School gyms are a great way to stay in shape and get some exercise, but the equipment can be different from other gyms. They typically have lower budgets than commercial or private fitness centres, so their selection of equipment may not be as varied. Additionally, gyms inside school buildings must accommodate larger volumes of students in a limited space, meaning that the machines they use may need to serve multiple purposes.
In this article, we’ll discuss how school gym equipment differs from what you might find at other types of gyms in terms of volume and variety.
Need to Deal with Volumes of Students
When it comes to volume, school gyms typically have a much greater capacity for students than other gyms. This means that their equipment must be capable of handling larger numbers of people at once and must also have more safety features in place.
For example, gyms at school sites may offer fewer free weights, but will typically provide additional machines that require less direct supervision, such as leg press machines or elliptical trainers.
It is the safest approach where gym machines are self-explanatory and it is not so possible to end up injured. There will be greater supervision in schools than in many other places, though. Although, personal trainers exist inside regular gyms for advice on using the equipment. But then, you may pay more for their services.
Less Variety of Equipment
School gyms tend to have a smaller selection of equipment than other types of gym facilities. This is often due to budget constraints and the fact that they must serve several purposes. For example, this kind of gym may not have a full range of weight machines, but will typically offer some type of aerobic equipment such as treadmills or ellipticals.
In part, this problem of limited school gym equipment can be addressed when places of education do not buy their equipment outright but, instead, hire just the gym machines that they need in situ at any one point in time.
Less equipment does not necessarily then mean that anyone in education is left wanting. School administrators can simply request limited equipment because they are being quite specific in what their students’ gym needs are. If the situation changes, schools can then simply adjust their hire agreement.
The hire option provides educational establishments the option to change their mind so that no wrong decisions can be made in the long term to impact negatively on budgets.
Need for Specialised Equipment
Additionally, school gyms may not have specialised resistance-training equipment such as kettlebells or battle ropes.
Schools will be also looking to potentially tailor the fitness needs of students to the particular sports that they offer. This may have an impact on gym equipment choices.
Hiring equipment may offer more flexibility in this instance. We can look to only hire the exact equipment that we need rather than ending up with that which ends up becoming redundant. If, for instance, there are gym machines that students are not making all that much use of they can be quickly replaced with more popular options. This will make the best possible use of gym space at all times.
Final Thoughts
School gym equipment can be quite different from other types of gym facilities in terms of the number of machines and their variety. Such situations must be capable of handling larger numbers of students and may have fewer machines to work with due to tighter budgets. Educational situations just need to learn to manage situations in a way that copes with less but equipment geared to their needs.
As well, school gyms may not have a full range of specialised equipment, but will typically offer some type of aerobic machine or free weight selection. Users of these gyms need to understand the differences in equipment to ensure they get the most out of their workouts.
