Free Weights Vs. Machines
See if this sounds familiar. You purchase yourself a membership to your local gym/club and you are given a “free” tour around the circuit machines. Then a young man/woman (qualified or not) is then assigned to you to take you around and show you the movements. At the end of the circuit the trainer says you did great and then further tries to sell you some future sessions for $50 an hour.
Let’s do a little exercise for a moment. I am going to start, then you take over. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4.…take over. Let me guess - you said 5, 6, 7, 8. Well, you can count, too. That is what you find most trainers doing….counting reps. And I do believe most people are savvy enough to realize that and in most cases a new member declines the personal trainer’s sales pitch and is left completely unsupervised from that point forward.
In my first 5 years of training people, I spent a lot of my time showing new members the “machines.” Before I owned my own business, I worked for a major health club and that is what I was instructed to do. After each of my “machine” sessions, each and every client sincerely believed they were going to be working out effectively. Ironically, most people set up future appointments with me due to a failure to achieve results.
Here's the truth.
If you are truly desiring some sort of physical change, whether that be a better body or better athletic performance, then machines are definitely not the answer. Machines do have their place in a properly structured resistance program, but they don’t even come close when compared to the stimulus provided by free weights.
Next exercise. Envision a seated shoulder press machine where your back is firmly supported by a pad and you thrust some fixed handles above your head until your arms are fully extended. Where in the real world does that movement take place? For most of us, it doesn't. It lacks balance as well as true eccentric resistance (the lowering of the weight) not to mention that most machines are designed to enhance leverages. Free weights let you take advantage of all muscle stimulating factors as well as being more functional.
What do I mean by functional? A functional movement initiates at the body's center of gravity, stimulated by the contraction of your "core." The "core" refers to the deep lying abdominal and lower back muscles that work to support the midsection, stabilize you during twisting movements, and to maintain balance as you lift, bend, reach, etc. The less stabilizing a movement the greater benefit the exercise will have at allowing the low back muscles and abdominal muscles to develop.
Yes, another exercise. This time it is question and answer time. What muscles do you use when you run? You more than likely just responded by saying “the leg muscles” or if you have studied anatomy and physiology in your school years, you might have specified the quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and perhaps the gluteus maximus. If running was limited to contraction of just those muscles . . . it wouldn't be a run at all! You would just fall over. FACEPLANT! If you weren't using your “core” to hold you upright, you'd fall flat on your face. If you weren't using the muscles of the shoulder in order to swing your arms, your balance would be off and your speed would be limited. Functional movement involves a synergy of muscles working together. It is never limited to just one group of muscles. "The machines" are not functional. They isolate muscles. (Again, they do serve as a part of an effective routine, but never as the whole thing.)
Why This Is Important To Your Training?
I've seen far too many cases of muscle imbalances, tissue disorders, and lack of results from individuals that have been faithfully utilizing the “circuit” for years. For the most part, machines put resistance on a single joint or a pair of joints. By performing movements using barbells, dumbbells, stability balls and other forms of free weight resistance training, you spread the workload throughout your body and facilitate far greater muscle stimulation. And that function we talked about? You also find the exercise carries into every aspect of your life requiring movement, making daily tasks less of a burden. Walking up stairs becomes simpler. Lifting a bag of groceries takes less effort. Holding your child is less of a task. Your golf swing improves. Your tennis serve yields more aces.
Machines have their place and I certainly design my resistance programs utilizing a multitude of machines. But, if I had the choice of only training with machines or only with free weights - - give me a barbell and some dumbbells any day. If I was to hand you a pair of dumbbells, a stability ball, and some elastic tubing, I could design a program and teach you movements that would help you to achieve exceptional results right from your home.
A Note On Personal Training
Be selective in who you choose as your personal trainer. There are well over 100 certifications and anyone can get certified. The fitness industry is not regulated. What you will find is any industry filled with trainers who are limited in their knowledge, disregard safety issues, and lack the education to be able to design and prescribe a proper exercise program.
Guidelines for seeking out exercise guidance:
- If you seek out a trainer, look for a certification through International Sports Science Association (ISSA), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), or the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).
- Recognize that you don't necessarily need a trainer to take you through every workout. A qualified trainer should teach and empower you to exercise on your own if you so desire (We already proved you can count your own reps.)
- When having an exercise routine designed for you, make sure to discuss your injuries and restrictions.
- If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in any of your joints while performing specific exercises, tell the trainer and he/she should discontinue the movement.
- Make certain during your exercise routine that your trainer is including movements that are “functional.” There should be an inclusion of exercises requiring balance and ones that move your body through space.
- Remember, a complete routine will involve both resistance training (free weights and possibly some machines) and aerobic movement. If the trainer has not prescribed both for you, you are not getting the true value of your workout, nor will you maximize the results you are looking for.
- Make sure you are taught the muscles involved when performing each exercise. Exercise should be more than just moving a weight from Point A to Point B.
- If you're new to exercise, or haven't exercised for some time, make sure your trainer starts out with moderate sessions both in volume and intensity. Too much too soon is a common mistake leading to overtraining and potential injury.
