Pictures and names of workout equipment?

Hello all!

I recently moved to a new apartment with a mini-gym for residents to use. Having not been very active about working out besides a few stints in the past, I decided to check it out. However, since I've never actually had a trainer or been to a gym for any length of time, I had no idea how to use most of the machines there. I checked the wall charts but they were mainly nutrition guides (I kid you not) without any form of instructions.

Knowing how dangerous it is to use a machine when you don't know how to, I went online to search for pictures/videos/information about the machines I saw, but it proved to be harder than I thought. I could find tons of info on individual machines and techniques, but that didn't solve the problem of what machine was what - I knew what they looked like, but not their names!

So I decided to ask here if anyone knew of a site with just the names and pictures of simple workout machines. I've managed to identify a few (abdominal bench, pec deck) but some still elude me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmaintrain.htm[/url]

I did look through the articles and search using the website search function, but I didn't find anything like what I was looking for...:(

Type the following words into YouTube individually...

Seated calf
Standing calf
Leg extension
Leg curl
Seated leg curl
Leg press
Squat
Crunches
Knee raise
Back extension
Lat pulldown
Seated row
Supported row
Pullover machine
Chest press
Bench press
Incline press
Pec dec
Cable crossovers
Military press
Shoulder press
Lateral raise
Upright row
Barbell curl
Preacher curl
Tricep push downs
Tricep extension

Most mini gyms are based around these types of movements.

Post pics and list mfgr names.

[img]http://manlycurls.com/blog_new/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/olympic-barbell-power-cleans.jpg[/img]

Barbell, can you say barbell?

Baaaaaaaarbell

Good, gooooooood!

You make daddy proud

[img]http://expattutor.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/spoon-feeding-pupils.jpg[/img]


Everyones been pretty gentle so far so I'll go gentle here too. OP, you aren't going to know it ll over night, it takes time to learn what you are doing but here are a few things that will speed up your learning.

1) Hire a personal trainer for a few sessions. He'll take you around all the equipment, show you good tecnique, and write you a beginners programme.

2) Invest in some good books- Insiders tell all handbook on weight training technique, beyond brawn, and starting strength, are my personal favourites and are very information dense- i.e no fluffy pictures.

3) Read, read, and read some more and watch some youtube videos from reputable coaches.

4) Use the forum to post [b]specific[/b] questions AFTER using the search to make sure its not a question that has been asked a million times before.

You don't need to know what each machine or exercise is, you just need to know a pool of good movements, train them hard, consistantly, and progressivly for a few years and eat well.