You would have seen lifters at the Olympics compete in the snatch and clean and jerk events. It’s amazing to see how much power they exert when they are lifting those heavy weights, and how it affects their physique. As arguably one of the most effective pieces of fitness equipment, there are so many exercises you can do with the Olympic barbell. In this post, we will discuss a few of the exercises that can be done with the Olympic barbell and how it can help you achieve your fitness goals. Deadlift This is the most superior exercise that you can do with the Olympic barbell. The movement ..read more

Our gym equipment range includes a few different bars and bar and weight packages with spinlock collars and get a lot of anecdotal feedback from people about how unreliable they are and how easily they come unscrewed. Unfortunately, if they are not tightened properly - this can be correct. And who wants to lift a loaded dumbbell over their head with loose collars on it? The problem relates to the size of the collars relative to the amount of torque required to lock the collars up tight. If the collars were three times as big and you could get better leverage on them, you'd be able to lo ..read more

Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of gym equipment for general home fitness or for the serious runner who wants the extra flexibility of all-weather running. There is so much variation in how you can use a treadmill. Think of it this way - almost anything you can do on a street run or walk, you can also do on a treadmill. Hills, tempo, intervals, long distance – any time, in all weather. But buying the wrong treadmill can be demotivating, with your treadmill (and fitness goals) ending up in the corner gathering dust. Our guide below will step you through all the things yo ..read more

The following piece was written by Brodie Sguerzi, a regular little bloke customer and the guy that put together our lifting chains packages. Thanks Brodie. LIFTING CHAINS Chains are an invaluable yet simple piece of training equipment, and only limited to uses by your imagination. They can be used as: Accommodated resistance, similar to Resistance Bands without the overspeed eccentric's and harsh effects that bands can have on the CNS (Central Nervous System). The primary objective of this is to achieve adequate resistance throughout the entire range of mot ..read more

One of the most frustrating things for skinny guys that work out at the gym is that they put in the hard yards to bulk up, but they are still seen as being too skinny. Or even worse, they build no muscle at all. For many guys, it seems like there is no hope. However, there are several stories of skinny guys that invested in themselves and remained committed to achieving their physical goals. Their transformations are nothing short of amazing and they now radiate confidence and boldness, attracting the who’s who in their social circles and getting adulation from their peers. If you are a skinny ..read more

So what is a Tricep bar - also known as a hammer curl bar? It's a specialist piece of gym equipment. It's an oval shaped bar that typically has two parallel hand placements that run through its middle and weight shafts on each end. Even though it is called a tricep bar, you can use it to work other body parts besides the triceps. Similar to the EZ curl bar, you can use it to work the muscles from different angles and it can reduce the stress that a straight barbell can place on the joints in the arm (the wrists, elbows and forearms) by allowing for a much more ergonomic grip of the bar. Why ..read more

Yes you read that right.  Lollies - well more accurately gummy lollies - can aid lifting performance. Now before you run out and eat an entire bag of Killer Pythons, let's look at why....    During training your body uses up glycogen stores from within the muscles (glycogen is stored up sugars your body uses for energy). Once all these glycogen stores are depleted, you can’t perform at your usual 100% and you will begin to feel tired. This sap in energy will drop your performance. To stop that from happening too soon, and actually increase your overall lengt ..read more

If you're chasing around for an Olympic bar, you may hear people talk about bushes / bushings and bearings / linear bearings / needle bearings and wonder what they're talking about. In short In short, barbells with bearings have a smooth rotation so are better for olympic style lifts – they're also more expensive. Barbells with bushings are cheaper, but have poorer rotation, which make them suitable for lower weights and most home gyms. A little more detail Bushes and bearings refer to the mechanism on which the ends of the bar spins. Huh? So for a 20kg bar, we create a 7ft bar at 28mm-32mm di ..read more

Your body changes when you challenge it in different ways. When you first started weight training using gym equipment you probably felt these changes right away, but after a while most people reach a plateau. Increasing the number of reps and then upping the weights works for a while, but those heavier loads place more stress on your joints. Did you know that something as simple as changing how you grip the bar might be all the challenge you need to get push you off that plateau? Different grips can also help you avoid or work around injuries. Some grips are better than others for certain musc ..read more

Creating a home gym has become increasingly popular in recent years and for a good reason. Having a dedicated space for fitness allows you to workout on your own terms, without the hassle of crowded gyms or costly memberships.  However, you should first consider your personal fitness goals and needs to ensure you get the most out of your home gym, along with other factors such as: Equipment versatility Quality and durability Space availability Budget constraints Safety features Versatility is a crucial aspect to consider when choosing home gym equipment. Opting for versatile items that ..read more