As a rule, bodybuilders prefer working out with free weights as opposed to exercise machines. The reasons for this are many, but probably the most important is that with free weights you can more effectively move the weights in a manner dictated by the muscles to get the results desired. With a machine exercise you are locked into one pathway that limits your ability to change the movement pattern. In addition, balance plays a very important role in bodybuilding and is involved when doing free weight exercises. It is not a factor when using exercise machines. In your travels there are times when you may end up in a hotel in which the exercise room contains only exercise machines. To get in a workout you must use the machines. Thus it is necessary to know how to get the most out of them.
In most gyms beginners are usually placed on exercise machines until they develop sufficient strength and basic exercise technique to tackle free weights. Beginners can of course begin with free weights, but in most gyms, adequate instruction is not available. As a result, you must usually workout on your own without assistance. In such cases exercises machines are used since they are relatively easy to use, and are relatively safe. Also there are usually ample directions on how to do the various exercises. Bodybuilders also incorporate exercise machines into their total workout for particular effects. For example, when you are supersetting or are experiencing fatigue, safety becomes a factor when using free weights. Thus, for the last set or two, you can use a machine exercise to completely deplete the muscle of energy and yet be safe in case anything happens during execution. Exercise machines also become important when doing drop sets or negatives, especially when you do not have a partner present. Knowing how to use exercise machines to their best advantage can be advantageous in your workouts.
However, although exercise machines are usually touted as being very safe, many have the potential for injury. The key factor is usually adjustment of the machine for effective execution or using the machine in a manner that does not stress the joints allows you to do the exercise correctly. Keep in mind that most machines are made for the average person. If you are taller and bigger, or much smaller than average, you may have great difficulty in properly positioning yourself on the machine in order to do the exercise safely and effectively. To assist you in your workout, following are some tips on how you should use the various exercise machines to give you almost a total body workout. In general, most exercise machines cannot target all the muscles of the body especially the smaller or minor ones. Only free weights can do this.
Lower Body Machine Exercises
1. Calf Raise There are both standing and seated exercise machines to work the calf muscles. Most important in using these machines is to make sure that the shoulder pads are fully on your shoulders and that you stand with the resistance pads directly over your feet. In the seated calf raise, the resistance pad should be on your lower thighs, directly over the feet. On both machines, it is important that the heel be free to move through a full range of motion.
2. Leg Extension Leg extension is a good exercise when done through the latter range of motion. In other words, start with the knee at a 90 degree angle, and then straighten the leg, but do not lock out, except if the weight is relatively light. Because the thigh is firmly stabilized in this exercise, this exercise has the potential for injury in the knee joint because of the high stress created in the knee. The forces can cause injury to the soft tissues and thus, this exercise should be used sparingly.
3. Leg Curl There are two common variants of the leg curl, a lying face-down variant, and a seated one. Of the two, the seated version is more effective mainly because the upper ends of the hamstring muscles are placed on stretch to create a stronger contraction when you bend the knee. In the lying variant, you should use an angled bench to raise the hips, placing the hip joint in slight flexion, giving you a stronger contraction at the knee. It also makes the exercise safer as it eliminates excessive arching of the back. Be sure that the knee be free of support so that there is no knee pressure against the pads.
4. The Squat It is possible to find standing and lying squat machines. In the standing variant you place the shoulders under the resistance pads and then execute a squat, similar to what is done on the Smith Machine. In both cases it is important that you place the feet in front of the line of resistance, so that when you go into the squat, your spine (torso) will be erect, and the knees will not go beyond the base of support. This makes it a safe exercise. Keeping the feet directly under the resistance pads forces you to push the knees too far forward and can cause you to lean forward and round the back, which can be injurious. A similar situation exists with the hack squat in which the resistance is directly behind the body as opposed to being directly over the body. In this variant it is also important that the feet be approximately a foot in front of the support pads so that your torso can remain basically erect as you go through the full range of motion and maintain a safe angle in the knee joint. To eliminate stress on the lower back, there are some lying versions of the squat. Most important in these machines is to not allow the resistance foot platform to drive the knees very close to the chest. You should start with the feet against the resistance platform so that there is a 90 degree angle in the knee and hip joints. From this position you fully extend the legs to push the body away. The feet are usually placed somewhat higher than normal in order to maintain the 90 degree angles in the knee and hips. This positioning is also more conducive to involvement of the gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles in addition to the quadriceps.
5. The Leg Press The leg press is often considered a free weight exercise but it can also be a machine exercise depending upon how it is constructed. Regardless of its classification, it is mentioned here because of its very high potential for injury, especially to the lower back. In the leg press, rather than the upper body being in motion, only the legs are in action. You typically assume a seated position of approximately 45 degrees to the horizontal with your legs up against a resistance platform. You then extend the legs to push the resistance away from you and then return to the initial position and repeat. The key to safety in this exercise is to not allow the knees to come close to the chest. When this happens there is excessive rounding of the back and when heavy weights are used, the potential for injury to the lower back is very high. The key is to bring the legs back so that there is approximately a 90 degree angle in the knee joint, and then push the resistance platform back to the fully extended leg position. The seated variety of the leg press is more comfortable but the lying flat on your back version is often safer.
6. Hip Abduction To use the hip abduction machine you must assume a seated position with the legs almost perpendicular to the trunk. From this position you push the legs out to the sides against resistance. Because the hip joint is basically at a 90 degree angle, you can get irritation of the muscles in the hip joint when you execute the movement. Much more effective and safer is to have a straight body position when you execute the hip abduction. However, if you do use the seated version, you should not use extremely heavy weights, which may exacerbate the problem.
7. Hip Adduction The hip adduction machine is similar to the abduction machine in that you assume basically the same seated position with the legs apart and then push them together against resistance. Because of the seated position, you do not have a straight-line pull of the muscle, and if you have an extremely wide leg position the chances of injuring or straining the adductor muscles is increased. Thus, use this machine sparingly and then with relatively light resistance.
Mid-section Machine Exercises
8. Abdominal (Crunch) Machines The key to effective use of the abdominal machine is to have correct positioning so that the axis of rotation is in the lumbar area of the spine. This is needed to ensure a sufficient range of motion to fully tax the muscles. Most machines have handles to grip so that you can forcefully flex and pull down the shoulders in order to engage the abdominals against more resistance. Be sure to hang to stretch out the lumbar spine (as with the Back-stretch strap) when done to regain the normal curvature of the spine.
9. Back Extension The back extension machine in which you push back against a resistance roller pad placed against the upper back is effective for developing stabilization strength of the lower back muscles. The axis of rotation in these exercises is typically in the hip joint so that there is little movement in the lumbar area. This is why you do not develop strength of the erector spinae through the full range of motion as you do in the back raise on a Roman chair or the Yessis Back Machine. Do not arch the back when doing machine back extensions as it may create excessive pressure on the discs.
10. Abdominal Twisting These machines can be effective for development of the internal and external obliques; however, you must be careful that you correctly position the body. If you sit too far forward you may use the erector spinae for the twisting rather than the abdominal obliques. Be sure you have the right axis of rotation so that when you turn forward with one shoulder, the other shoulder does not go to the rear which may indicate use of the lower back muscles. In addition the machines should allow for slight flexion of the spine as you go through the full range of motion. This is a natural consequence when rotating forward. To ensure good trunk positioning be sure that the resistance pads are chest high.
Upper Body Machine Exercises
11. Biceps When using most of the common biceps machines to isolate the muscles you must usually place the upper arms against a support pad when you do the exercise. In so doing, the elbow pushes against the pad as you curl the resistance upward. This can place stress on the elbow. Whenever possible, have the elbow free of support when you execute the exercise. In addition, do not lean too far forward to place your arms. This gives the biceps greater slack, which results in less muscle tension.
12. Triceps On most triceps machines the back of the arms are placed against a support pad to stabilize the arm and thus isolate the elbow extension movement similar to what occurs when doing the overhead triceps cable extension. It is important that the elbow be free of support, so that you do not push into the pad with the elbow during the movement. This can place great stress on the olecranon process, an extension of the upper arm bone. Also the axis of the machine should line up with the axis of the elbow. Some triceps machines are similar to the dip exercise. In this case, instead of having isolation of the triceps muscle as in the other variants, you also involve shoulder joint flexion so that the exercise becomes a compound movement. It can still be a good exercise even though you do not isolate the triceps.
13. Shoulder (Deltoid) There are typically two types of shoulder machines; the lateral arm raise, and the overhead press. Of the two, the overhead press is preferred, mainly because you can go through a full range of motion, ie, from a seated or standing position, you press the resistance bar completely overhead. Be sure that you can fully straighten the arms. When using the lateral arm raise machine, you are limited to only half the range of motion. You typically begin with the elbows close to the sides of the body and only raise them until the upper arms are level. This does not work the deltoid muscle through its full range of motion, as does the overhead press.
14. Chest There are two common machines for the chest: the chest press and the pec-deck, also known as the flye. In the chest press exercise it is important that you adjust the seat so that when you grasp the handles of the resistance bar, they will be shoulder or slightly below shoulder level. The key is to make sure that the arms travel in straight line or in a slight upward or downward pattern. Also the arms should not be positioned too far behind the body in the starting position, as this can be stressful to the shoulder. In the pec-deck exercise, seat adjustment is critical for safe execution. When you place the forearms against the resistance pads, it is important that the upper arms be in line with the shoulders. In addition, the elbows should not be found all the way to the rear when getting positioned, especially when heavy weights are used. Not only does this cause stretch marks but it can stress and injure the soft tissues of the shoulder. When doing repetitions be sure to bring the arms as close together as possible in the end position and back to the in-line with the shoulders position on the return. Go further back only if you have the prerequisite strength and flexibility in this range of motion.
15. Back One of the most common exercise machines for the back is the reverse pec-deck. The key to safe and effective execution is to make sure that your seat is adjusted properly so that when you grasp the handles and pull back, the arms are in line with the shoulders. You should be able to pull well behind the level of the back with slightly bent or straight arms.
Also fairly common in many gyms are anti-gravity machines in which you can duplicate the pull-up or lat pulldown movement which work mainly the latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles of the back. These machines are good in that you can reduce the amount of resistance to enable you to execute the number of repetitions needed with the right amount of intensity. Doing a free weight pull-up is extremely difficult for most people.
The workout routines on machines should be similar to those with free weights in regard to the numbers of sets and repetitions. In essence, you should work out on the machines the same as you would with the free weights. This is especially true if you also combine free weight exercises into your routine. If you are a beginner, use the machines when you cannot get good instruction in the use of free weights. For experienced bodybuilders, use of the machine exercises is important when doing heavy duty exercises in a fatigue state or when greater isolation is needed of a particular muscle. However, keep in mind that not all machines are perfectly safe. They must be capable of being adjusted to fit your body size to have effective execution of the exercise. If they cannot be adjusted correctly in regard to positioning and range of motion, the machines can be quite dangerous. Thus, care must also be exerted when using exercise machines. When used correctly and safely, they can be an important adjunct to your training.