Free Weights vs. Machines

Free weights vs. Machines

with Dr. MaryAnne

With all of the gyms out there, from CrossFit to Curves, and exercise options from at-home videos to kettlebell training classes, its hard these days to define what is the best workout and what is recommended across the board as far as fitness and health goes.  I’ve gotten many questions about this, and its difficult as a healthcare provider to identify what is best for each individual without knowing their physical and medical history, but if I had to give one answer it would this: 

The best workout is one that is a combination of the following components:

1.     Safe.

2.     Effective.

3.     Makes you feel good.

4.     Gives you a better physical advantage when you leave than you had when you went in.  

We are going to be doing a series of comparison blogs that give you benefits and disadvantages of different training styles.  The goal of these articles are to provide information so that people can make educated decisions about their workouts and to give insight and ideas to those designing their own fitness plans.

The first comparison I’d like to focus on is the question of whether to use free weights or machines at the gym.  To a typical person heading into their local 24-Hour workout facility, the multitude of options can be overwhelming and people tend to stay within their comfort zone when they choose what to use, especially because there are other people around.  (God forbid I don’t know how to use this new machine, the meatheads in the corner are watching!)  So let’s get out of the comfort zone and start making some real progress with your workouts!

 

So here’s my thought on machines:  Use sparingly, if even at all.  Let’s think about this for a second.  When, in daily life, do you sit on a seat and specifically require the deltoids to press weight directly above your head in a linear direction as is seen with the shoulder press?  Or, when do you sit at a chair and need to extend your legs straight out in front of you with weight as seen with the leg extension machine? (I am not even going to start with the conversation about how those exercises wreck absolute havoc on the joints involved!)  The answer is never.  So, not only are they not safe for the joints involved, but they aren’t effective and don’t give you any physical advantage.  So why do them?  Machines were designed to isolate different muscle groups so that, by doing repetitions on the machines, you can specifically tone and build those muscles.  Sounds great for someone who is about to compete in a bodybuilding competition, but unless you need to differentiate in public your four different quad muscles, this doesn’t pose any physical advantage.  For the regular person, they will reap many more benefits from introducing a more functional workout into their regimen. 

So, how can you introduce more functional movement into your workouts?  Well, first of all it’s going to require a paradigm shift in the way some look at “weights.”  It’s time to stop looking at the multitude of machines in the center of the gym and look to the periphery, where there (likely) are stacks of free weights that can range from dumbbells to weighted bars, to medicine balls and kettlebells.  For most, it will take learning how to use them and incorporate them into your sets.  First though, let’s address the why.  Properly utilizing free weights gives the amazing opportunity to add balance to the equation, which will require activation of the core.  The core is not something to just work for 15 minutes at the end of your workout.  It’s essential for ALL MOVEMENT!  And the core is not designed to create motion as you would think by how people tend to “workout their abs.” (Another example of wrecking havoc on your joints…for another blog!)  It’s designed to stop motion and control and stabilize the trunk of the body during movement.  Any time you can adapt an exercise to include the core, it will exponentially progress your function. 

What do I mean by adapt to include the core?  Well think about how you can make the moves you plan to do more functional and applicable to your life.  Instead of doing bench-style presses with dumbbells on a bench, do them on a physioball.  Instead of doing rows while you are relaxed on an incline, do bent over rows with the lumbar spine neutral (aka not flexed forward) and core active.  Want a full body workout?  Take a kettlebell lesson or class from an RKC or StrongFirst-trained kettlebell instructor, and incorporate those movements into your workouts.  You can also use an unstable surface such as a foam pad or even as challenging as a BOSU ball.  All of these will allow for you to get more out of your workouts, but here’s the kicker: to be safe, you MUST have proper form.  This isn’t about how many you can do or how long you can go.  If you don’t have the proper movement, you won’t get the benefit of any exercise.  The lumbar spine MUST be neutral and not be flexed while engaging the core otherwise you are setting yourself up for disc failure as well as propagating dysfunctional movement patterns.  And above all, if there is a questionable movement in your exercise regimen or one that causes you pain….don’t do it.  Take responsibility for your body and your health, and find a qualified health care professional to evaluate potential injury risk and to help you achieve your physical goals safely.

Questions? Email me at drma@maxperformchiro.com or find us on Facebook by clicking here!