Learn about some common misconceptions about machines that prevent people from getting the fitness results they want in the timeframe they want, and why free weights can lead to reduced strength gains and a higher risk of injury.
Spoiler alert: You’re not going to find any free weights at any of The Exercise Coach locations and for good reason. There is a significant strength training advantage to using machines over free weights and it has to do with the purpose of exercise.
The results we want from exercise are muscle and neurological adaptations, and that happens when we expose the body to the right type of muscle loading for the right length of time. You can get those results from free weights, but they come with tradeoffs, whereas machines minimize what you need to learn so you can focus on what matters most.
Your body doesn’t know or care if you’re lifting a dumbbell, or you’re working on a weight machine, or an isokinetic high-tech strength machine, lifting a bag of dirt, or bodyweight exercises. It all has to do with muscle activation and fatigue.
The Exercise Coach uses machines because it helps people focus and feel confident in what they are doing without having to worry about the risk of injury. Using a machine will position yourself specifically to do that exercise. You won’t have to worry about the variables and skills associated with using free weights.
Research shows that high intensity strength training is safe for anyone and targets what matters most, which is age-related skeletal muscle loss. When we effectively and optimally work our muscles, every system of the body gets better as well.
Using biomechanically correct machines is the easiest way to introduce people to high-intensity strength training. Many of the conventional exercise methods don’t make it possible for the vast majority of people to safely and confidently engage with high level strength training.
One of the objections that people will bring up against using machines has to do with stabilizer muscles, but it’s actually an argument against free weights. The requirement of balancing free weights prevents you from actually applying the optimal stimulus to your muscles. Every muscle in the body can act as a stabilizer muscle. Machines can help you target those muscles directly, instead of relying on free weight exercises to hit them as a side effect.
There is no such thing as muscles specific to real world applications. There are just muscles. The Exercise Coach clients often report back that they have noticed that everyday activities like carrying the groceries or golfing get so much easier, which are great examples of how strength changes everything.
People don’t want to spend a lot of time at the gym, and they don’t have to. With a science-based approach to strength training, people can get the results that matter most to them in brief and safe training sessions.
Make TODAY the day to start on that road to better health and fitness! Let our caring and knowledgeable Certified Coaches get you started. Call, text, or visit us online for your complimentary Initial Consultation and 2 FREE Sessions! (480) 716-6080 or visit the website exercisecoach.com\north-mesa.