 |
|
|
|
Men's Health | Women's Health | Children's Health | Elder Health Holistic Health | Healthy Heart | Cancer | Weight Loss Exercise & Fitness | Healthy Resources | HOME PAGE Health Club 101 DIRECT Natural Supplements | HGH Energizer | Eazol Natural Pain Relief | Revitol Cellulite Solution IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Menopause Symptoms Relief | Insomnia Sleeping Aid Articles & Information Medicine | Nutrition | Exercise | Fitness Equipment | Pregnancy Bodybuilding Supplements | Weight Loss | Breast Cancer | Diabetes Category Site Map |
 |
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 fingersCost: 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:
Men's Health
|
Women's
Health |
Children's
Health |
Elder
Health
Medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Sheep Treadmills The term sheep treadmills refers nowadays to the exercise devices designed to keep a farmer's sheep in good health. In 1990 inventor Victor Tribelhorn came up with the concept of sheep treadmills for conditioning and exercising a large number of sheep at the same time. Recumbent Exercise Bikes - Advantages There are so many exercise bikes available that it's easy to be overwhelmed. Spinning bikes, stationary bikes, dual action bikes, and recumbent bikes are probably some of the terms you've heard. 5 Ways To Get The Most From Your Home Gym A home gym can help you build muscle, produce an attractive body, rev up a sluggish metabolism and shave years off your age.If you choose wisely, you'll have all the tools you need to accomplish these goals (and more). Start Moving With Manual Treadmills Although manual treadmills are much cheaper than motorized treadmills, and are quite popular, they do not have many of the features that people like to see on their exercise equipment. You do get a good workout from manual treadmills, but you also have to supply all the power needed to get them going. Home Is Where the Gym Is - Tips For Setting Up Your Home Gym Tips For Setting Up Your Home GymCall them fitness centers, health clubs or whatever terminology you choose, they have come a long way in the past decade. Some are glamorous and high tech; some are comfortable and low-key. 6 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Personal Trainer Once reserved only for the rich and famous, personal fitness training has hit the mainstream. A personal trainer is now as common as a pair of good cross trainers and a water bottle. How to Shop for a Treadmill Treadmills have become the hottest home exercise choice. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, treadmill sales have exceeded those of all other home exercise equipment. 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 Treadmills? Treadmills have experienced substantial growth over the years. They are designed to enhance the most popular form of exercising - running and walking. The Reebok Elliptical - A Brief Review When considering the Reebok Elliptical for your workout, there are a few things that you should be aware of.The Reebok elliptical is a fairly large machine with mostly independent parts. Horizon Elite Treadmills Horizon Elite treadmills, a series of high quality fitness products, are manufactured by Horizon Fitness of DeForest Wisconsin. Horizon Elite treadmills are extremely durable, high-end performers created with the committed athlete in mind. The Epic T60 Treadmill Rocks The Epic T60 treadmill, an economical choice for both running and walking exercise, is available only to Costco members. This members-only discount warehouse retail specialist has locations all over the globe - 37 U. Picking Your Home Gym Equipment When you are picking out the equipment that you are going to use to build your new home gym there are several things that you will want to consider.First, you will want to decide how you are you going to build your home gym. Heart Rate Monitors - an Overview A heart rate monitor is a device that allows users of exercise machines to check their heart rate whilst training. It usually consists of two elements, a wrist receiver and a chest strap. Cracked Up Glossary Of Common Gym Terms If you've ever had occasion to visit a gym, you've no doubt heard people talking about "feeling the burn" and "pumping up." But did you ever wonder what people were really saying? Here are some common terms and phrases that will help you to learn what is really going on in the gym. Monitor Your Way to a Healthy Heart and Better Body Of the many fitness-oriented pieces of equipment available today, one the most effective is also one of the least understood. A heart rate monitor, however, is not a complicated device. How to Buy A Treadmill - Key Points Finding the best treadmill to buy shouldn't be a difficultthing to do. Treadmills have long been touted as a majorplayer in the health and fitness field and for good reason. How To Build A $100 Home Gym That Delivers Results So you want to save valuable time traveling to the gym by building your ownhome gym. Do to the long hours worked, and strenuous commutes,more and more people are opting to squeeze there workouts in by exercisingin the comfort of their own homes. Create Your Own Fitness Center with Home Exercise Equipment! If joining a fitness center is not for you, and you're not the outdoors-y type, home exercise equipment is a smart choice for staying fit. Before you buy, you should do your homework in order to prevent your new exercise machine from becoming an over-sized clothes hanger. Inexpensive Exercise Machine Gets The Results Of A $12,000 Treadmill Whether you're on a low carb diet or a low fat diet, its important to exercise if you want to accelerate your weight loss while dieting.Would you be interested, to find a piece of inexpensive exercise equipment that could help you achieve the same results you'd see from a $12,000 treadmill? My answer to that question was sure, but its probably just hype for one of those TV gimmicks that don't really work.
|
|
home | site map Men's Health | Women's Health | Children's Health | Elder Health Holistic Health | Healthy Heart | Cancer | Weight Loss Exercise & Fitness | Healthy Resources |
|
|
