Home gym glossary

A dumbbell whose weight can be changed on the same handle.

A stepped support that holds a bench backrest at selected angles.

The padded bench surface that supports the back.

The free space needed around equipment for movement, access and use.

A bench load rating that includes the user's body weight and the weights being used.

The base that holds a selector dumbbell and its unused plates during a weight change.

A bench position with the head end lower than the hips.

A turning selector used to choose which weight plates lift with a dumbbell handle.

Extra parts that extend a compatible adjustable dumbbell's weight range.

Short for flat, incline and decline: the three backrest positions offered by this type of bench.

A bench with a horizontal support surface for the body.

Securing equipment to the floor with the fixings specified by its maker.

A weight bench designed to fold into a smaller shape for storage.

A wall-mounted barbell rack whose uprights fold back toward the wall for storage.

The floor area occupied by a piece of equipment.

A bench position with the backrest raised above horizontal.

Hook-shaped supports that hold a barbell at a chosen height on a rack.

A padded cylinder used to help hold the legs in position on a bench.

Metal safety bars with outer sleeves that span a rack to catch a barbell.

Loaded by adding separate weight plates by hand.

A frame with front and rear uprights that supports a barbell and compatible safety catches inside it.

An elastic exercise band whose resistance increases as it stretches.

A removable pin placed at a marked setting to select the weight in a dumbbell stack.

A dumbbell selector with sliding pins for choosing larger and smaller weight steps.

A machine whose bar travels along guides rather than moving freely.

Supports that project from rack uprights to catch a bar outside the frame when used as directed.

A pair of uprights that holds a barbell, with an open area behind the posts.

A numbering system for steel thickness; it does not by itself describe a rack's strength.

The difference between two adjacent weight settings.

Storing a bench standing on end, only where the maker permits it.

Strong straps fitted between rack posts to catch a bar inside the rack.

A horizontal mounting board or plate that spreads wall-rack fixings across suitable studs.

A framing member inside a wall that may provide a fixing point for equipment, subject to its installation instructions.

The area kept clear for exercises, with equipment stored around it.

A dumbbell mechanism that selects weight when you turn the handle in its cradle.

A vertical rack post with mounting holes for hooks and attachments.

A wall fixture that holds a separate bench off the floor after you lift it onto the support.

Fixed to a wall instead of supported only by the floor.

The maximum load stated by the maker for a particular product or use.

Closer rack-hole spacing in the bench area for finer adjustment of bar supports and safeties.