Machines VS. Free Weights II

Machines are bad, there I said it again. How many of us join health clubs or purchase expensive home exercise equipment under the notion that the machine will protect our back, make the exercise easier or guarantee your results quicker. In sports and life for that matter if you are sitting on your butt or laying flat on your back you lost! , so why do we insist on exercising that way. We spend way too much of our existence sedentary, sitting, driving, typing, talking etc..

Has anyone noticed that the commonality of back problems from doing nothing (a traumatic), joint replacements and other injuries of non-traumatic origins continue to escalate?. Did anyone ever put two and two together and realize that maybe the way we have and are exercising is precipitating the problem. My last article went into some specifics on the traumatic forces that the joints experience using common machines. Research continues to emerge validating that most machines place the body and joints in such horrible positions that injury is inevitable.

So what is a health conscious exerciser to do, well, life moves so we better learn to exercise that way. Try performing your current exercise routine standing. That's right, chest presses, shoulder presses, arm exercises, rows all performed standing. This will enable you to engage all of your 'core' muscles, work on balance and lower extremity joint stability.

When was the last time you performed a standing squat, on one leg, on a ball or foam disk? What if you tried training the whole workout using an adjustable cable machine, standing?. Wait, I said machine, yes some machines or good. There are a few pieces out there that I like. If it has an adjustable cable or articulating arms, that we like. Why, simple it forces you to stand and that engages almost all of the core muscles, and as I've stated if you are standing you are using many more muscles than if your were sitting down. Machines that do not force you to remain in a set joint position and allow you to move as biomechanics dictate will by default give you a better and safer workout.

Lunges are one of the best exercises to do, anyone can argue for or against this, but combined with proper hip and leg stability / flexibility they are among the best. Try combining with shoulder presses, abduction, scaptions. You can also combine with bicep curls, torso rotations, stabilization movements, as you can tell the combinations are almost endless.

Dumbbells, almost beyond the scope of this article the amount of exercises you can perform. A ball, BOSU tm, floor and an adjustable bench is all you need.

Bands, yes almost as good as cables, they travel better and the exercises are almost endless. One word on bands, they are easier in the beginning and harder at the end of the movement. This changes the firing of the muscle slightly but they are still an excellent adjunct for fitness, and yes they force you to stand while using them.

What about the floor, generally there is very little floor space in a gym, got to fill it with machines. For the last few years the popularity of Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi and other movement techniques have become popular. Thanks to the baby boomers looking for alternatives for fitness these regimens have become mainstream. They all require a balance of breathing, flexibility, strength, postural awareness and muscular endurance. The message with these techniques is performed by themselves they are good, add strength training and aerobic conditioning and the package is complete.

Does this mean never train on a machine, absolutely not, many still provide a good isolation workout and for some with medical conditions machines allow a degree of safety. My point is that so many of us have spent so much time training wrong and placing our bodies in bad positions that we need to spend much of our time correcting the imbalances and injury that are already there. I tell a lot of my clients that people do not feel there arteries clogging but they sure know when the crushing chest pain starts. We spend much of our lives denying that injuries, both musculoskeletal and internal, will never happen to us, yet we consistently do things to encourage that damage to occur. Let's change how we think and exercise or you may end up laying flat on you back.

Bryan Fass, BA, ATCL, CSCS, NREMT-P

Bryan Fass holds a bachelors in sports medicine, is a Certified / Licensed Athletic Trainer, Nationally Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Nationally Registered Paramedic. Bryan is also a highly skilled soft tissue and Myofascial Release therapist, And has over 10 years of experience in clinical and fitness settings. Specialties in Spine and postural re-education.

Precision Fitness is an advanced personal fitness, corrective exercise, post-rehabilitation, and sports performance facility with locations in Cornelius and Mooresville.

http://www.lakenormanfitness.com

---

Chest Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders

The chest area is one of the easist muscle groups... Read More

Gain Weight Fast With These Ten Powerful Tips! Part -2

By the time you finish reading this you will have... Read More

New Bodybuilding Study on the Benefits of Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a very potential muscle-building exercise, that will rejuvenate... Read More

Resistance Training With Your Dog

You may be wondering, "How can I possibly do resistance... Read More

Back Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders

From a bodybuilder's perspective one of the most important body... Read More

Make Sure To Rest For Muscle Growth

One of the best pieces of exercise advice is to... Read More

Increase Your Training Intensity - Pre-Exhaustion

You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate... Read More

The Secret Of The Perfect Program!

Another critical factor to be aware of, is the efficient... Read More

3 Amazing Ways to Shape Up Your Muscles in Less Than 7 days!

Imagine you need to look great to get all the... Read More

The Importance Of Creatine In Building Lean Muscle

Creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to being the most... Read More

The Role Of Whey Protein In Achieving Significant Muscle Gain

Most bodybuilders would agree that supplementing with whey protein is... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Machine Shoulder Press

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

Most Amazing (and Ridiculously Simple) Trick For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts You Will Ever Read In Your L

The stiff-legged deadlift is one of the best exercises you... Read More

Build 80 Pounds Of Muscle?

Is it possible to gain 80 pounds of shredded muscle... Read More

Six Minute Abs

Six minutes out of your day. All you need is... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Vertical Chest Press

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

The Biggest Muscle Mass Gain Myths Exposed

Performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts will enable you to build... Read More

Ab Sculpting Exercise - One Of The Most Productive Exercises For Your Abs That Is Hardly Ever Used

Before I talk about one of the most productive and... Read More

Muscle Building Training Tips For Beginners

(*) Proper bodybuilding exercises technique.First steps in muscle building training... Read More

Follow the Path of MOST Resistance! Why Weight Training Is The Fast Track To Sculpting Your Body

Resistance is NOT futile! When it comes to changing your... Read More

Add Intensity To Your Muscle Building Workout

One of the biggest difficulties facing bodybuilders is how can... Read More

Creating An Anabolic State That Supports Muscle Growth

You can only build muscle if your body is in... Read More

Successful Body Building Routine

There are some major key parts to a successful body... Read More

Arm Training - Building Muscle for Bulging Bis and Tris

Let's face it, most guys who start lifting want two... Read More

The Health Risks Associated With The Use Of Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids are classed as illegal drugs and are banned... Read More

How to Weight Train for Maximum Muscle Gain

Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable... Read More

Know Your Muscles - The Lower Body

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up your body... Read More

Hair Removal Tips For Bodybuilders

One of the most time consuming and frustrating parts of... Read More

Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 5

Welcome to article number five in our 5-part series "Bodybuilding... Read More

The Seven Pillars Of Success

VisionEnvisioning the end-result is enough to put the wheels in... Read More

Strength Training Strategies that Actually Work

Over the years there has been a surge of different... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Standing Calf Raise

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

Maximum Muscle Development with Chaos Training

Chaos is the scientific study of orderly disorder. It offers... Read More