machine by a leg platform and massive lever for thrusts.
Glute Kickback Machine
While using this machine you stand with your arms supported by the pad and handles. You kickback one of your legs against weight resistance while standing on the other leg. This exercise develops your glute muscles.
Sissy Squat Machine
This machine isolates your shins into a vertical position. You are able to squat back without moving your shins. This position provides a unique way to work quad muscles, different from traditional squats.
Tibialis Trainer
This small but powerful machine lets you train tibialis anterior muscles. You can perform the exercise by both legs at the same time or buy each leg individually. This exercise is useful for rock climbers, runners, cyclists, as well as for the functional training.
Racks
Squat Rack
We wrote many materials about squat racks in our blog earlier. Originally designed for safety and form for lifts such as bench press and squats, squat rack features many other tools for your workouts, such as j-hooks to secure the barbell for many exercises, pull-up bar, pins for resistance bands and plates storage, etc.
Half Rack
Built a bit more simple than the squat rack, half rack still provides functionality for safe squats, bench press and other exercises.
Benches
When it comes to benches in the gym, you can find a few different kinds according to the angle they are positioned.
Flat Bench
A staple of any gym a flat weight bench is used for a variety of exercises. It is essential equipment for the bench press. Did you know, before the weight bench was created first lifters used boxes and apple crates instead? You can read about it in our blog post The History Of The Bench Press. The bench is equipped with a soft pad sturdy enough to maintain horizontal position of the athlete.
Incline Bench
Incline bench is designed to support the athlete in the position where the head is located higher and the torso at the incline angle. This bench is used for a variety of exercises such as incline bench press, incline shoulder press, incline biceps curl and others.
Decline Bench
Opposite to incline bench, decline bench is used for the exercises, where the head of the athlete is located lower than the upper body. The torso at the decline angle. Decline benches often have leg catch to immobilize legs for stability and support.
Adjustable FID Bench
Adjustable bench features an adjustable backrest and sometimes seat. FID stands for Flat, Incline, Decline. This bench not only lets you exercise in all three positions, but also offered different angles for incline position. This versatility makes an adjustable bench a top choice for home and commercial gyms. It’s worth mentioning that some models of adjustable benches have incline and flat positions, but not the decline one.
Hyperextension Bench
This specialized bench is designed to support back extensions. This exercise targets the muscles of lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. You can recognize this bench angled pads that support thighs. This bench provides the base for safe and controlled hyperextension exercises.
Ab Bench
Specialized bench for the abs train features declined positions, or can be adjustable for different angles. It features two pairs of rollers. One pair for knee support, and another to hold your feet while performing crunches and sit-ups.
Seal Row Bench
This flat bench is higher than the regular bench for bench press. Sometimes it has an adjustable height. It is used for seal row exercise.
Prone Row Bench
Similar to the seal row bench, this bench has a barbell stand at the bottom and is used for rowing the barbell up to your chest. This exercise develops muscles of the back.
Cardio Gym Equipment Names
Treadmill
I don’t think I need to define the treadmill. If you see a platform with a belt to run on – it is probably the one. Treadmills come in many shapes. Flat or curved, motor driven or motorless. There are even treadmills to put under a working desk, which became popular lately.
Curved Treadmill
The treadmill with the surface of curved shape that inclines in front is called a motorless or curved treadmill. These treadmills are popular for their adjustable resistance, reliability. They are used for high intensity workouts.
Elliptical
Elliptical trainers are known on their low impact. They are safer for joints compared to running, jogging or walking. You can recognize this machine by two platforms for feet and two vertical moving arms.
Rowing Machine
We talk about rowers a lot in our blog. One of the recent posts is Rowing machine Benefits where we explore some aspects of rowing exercises. There are different kinds of rowing machines, popular being the rowers with air and water resistance. You can recognize this machine by the seat and a pad for the legs to push against resistance. This machine has a plate loaded version or it can have a weight stack.
Skier
Also known as a cross country skiing trainer this machine lets you train your strength and cardio. Skiing motion provides workout for your glutes, hamstrings, lats, shoulders and triceps.
Stationary Bikes
Popular for decades, the exercise bike is a staple of cardio equipment. The most popular version recently is an air bike, the other name for it is an assault bike. This bike features arms attached to the resistance. This option lets you work your arms together with your legs.
Recumbent Bike
Recumbent bike is a stationary bike where the athlete has a laid-back reclining position is called a recumbent bike. This bike provides comfortable and convenient workout experience.
Stair Climber
Stair climber is a fitness cardio machine that simulates the action of climbing stairs. It provides an effective workout that primarily targets the lower body muscles while also offering cardiovascular load. Stair climbers are also known as stair stepper or stairmaster.
Free Weights Gym Equipment Names
We described each of these categories in detail in our blog earlier, so here we will keep it brief.
Dumbbells
Known from Ancient Greece, dumbbells are simple in design, but are powerful in strength training. This is why most people have them, and some even use them! Dumbbells come in different shapes, most popular are hex dumbbells, commercial dumbbells with round heads, adjustable dumbbells and loadable dumbbells. Hex dumbbells are safe in the sense that they don’t roll away. Round head dumbbells require a special rack with cradles for each dumbbell. Adjustable dumbbells is a great option if you are trying to save space and budget, they are typical for home use.
Kettlebells
Kettlebells are not only fashionable item with Victorian era vibe, inline with a mustache and a pocket watch. The popularity of this strength training tool is in its effectiveness, simplicity and natural movements. Two main types of kettlebells are competition style kettlebells and cast iron kettlebells. The main difference is that the competition kettlebells maintain identical size regardless ow weight. Cast iron kettlebells change in size, heavier bells are bigger.
Barbell Plates
Huge category, a lot can be told about the plates for the barbell. Important thing to know that there are two major kinds of plates Olympic, with 2 inches centre hole, and standard, their centre hole has 1 inch diameter. Plates differ by their functionality and materials used. Some of the most popular kinds are cast iron plates, rubber bumper plates and grip plates.
Sandbags
Strength training tools that are used for functional workouts, improving grip strength, balance, and overall power. They are used for exercises like squats, deadlifts, and carries. Sandbags offer an unstable load that challenges multiple muscle groups simultaneously. They are praised for safety of their use and foe balance development while using them. More in our blog post Sandbags vs Kettlebells.
Bulgarian Bag
This unique piece of gym equipment resembles the sand bag, but has an ergonomic shape with the handles designed for optimal weight distribution. You can find a great amount of exercises for this tool for different muscles group. Bulgarian bags come in different weights for progressive resistance.
Medicine Balls
Medballs are used for dynamic exercises to increase muscle power, and for developing core strength. You can recognize them by the surface pattern similar to basketballs. Medicine balls are hard, and often painted as a combination of black plus some bright colour.
Slam Balls
These are designed to slam them against the floor. Slam balls are often black. They are soft on touch and made of rubber. They come in a variety of weights and diameters.
Wall Balls
These weighted balls are used in high-intensity workouts. Exercises are usually performed by throwing the ball against a wall. Exercises with the wall balls improve strength, endurance, and coordination. Wall balls engage the entire body, especially the core, shoulders, and legs during dynamic movements like squats and throws.
Clubbells
These heavy clubs made of steel are used for high intensity strength training. Their primary use is swings, cleans and snatches. Clubbells typically weight in the range between 10 – 45 pounds.
Indian Clubs
These clubs are much lighter and made of wood. They are used for warmups, coordination and rotator calf strength. Indian clubs usually weigh 1-2 pounds.
Maces
Also known as macebells these weights are designed differently than other clubs. They have a straight long handle with a heavy metal ball at the end. Uneven weight distribution of maces make them great for strength training, balance and coordination development.
Sledge Hammer
Sledge hammer swings with hitting a sturdy surface, such as a tractor tire is one of teh fun ways to train upper body strength, coordination, endurance and cardio.
Srtrongman Atlas Stones
Designed for strongman competitions, it is a set of five stones ranging in weight between 100 and 160 kgs. These stones are lifted from high platforms as one course starting from the lightest to the heaviest.
Weighted Vests
These vests differ by design and materials used. Some of them have adjustable weight, other are fixed. They also perform different functions. Some are used for running, other for pull-ups or other exercises.
Ankle Weights
These weights made using fabric and foam are wrapped around the ankle and often secured by velcro straps. They are used for legs resistance training.
Wrist Weights
Similar to ankle weights, these weights are wrapped around the wrists to provide additional resistance. They are used for strength training, and are popular for walking to use instead of dumbbells.
Barbells
This category is very big, since there are so many kinds of barbells. However we need to know most of them, so let’s start.
Olympic Barbell
Olympic barbell is the one that has the diameter of the sleeve of 2 inches. The popular alternative is called the standard barbell, which has sleeves of 1 inch diameter. Even this kind of barbell has it’s subcategories. A few of them include the Power Bar, specifically designed for powerlifting, Women’s Bar that features smaller diameter and lighter weight (25mm, 15 kgs). Standard weight of the Olympic Barbell is 20 kgs (44 pounds).
EZ Bar
Also known as a curl bar, EZ Bar features a curved bar with a shorter length, typically 47 inches. EZ Bar provides multiple angled hand positions for exercising with natural movements and less stress on joints. Typical exercises with an EZ Bar include biceps curls and skull crushers.
Super EZ Bar
Smilar to EZ Bar, this barbell has a deep U shape at the centre of the bar. This shape provides an additional neutral grip curl with your hands facing inwards.
Safety Squat Bar
Commonly abbreviated as SSB, Safety Squat Bar is specifially designed for squats. This tool is a popular choice for the athletes recovering after shoulder or other upper body injuries. This bar minimizes strain on the neck, shoulders, and lower back. It provides a more comfortable experience than a traditional straight bar. The bar promotes a more upright posture, decreasing the risk of lower back injuries.
Buffalo Bar
Another specialized barbell used for bench press, squats and other exercises is a Buffalo Bar. It looks similar to the regular barbell, but is slightly curved. This shape makes the grip more natural and reduces stress on wrists, elbows and shoulders. Additionally different shape lets the athlete target muscles with a new angle, which promotes muscles and strength growth.
Swiss Bar
This great barbell can be flat or arched in shape. The handles on it are positioned parallel to each other, allowing neutral grip, where palms face each other. It often has additional angled handles. This barbell is great for adding variety to bench press, as well as safer for joints. This barbell is also called the Football Bar, since its often used by football players (American football, not soccer) when training after injuries or to prevent them.
Trap Bar
Also known as a hex bar for its hexagonal shape, trap barbell is used for different exercises, most popular of which are deadlifts, lunges and farmer’s walk. There are two main varieties of this barbell, traditional shape, and open hex bar, which has one side of it open.
Tricep Bar
This specialized barbell is designed for concentration on tricep muscles.
Log Bar
Part of a strongman workouts this barbell features an ergonomic design with neutral hand grip. It is a wide cylindrical barbell resembling a log with cutouts for hands.
Axle Bar
Axle barbell has a big diameter, usually 50mm or around two inches. It provides a different approach to grip and this way ads variety to your training.
Barbell Pad
Foam pad that is put on the olympic barbell to make the lifts more comfortable, prevent bruises and pain. They are used for squats, barbell hip thrusts, and other exercises.
Barbell Collars
Also known as barbell locks it is an essential element for safety while using the barbell. Collars hold your plates in place and prevent their sliding. Collars have different designs, the most basic and popular being the spring collar.
Viking Press Barbell Attachment
This attachment fits on an olympic size barbell and provides neutral as well as regular grip for Viking press exercise.
Landmine Attachment
This attachment for the barbell has a bolt to connect to the sleeve of the olympic barbell. Attached to heavy gym equipment, such as a squat rack, it provides a safe pivot point for barbell exercises where you lift one side of the bar.
Fixed Barbells
These barbells allow to skip loading of the plates all together. They are mostly practical for commercial gym settings and make changing the weights between sets or within one set immediate. Fixed barbells can be straight or curved similar to an ez bar.
Aerobic Bar
Also known as body bar it is a straight bar with neoprene exterior layer which ads to comfort of use and safety. It is used for a wide range of exercises and warmups. They are easy to store and colour coded by weight.
Bodyweight Gym Equipment Names
Pull-up Bar
Probably most known piece of gym equipment, the pull-up bar is a fixed horizontal bar located above Armes extended up. It is used for upper body strength training. The exercises performed on the pull-up bar include pull-ups, chin-ups and hanging leg raises. Pull-up bar exercises help develop muscles and strength of arms, chest, back and core.
Dip Station
Dip station is a fixed piece of gym equipment that consists of two parallel bars. This unit helps work the chest, triceps, and shoulders. These stable parallel bars that allow used for dips, knee raises, and other upper body and core exercises to build strength and muscles.
Parallel Bars
A bit less likely to see in the regular gym, parallel bars are used for gymnastics as well as for bodyweight strength training. Similar to dip station, this unit also consists of two parallel bars, but they are longer. This piece of gym equipment is used dips, L-sits, and handstands, helping develop upper body and core muscles.
Ab Roller
This piece of equipment is small yet powerful. It consisits of the wheel with two handles. By holding the tool and rolling it on the floor you can train your abdominal muscles.
Power Tower
This stand combines pull-up bar, usually with multigrip handles and dip station. It is s stand alone or wall mounted unit that lets you exercise using your bodyweight. This fitness tool can often be found at outdoor gyms.
Monkey Bars
This item looks like a horizontal or angled ladder to walk with your hands in swinging movements. It is an essential element of obstacle course racing and is a great tool for strength training.
Gymnastic Rings
Used for pull-ups and other exercises, gymnastic rings provide a neutral grip for joints protection. They are usually made of wood, steel or plastic and attached to the straps.
Stall Bars
Also know as Swedish stall bars or wall bars. This tool looks like a wide wall mounted ladder. Popular at schools this tool is used for climbing, stretching, abs exercises. It can also be used with different attachments.
Peg Board
Another great gym tool using your body weight. By performing exercises by moving the wooden pegs across the board you build grip, endurance and strength.
Functional Fitness Equipment Names
Battle Ropes
Rope is a great tool for cardio and strength training. Battle ropes can be used in a variety of exercises targeting different muscle groups, such as abs, arms, legs and core.
Half Ball
Also known as a balance ball it is an inflatable rubber half ball with the opposite side flat to secure on the floor. The balance half ball is used for balance and coordination training.
Balance Board
With a similar function to the balance ball the balance board is used for balancing on the floor. It can be a challenging exercise for the athlete with no experience of using it. The balance and coordination is useful for many kinds of sport as well as for the functional training.
Suspension Trainer
This tool that doesn’t look like any other became very popular in the last decade. It allows you to exercise at home as well as outdoors. The suspension trainer is very light, easy to carry and install for a workout. It can be used for a great variety of exercises to work any muscle group of the body.
Climbing Rope
Well known from school PE classes, the climbing rope is a great tool for training grip, arms strength and endurance. It is also one of the essential elements of the obstacle course racing.
Plyo Box
Plyometric box also known as plyo box is used for jumping or stepping exercises. Good quality plyo box is heavy to avoid sliding during the exercise and has grippy surface to make the exercises safe. The box usually has sides of different length, so that you can change the height by rotating the box.
Resistance Bands
Loop resistance bands are made of rubber. They are used for strength training, as well as for agility training and rehabilitation. Resistance bands differ by width. Wider bands provide bigger resistance. The bands are usually colour coded for the ease of use and switching between different resistance levels.
Tube Resistance Bands
Similar to loop resistance bands, these bands are commonly used with grip handles or ankle straps for versatile stretching and strength training.
Hand Grip Exerciser
It is a compact tool designed to build the strength of hand muscles. Hand Grip Exerciser is build with a metal spring that provides resistance. Another popular form is a rubber ring to be squeezed by hand.
Foam Roller
Cylindrical piece of dense foam used to to improve flexibility and increase muscle recovery.
Push-Up Sliders
Also called gliding discs, these fitness tools designed to improve push-up. They increase the difficulty of movement and provide variable angles for hands.
Yoga Blocks
Blocks used in yoga as well as for stretching exercises. They improve form stability, and flexibility. They help modify poses, improve stretches, maintain correct form and posture.
Resistance Sleds
Popular tool in crossfit sleds are pushed on the floor surface, usually on artificial turf. They are weighted with the barbell plates for addition resistance.
Tank Sleds
Similar in function to regular sleds this tool is equipped with wheels and can be used on any surface, indoor or outdoor.
Parachute Resistance Trainer
Attached to the belt the parachute is used for agility and speed training. It uses the air resistance and makes running sprints more challenging.
Skipping Rope
It is an important tool for building footwork, coordination, jumping and cardio. It is used while training for many different sports such as boxing, other fight sports, track and field, basketball, volleyball, etc.
Agility Ladder
This simple tool is used to mark the distance on the ground for agility training runs. It consists of two long straps with plastic flat stripes on it. Agility ladders differ by length.
We hope after scrolling through this list you found some ideas to enhance your workouts! As a matter of fact, we keep updating this post with the new content. We would be glad if you check back to see if there is anything new for you here! New gym equipment names will appear here soon!
