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!

Q&A with Dr. D: Why are stabilizing muscles important?

Last month I was asked to answer a few questions for a outdoor activities magazine on the East Coast, and I thought that my response would make a great first blog post as it could be very beneficial for anyone, not just people who run and hike.  

"Why are stabilizing muscles important?" 

 

First, lets name the muscles that I would consider "Primary" Stabilizers: Internal and External Obliques, Quadratus Lumborum, Rectus Abdominis, the Erector Spinae group (the low back extensors), Transverse Abdominis,  Multifidus, and the most important of them all the Diaphragm. There are other muscles that I would consider to be part of the "Core", but for the sake of the article we will focus on these. The reason diaphragmatic (belly) breathing is so important is that during activity (or even everyday task) if an individual is not using their diaphragm to breath, and they are using the secondary muscles to breath, they are truly not maximizing their lung capacity which will decrease their performance. Also, if an individual is using the secondary muscles to breath, and are what we call "Apical Breathers", dysfunction tends to arise in the neck and shoulder regions. A proper breath would have the belly button go out and down with an expansion of the lower torso in 360 degrees. 

Now someone may ask, how do I strengthen the muscle you just named, Doc? My answer would be you DO NOT want to strengthen them first! The key is to create ENDURANCE in the muscle BEFORE strength! This could not be more beneficial to the population that are avid hikers especially when talking about the low back extensor group. Having the ability to hold your upright posture for long grueling walks or hikes is very important in avoiding injury. A great exercise for this is called the Bird-Dog (YouTube: McGill Bird-Dog for example). This may look like a wimpy exercise at first, but once the movement is correct it creates a high contraction of the muscles that are aimed and it keeps a low load on the other tissues of the low back to help decrease injury. An exercise I would stay away from is the Roman Chair exercise. This should only be done with VERY high level athletes and the research shows that the compression it places on the spine is more injurious than beneficial.
 

The Quadratus Lumborum is very important for carrying heavy loads. A great way to train this muscle is with the side plank. The key is to create endurance, so holding for time is important. DO NOT drop your pelvis to the floor and raise up during this exercise, this is a static exercise. A more advanced way of training this muscle is doing an asymmetric farmer’s walk or performing a suitcase carry. You have to make sure you do not have any issues with a disc herniation or other spinal injuries before performing this exercise with weight. 

Moving on to the remaining muscles of the core (Internal and External Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominis). These muscles are made to STOP motion and TRANSMIT force NOT create it!!! Training these muscles while putting the spine through a range of motion is really a poor training practice. I know this goes against most peoples thinking on abdominal and core training but the research shows that your typical exercises,  full curl-ups, sit-ups, Russian twist, leg lifts, etc., put an unreal amount of unnecessary load on the spine and its tissues more specifically the lumbar disc. When the spine is flexed forward repeatedly or twisted repeatedly the lumbar disc will be damaged. Now if you put the spine through these ranges of motion and add load (weight) the disc will damage even sooner! Instead of the typical core exercises try exercises that have a low pressure on the spine like planks, side planks, stir the pot on a Swiss Ball, and the McGill Curl-up. All of these place less pressure on the spine and there is still a very high contraction of the targeted muscles. There are also more advanced exercises that still have low pressure on the spine and you can contact me for them if you want.

My next point is very important for your readers. If they have been told to "draw in your stomach" (AKA Abdominal Hollowing) before they lift, run, or perform any task DO NOT DO THIS!!!! This decreases performance and spinal stability. This belief that Abdominal Hollowing will help the individual is false and anyone who says otherwise needs a slap on the wrist. All research shows that Abdominal Bracing, 360 degree stiffening of the core (as if you are about to take a punch to the gut), is the most beneficial to a person before they perform a lift (like a heavy pack!). This topic good a lot deeper. Contact me if interested. 

Thanks for reading, and again contact me for more information on stabilizing muscles and how these concepts can apply to your every day life:

Email me: drd@maxperformchiro.com

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