Assume that you are a gym owner who wants to start a career in the fitness industry. You have all the necessary PT training certifications from renowned institutions. Moreover, you also have 5 years of experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer. The skill set and the necessary qualifications you have can make you the ideal candidate to give clients a good fitness experience. But, still, you have to add one more thing to the space of your fitness studio to inspire clients to achieve their fitness pilgrimage. You have to make sure that your gym has the appropriate equipment for the finest workout experience.
As per the IHRSA survey conducted in 2020, 43% of clients stated that the quality of the equipment used by the gym owners influences their choice of gym. This means that if you want to make your gym successful financially and establish it as a brand, you have to make sure that you add high-quality, appropriate equipment to your gym so your clients can have a remarkable fitness experience and achieve their fitness goals.
As a gym owner, choosing the appropriate gym equipment for your clients can be quite challenging. You have to break down the list of equipment according to the workout, which is not as easy as it seems. However, you don’t need to worry, as we have created a must-have equipment list for gym owners in 2024. This list is categorized based on the requirements of commercial gyms.
Must have gym equipment list in 2024
Before finalizing the equipment for your gym, as a gym owner, you have to make sure that you have done deep research about the target audience. You have to make sure that the equipment and the personal training you are going to offer align with the fitness preferences of your clients. Moreover, you also have to make sure that the gym equipment you are going to have in 2024 also aligns with your fitness expertise. Here is the gym equipment list in 2024 that your gym must have based on the type of workout you are going to offer to your clients.
Cardio machines
Cardio machines are among the few pieces of equipment your gym must have in 2024. These machines offer a safe and convenient way for your clients to perform cardiovascular exercises and strengthen their hearts. Cardiovascular training, also known as aerobic exercises, acts as an important base that leads clients to other intense training, such as HIIT, boot camps, etc.
Cardio machines in your gym enable your clients to improve heart health, reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes, promote weight loss, and increase lung capacity, which supports the clients during other intense fitness workouts. Here are the cardio machines that your gym must have in 2024.
Treadmills
If you want to provide your clients with a machine on which they can walk, jog, and run indoors regardless of weather, you have to ensure that your gym has a treadmill in your gym. It is one of the most popular cardio machines that, as a gym owner, you can find in all the gyms all over the world.
Your clients can use treadmills to strengthen their hearts and warm up before starting high-strength training in the gym. Moreover, if your gym is located in an area with extreme weather conditions, this machine enables your clients to walk, jog, and run indoors and gives them a remarkable cardio experience.
Ellipticals/cross-trainers
If you want to attract an audience that wants a low-impact cardio workout, you have to ensure that your gym has ellipticals/cross-trainers. This equipment is quite different from a treadmill as it allows your client to have a smoother and more fluid motion. This smoother motion enables clients with joint issues to work out smoother as it impacts minimal pressure on the joints.
This equipment is preferred by clients who have back pain, hip, or knee issues. So, if your gym is located at a place where people have problems related to the joints, cross-trainers enable all such clients to perform a workout without any impact on the joints.
Stationary bikes
A stationary bike is gym equipment that enables you to provide your clients with a low-impact cardio workout while ensuring a smooth riding experience. This equipment allows your clients to cycle in the moderate environment of your gym despite extreme weather.
Moreover, this equipment in your gym enables your clients to burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, and increase endurance. So, if you want to give your clients a smoother cycling experience inside the boundaries of your gym, stationary bikes give them this smoother experience while strengthening their hearts.
Strength training equipment
If you want, as a gym owner, to attract clients who want to gain body mass and improve their physical strength, you have to ensure your gym has strength training equipment. Strength training equipment enables your clients to strengthen their muscle mass, improve coordination, balance, and bone density, and prevent injuries. Moreover, it also allows your clients to achieve the body shape that they want. Here are some of the strength training equipment that your gym must have in 2024 to ensure a smooth fitness experience for your clients.
Free weights
Free weights are not just a single piece of strength training equipment. They are comprised of different pieces of equipment, such as barbells, plates, and dumbbells. All this equipment in your gym enables you to assist your clients with strength training. Your clients can use these barbells, plates, and dumbbells to build their strength versatilely.
As a gym owner, you can use these free weights in various exercises, from HIIT training to boot camps. These free weights enable you to target different muscle groups of your clients during exercise. If you want your clients to perform exercises for high strength, free weights allow them to portray a greater range of motion than weight machines. This means your clients can mimic exercises such as squats and deadlifts that improve their athletic performances.
Cable machines
If you want your clients to have a muscular body by using a machine, you have to ensure your gym must have a cable machine. This machine comprises a set of cables with pulleys attached and a free set of weights that allows the clients to perform strength training for different body muscles.
Your client can use this machine to strengthen the muscles of their arms, legs, etc. Moreover, this strength training equipment allows your clients to get a functional workout that resembles daily life actions with multiple-joint movements.
Medicine balls
The medicine ball is another strength training equipment that enables your clients to gain the body strength they have always dreamed of. Your clients can use these balls to improve body strength and coordination.
Moreover, this equipment also enables your clients to recover from injury if they encounter any. If you want your clients to perform exercises such as wall throws, slams, and Russian twists, you have to ensure that your gym has medicine balls. So your clients can perform high-strength training and achieve their fitness goals.
Functional training equipment
If you want your clients to have athletic strength with improved functional movements of the body muscles, you have to ensure that your gym offers them functional training. To give your clients a good functional training experience, you require functional training equipment that enables them to improve their athletic performance. Here are some of the functional training equipment in 2024 that your gym must have to provide your clients with a smoother fitness experience.
Battle ropes
The battle rope is a versatile, functional training equipment that enables your clients to incorporate high-intensity intervals and full-body strength into workouts. These ropes are two high-strength ropes that enable your clients to apply strength to move those ropes to gain the muscle strength they require.
Your clients can use these ropes while performing functional training exercises such as slams, lunges, and waves. Long, thick ropes are tied to a steady point, enabling you to target your client’s arms, shoulders, back, and core.
Sandbags
If you want to ensure a good fitness experience for your clients, your gym must have sandbags. These bags allow your clients to improve their body stability and strength in a unique way. Your clients can use these sandbags for different exercises, such as overhead presses, squats, and lunges.
Moreover, your clients can also use these sandbags in circuit training. You can also use these sandbags in your gym as an alternative to free weights. So, you have to make sure that your gym must have sandbags for functional training workouts.
Plyo boxes
These boxes allow your clients in the gym to perform workouts that enable them to strengthen the muscles of their legs. Your clients can use these different-sized boxes to perform jumps, step-ups, dips, and box squats. So, if your clients want to improve power and explosiveness, you have to ensure that your gym has Plyo boxes.
Other essential equipment
Apart from having equipment based on classification, such as cardio, functional, and high-strength training, you also require some equipment that is blended with each classification. So here is some essential equipment that your gym must have in 2024, along with equipment dedicated to specific training.
Benches
Benches are among the equipment that your gym must have in 2024. These benches enable your clients to perform a variety of exercises and can be used with different types of workouts.
You can use different categories of benches, such as flat, decline, and incline. Your clients can use different types of benches to perform heavy lifting and compound exercises such as chest presses, shoulder presses, and tricep dips.
Pull-up bars
Pull-up bars are just simple bars, but you must have equipment in your gym that enables your clients to strengthen their arm muscles and improve grip strength. Using these pull-up bars enables your clients to target their upper body muscles, including the biceps, rhomboids, trapezius, forearms, and latissimus dorsi.
Moreover, these bars also enable your clients to warm up their bodies before going for intense training workouts in the gym.
Final thoughts
As a gym owner, you always want your gym to provide an environment for your clients where they can easily perform exercises and achieve their fitness goals. But for this, you have to make sure that your gym must have the necessary equipment in 2024. This necessary equipment not only enables you to ensure a remarkable fitness experience but also enables you to attract and retain clients, contributing to the long-term success of your gym.
