 |
Free Weights vs. Exercise Machines
Anyone who has ever been in a gym before is familiar with the gleaming banks of shiny exercise machines. Coming in all shapes and sizes, they are usually cause for the newcomer to the gym to pause and ask, "What IS all of that stuff?" Well, according to the price that the gym paid for any one piece of that equipment, I certainly hope that it not only stimulates your muscles, but also cooks your breakfast, washes your car, and brings the kids home from soccer practice! Now the question becomes whether or not those machines were worth the price, or if you'd be better off doing a home aerobics video with a can of soup in each hand?. Personally, I would advise you to get the low-sodium version of the soup, serve it up alongside a tomato sandwich, and then go buy yourself some free weights. Yes, that is just my opinion, but it does come with some scientific reasoning behind it. Natural movement vs. Controlled movement One of the things that you need to remember is that when you are exercising, you are training for LIFE. You may spend an hour a day at the gym, but that still leaves 23 other hours for your muscles to function without the aid of that fancy equipment. Whenever you do any given exercise, the movement of your body during that exercise is called the Range of Motion. The greater and more difficult the Range of Motion, the more effective the exercise is, because your body has to work harder to perform that movement. Let's take a classic dumbbell bicep curl for our case study. If you aren't familiar with the movement, it is basically performed by standing up straight with your palms facing forward, and a pair of dumbbells held down at your sides. You concentrically contract your biceps (also known as flexing your elbow) to bring the dumbbells up to approximately shoulder level, and then repeat the movement for a prescribed number of repetitions. Let's take that same muscle movement and do it using a bicep curl machine. You sit down, brace your upper arms on a pad, grasp 2 handles that are in front of you, and do that same fancy elbow flexing movement to move the handles in an upward motion. Pretty easy stuff so far, right? Now let's examine the muscles that are used in this motion. Wait - I thought we were concentrically contracting the biceps? That is correct, and if you are using the bicep curl machine, that is pretty much ALL you are doing. For one, you are sitting down. You know, like you did all day at work, and then in your car on the way to the gym. Then, your upper arms are braced on a nice soft pad to keep your upper body stable while you pull the handles upwards. The machine has effectively limited the muscles used in this exercise to the biceps, as well as the muscles in your forearms and fingers as you grip the handles. Let us now sidestep over to the weight room where the dumbbells are kept, and once again get in the start position for a standing bicep curl with the dumbbells. Notice the term "standing". You know, like you DIDN'T do all day at work, and hopefully also did not do in your car on the way to the gym. So before we even start the exercise, we are using more muscles than we did on the machine - namely the leg muscles. Now let's pick up a 10 lb dumbbell in each hand. We've just added 20 lbs to our body weight. What is keeping us from losing our center of balance and falling clean over? The abdominal muscles and the muscles of the lower back and spine. Now we are using our legs, our abs, and our back. Flex those elbows and start to raise the dumbbells. Now our center of gravity has become a fluid state, and our legs, back, and abs all have to constantly compensate to maintain posture. Oh, and the biceps are also in on the action by this point, as are the forearms, the fingers, and the shoulder girdle. We now have the dumbbells all the way up and it's time to start lowering them again, via an eccentric contraction of the biceps (also know as extending the elbow). What muscle group controls the extension of the elbow? The triceps on the back of the arm. Did you lose track yet? It's okay if you did because you have illustrated the point: Machine Bicep Curl: Uses the biceps, forearms, and fingers
Cost: Thousands of dollars Standing Dumbbell Bicep Curl: Uses the biceps, forearms, fingers, legs, abs, back, triceps, and shoulders.
Cost: $40 for a good set of dumbbells that can be used for dozens of other exercises In a nutshell, free weight exercises simply USE MORE MUSCLES than machines do, which make them more effective. Does that mean that the machines are a complete waste? Absolutely not! In some circumstances it is BETTER to stabilize the muscles being used in any given movement. However, those circumstances are the exception, rather than the rule. So what do you do? Change up your routine, and incorporate free weights as well as machine exercises. However, keep the machine work to a minimum - say 20% of your total time spent working with weights. Spend the other 80% developing your stabilizer muscles, your sense of balance and coordination, and if nothing else - just standing up! After all, you can go home and sit down on the couch to enjoy your post-workout snack. The bicep machine already brought the kids home from soccer practice, remember? Aaron Potts is the owner and creator of Fitness Destinations, a content-filled health and fitness website for consumers as well as professionals in the fitness industry. Aaron's experience in the health and fitness industry includes one on one personal training in many different environments, maintenance of several health-related websites, and authoring of many fitness-related products for consumers and fitness professionals. http://www.fitnessdestinations.com
MORE RESOURCES:
|
Fitness Equipment Donated to McCollum ParkPatch.comThe Downers Grove Park District received a donation of outdoor fitness equipment in early January from the Vachaparambil family, area residents who frequently use McCollum Park. Matthew Vachaparambil came to the Downers Grove Park District with the ...and more » |
expressandstar.com |
Win fitness equipment with Decathlonexpressandstar.comTo help you get back into shape the Express & Star has teamed up with the Decathlon sports store at Wednesbury to give away fitness equipment including a first prize of an exercise bike. Five second prize winners will each receive an abdominal trainer, ... |
|
Weight over for fitness equipmentThis is GloucestershireAfter requests from customers, new free weights have been bought in at Forest Leisure in Lydney, to replace dated weights machines. The centre is run by Forest of Dean District Council. Councillor Terry Hale, cabinet member for the community said: "We ... |
Google News
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Spare A Thought For Redundant Exercise Machines
I have an exercise machine that I've used once. Did I hear you say 'Me too'?Hey, I'm not proud of that, but I make this revelation with more confidence today than I would have done yesterday.
Why Exercise Balls Are The Wonder Exercise Equipment
Exercise balls are the latest invention in exercise
equipments. These balls catch every one's fancy because of
their shape and attractive colors.
Proform Elliptical Trainers Are Not For The Serious
Though many people seem to like their Proform ellipticals, these machines are found not to be very well built. They do just fine if you are not a serious or regular user.
Aerobic Equipment - Find The Best Deals On The Best Equipment
The benefits of aerobic exercise are well documented. Aerobic exercise is defined as any number of activities that use the large muscle groups and force the heart and lungs to work harder than while at rest.
Free Weights vs. Exercise Machines
Anyone who has ever been in a gym before is familiar with the gleaming banks of shiny exercise machines. Coming in all shapes and sizes, they are usually cause for the newcomer to the gym to pause and ask, "What IS all of that stuff?"Well, according to the price that the gym paid for any one piece of that equipment, I certainly hope that it not only stimulates your muscles, but also cooks your breakfast, washes your car, and brings the kids home from soccer practice! Now the question becomes whether or not those machines were worth the price, or if you'd be better off doing a home aerobics video with a can of soup in each hand?.
The Tunturi Elliptical Trainer
The Tunturi Elliptical is one of the lower end priced machines on the market. It comes with a longer warranty period than some other ellipicals, and seems to be a solidly built machine.
Whirlpool Baths: The Way To Good Health
For hundreds of years, mankind has recognised the soothing, remedial effects of bathing. Several decades ago the medical profession acknowledged the benefits of hydrotherapy and began to prescribe the use of whirlpool baths as an effective treatment of many common physical ailments, a course of action that is now often used in clinics and hospitals around the world.
Elliptical Trainers and Burning Calories
One of the most frequently asked questions is do the use of elliptical trainers help me burn calories compared to other cardio machines?With our busy schedules it is completely understandable that you want to get the most results for the time you spend working out.As you may know how many calories burned during a workout will vary depending upon your weight.
Why Use Treadmill Belt Lubricant?
Treadmill belt lubricant is one of the most important things to purchase after your treadmill. Most people do not realize just how important treadmill belt lubricant is, but when you think about it, it really is quite logical, as without good maintenance of your machine, it will demise quite rapidly.
Landice Treadmills - A Quick Review of the Landice Treadmill
If you're looking to buy a high end home treadmill (or a commercial grade treadmill) chances are you've heard the name 'Landice' thrown about quite a bit.That may leave you wondering 'Should I invest in a Landice treadmill?' Here's a quick review of Landice treadmills to help you decide.
Treadmill Lubrication
Treadmill Lubrication - Ya Gotta Grease The SkidsTreadmill lubrication on many treadmills is a necessary part of equipment maintenance and care. Failure to regularly lubricate the treadbelt will result in increased wear, substantially shortening its lifespan.
Home Exercise Equipment - Choosing the Proper Equipment For Your Workout Routine
The fitness industry has become big business as more and more people work out to get in shape. Many companies have gotten onboard the bandwagon, and the number of different types and brands of home exercise equipment available is amazing.
My Golden Gym
"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." -- Ann LandersA year ago, almost to the day, I had an epiphany while exercising at my local gym.
Why Treadmills?
Treadmills have experienced substantial growth over the years. They are designed to enhance the most popular form of exercising - running and walking.
Life Fitness Ellipticals are Among the Best
The Life Fitness company makes six different models. They are the Life Fitness Elliptical X3, the Life Fitness Elliptical X3i, the Life Fitness Elliptical X5, the Life Fitness Elliptical X5i, the Life Fitness Elliptical x9i, and the Life Fitness Elliptical Sports Cardio SX30.
Image Treadmills Are Designed for the Average Person in Mind
Image treadmills are distributed by Icon Health and Fitness, a large retail company that produces Reebok and Nordic Track. Although the Image name may not be as widely recognized, their equipment offers an extensive selection of features for an extremely reasonable price.
The Technology Behind Elliptical Cross Trainers Creates Unique Advantages and Benefits
The Technology Behind Elliptical Cross Trainers Creates
Unique Advantages and Benefits
The word elliptical means shaped like an oval.
In the world of fitness and exercise, elliptical technology is a
relatively new, innovative equipment design that draws on a smooth, elliptical
movement to provide a low impact form of weight bearing exercise that is fun and
easy to learn.
Developing a Fitness Attitude - A Healthy Weight Loss Program Approach
Exercise is Not a Four Letter WordIt's obvious that the word 'exercise' has more than four letters, but many of us will agree it sounds like a four-letter word.Indeed, many people feel so negatively about exercise, experts often advise using the term 'physical activity' instead.
Cheap Elliptical Trainers - What You Dont Know Can Cost You Big Time
Should you ever consider purchasing a cheap elliptical trainer?
It's my position that you should purchase the best elliptical trainer that your budget allows. The elliptical trainers that I recommend all retail above $1000.
Treadmills Prove Health Concerns Are No Longer An Excuse Not To Exercise
Walking has long been praised for its health benefits. It is a simple, easy workout that provides great results.
|
