When
it comes to training equipment, sometimes the
phrase "simpler is better" rings VERY
true. And in the case of the "The Equalizer,"
simple is not only a good thing, it can get
you GREAT results!
"The
Lebert Equalizer," invented by top Canadian
personal trainer Marc Lebert, is very simple
in design. On the surface (it comes in two separate
pieces), "The Equalizer" resembles
two thick yellow hurdles standing a few feet
tall and measuring a few feet long, with two
"feet" on the bottom for stability
and support. It also sports two padded hand
grips right in the center of each piece. It
looks very simple for sure...
But
when you start performing some of the recommended
bodyweight exercises on "The Equalizer,"
you'll see just how powerful "simple"
can be.
Now,
speaking for myself, I'm a big believer in exercises
that use your body for resistance, including
variations of push-ups, chin-ups, dips, etc.
Exercises that move your body through space
have been shown to activate greater numbers
of muscle fibers and create much stronger demands
on the body, both in the muscular and nervous
system, than exercises where you move the weight
instead.
Bottom
line - bodyweight exercises and exercises that
combine weights and body movement (like squats)
are more effective than the vast majority of
"locked in" exercises where you move
the weight and not yourself.
And
the sheer number of bodyweight exercises that
you can perform with "The Equalizer"
makes it one of the most versatile pieces of
bodyweight-centric equipment you can get, whether
you train at the gym or especially if you train
at home.
THE "PROS"
1.
Easy assembly, simple design, solid construction
and no moving parts
"The
Equalizer" ships in pieces but is EXTREMELY
easy to assemble. It's basically a matter of
sliding the pieces together then tightening
a few screws. It only took me a few minutes
from taking it out of the box to having it ready
to go.
The
design is simple and the two parts stack together
very nicely, making it a great space-saving
piece of equipment. And, because "The Equalizer"
is basically a base to perform exercises on,
there's no need for any moving parts, which
means less to go wrong and ZERO maintenance.
The
actual frame of "The Equalizer" is
constructed of solid steel and, I would say,
is pretty much unbreakable in normal use. You
would have to really try hard to do any damage
to it.
2.
Extremely large number of valuable exercises
to perform
One
of the greatest assests of "The Equalizer"
is the fact that it can be used in so many ways.
Without looking at the exercise chart that was
included in the box, I found myself performing
5 or 6 exercises without even having to refer
to it. When I did stop and look at the chart,
it gave me some good ideas for further use.
Some
of the sample exercises include dips, push-ups,
pull-up rows (a.k.a. inverse bodyweight rows),
bench dips, knee raises, bodyweight tricep extensions,
one-legged squats (used for keeping balance),
calf raises, assisted lunges, side push-ups
(for obliques), bodyweight inverse curls, and
many more! "The Equalizer" website
offers a tremendous number of exercise variations
that you can put to use immediately.
You
can even use it as something to jump over to
develop leg power and vertical leap!
And
as a dedicated "exercise innovator"
myself, I've already come up with quite a few
new uses for the equipment!
3.
Good stability and portability
For
a piece of bodyweight-oriented equipment to
be truly useful, it must be stable. This is
because you need to balance on it, push your
body off it and pull yourself up on it.
The
"feet" on "The Equalizer"
make the apparatus quite stable for the majority
of exercises and I found it to be quite solid.
There were a few times when I pushed out to
the sides a little too hard and the pieces tilted
a bit. But once I understood the limitations,
it was simple to work around. Like any equipment,
it's important to know what you can and can't
do with it. Overall, you can do quite a lot!
The
two pieces themselves are extremely light and
portable and very easy to maneuver into any
position you want to put them in. It's a good
combination - solid, stable and portable.
THE "CONS"
1.
Not as stable laterally (to the sides)
As
I mentioned above, when I pushed directly out
to the sides, the pieces did tilt a bit. But
in that case, I was doing the movement specifically
to test lateral stability so it wasn't a big
shock when the pieces tilted. To make the units
more stable with those types of movements, the
feet would have to be much larger, resulting
in a larger overall footprint.
Once
you know the limits of the lateral pressure
you can put on, you can very easily work within
them.
2.
Not adjustable in height
The
only real change I might make to "The Equalizer"
would be the ability to change the height of
the pieces. As they are right now, the height
is set at only one specific point. A couple
of removeable pins and some height options would
give "The Equalizer" even more potential
variety in exercises you could do with it.
As
it is right now, the height seemed to be just
fine for the vast majority of the exercises.
With height adjustment, you could potentially
make some exercises easier or harder.
*On
a side note, I did ask Marc Lebert about height
adjustability and it IS something they have
thought of and are considering adding into the
equipment in the future.*
3.
It's yellow
Yellow
doesn't match any of the other equipment I have
in my gym. This is the biggest challenge I faced
with "The Equalizer" and, you better
believe, it's a very VERY small one.
---
When
it comes right down to it, I would HIGHLY recommend
"The Equalizer" not only in a regular
gym setting but ESPECIALLY in a home gym situation.
The sheer variety of exercises and movements
you can do with this simple piece of equipment
would make it an extremely valuable addition
to any training area.
It's
even used by a number of professional athletes
to boost their sports performance, including
Scott Niedermayer of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
(hockey) and Mike Wiebe, Professional Long Driver
(golf - best drive 428 yards!).
If
you're in a gym setting (e.g. trainer, owner
or manager), "The Lebert Equalizer"
is also offered in money-saving package deals.
That way, you can offer classes using this excellent
piece of equipment.
If
you just train at a gym, it'll be tough to fit
it in your gym bag (unless you bring a suitcase!),
but it would be a very good piece of equipment
to have at home for days when you don't feel
like going to or just can't make it to the gym.
"The
Lebert Equalizer" is, overall, an excellent
piece of equipment and well worth picking up.
For
more information or to get your "Equalizer"
now, click on the following link:
http://www.fitstep.com/goto/equalizer.htm
