What are the heavy equipments being used in gymnastics?

Answer 1

The heaviest apparatus in men's gymnastics are probably the pommel horse, parallel bars and vaulting table. The trampoline is very heavy as well although it is not a strict gymnastics event but a sport in it's own right. The rings still, when not suspended from a ceiling, are used in in a very tall ring "tower" which is heavy. Men's horizontal bar is relatively light compared to the other events. The heaviest of all would be the floor exercise since it is 40 x 40 feet in diameter and contains levels of plywood or other heavy material in addition to carpet and foam.

In women's gymnastics the vault table is heaviest, then the balance beam and uneven bars, and then the floor exercise mat. The weight of the equipment is what makes opening and running a gymnastics school so complicated and expensive. For safety reasons gymnastics equipment must be maintained and kept safe at all times. Gym schools have to invest substantial amounts of money in order to keep their equipment up to date. Then there is the matter of moving and setting up the equipment. Because it is so large and heavy, moving gymnastics equipment is a major ordeal. Gymnastics equipment manufacturers have to dedicate entire teams to move, setup and breakdown equipment for major competitions such as the US Championships or the Olympic Games.

There mats and child-sized gymnastics equipment that is designed for use at home but they are expensive and really not designed for high levels of skill. Instead they are designed for practicing basic elements for young (and small) competitive gymnasts. Most young gymnasts make do with a practice low-beam and small tumbling mat to practice cartwheels and the like.