 | Improving Your Life With Strength Training!
By Cameron McGarr CSCS
There seems to be some confusion in the fitness industry about fixed resistance machines that work one range of motion. For what ever reason there are people out there who believe machines are the way to go. This is just simply not true. There are about 10 reasons as to why training with machines is potentially dangerous and not the most effective form of strength training. A method known as functional training is far superior to training with machines. Functional training is a method that uses body weight, works in more than one range of motion, corrects imbalances and helps prevent injury. Machines do not reflect real life. They do not allow for the natural movement of the body, they are rigid and not flexible. A machine isolates muscles and joints. The body does not work this way, all muscles and joints work and speak to each other, they are integrated and need to be trained accordingly. Even if the movement pattern is close enough to the actual life like movement pattern the load is still not the same, it is artificial and thus the physiological system is confused. Resistance machines use a limited link action unlike the body which is an unlimited chain reaction. To put it simply, the confusing signals that are sent to the nervous system put you at an increased risk for injury. The whole purpose for training is to be healthier. If you are getting injured this defeats the purpose. These problems are magnified even further for athletes. Their bodies need to be trained in ways as similar to the sport as possible. Machines are as far away from that as you can get. Who cares how much weight an offensive lineman can push or pull on a resistance machine; if they can not transfer the force through the ground, their strength is useless. Another reason to do functional exercises using your own body weight instead of a machine is to burn more calories. Doing these types of exercises will use more muscles and therefore will burn more calories which is one of the main reasons many people exercise. More calories burned means more body fat burned!! Your goal with your physical activity program most likely is to improve your life or appearance in some way. Incorporating more functional exercises rather than fixed machines is a great way to do this and you will find that it will be easier for you to move throughout life whether it be picking up your groceries, getting into your big SUV or playing with your kids. These movements are all multidimensional, bodyweight movements and should be trained as such. That is why performing such exercises as a lunge, a step up or a squat will improve your quality of life and will burn more calories than sitting on a machine, which won't translate to your real life. | |
