Mythbusters: Are machines safer then free weights?

Fitness Myth: Machines are always a safer way to exercise
By Kevin Weston on Feb 07 in Blog, Exercise, Weight Loss

This is the third installment in a series of short articles addressing common misconceptions in the world of fitness. Stay tuned for other additional articles that may help you be better informed and educated concerning a variety of exercise related topics. If you have a fitness question, please submit it on our contact page.

At first glance, using an exercise machine may seem like the logical choice for beginners starting a resistance program. However, many times people assume that the machines they see at the gym that allow only one type of movement, (‘triceps machine’ for example), will automatically allow them to do the exercise correctly every time. This is only true if the machine is properly adjusted for your height and body size. Since exercise machines are used by many people of multiple shapes and sizes, if you don’t know how to make the appropriate adjustments, there is a good chance you could be doing more harm than good in the long run.

Another downside to using a machine, especially if you are beyond the beginning stages of a fitness program, is that standard exercise machines are not very functional. By functional, I mean the mode of doing the exercise is not very applicable to everyday life. Since when do you sit in a seat at home or at work and push a heavy weight above your head or out in front of you on a daily basis? Probably not very often.

Functional fitness seeks to train the movements of the body rather than just isolate different muscle groups—this helps to make the exercises more beneficial to a person’s lifestyle. Using this functional approach, one can increase their range of motion, flexibility and overall mobility while still producing gains in overall strength. Of course machines can play a valuable role in any exercise program, just be sure that it isn’t the only tool you utilize and that you mix it up with other modes of training. Examples of other modes are using free weights (dumbbells), balance / stabilization exercises, yoga and anything else that is safe and will challenge your body in a way that isn’t totally predictable.

If you feel that some of these components are confusing or over your head, it might be wise to seek the guidance of a credible health & fitness professional. If the professional is legitimate, you will not feel obligated or pressured into any of their services that you are not wanting or feel you do not need. A simple jump-start type program will probably do the trick to get you onto the right track and into an effective resistance training program.