4 inches of her hair got pressed between the weights. Fortunately, Liz and
other staff members were able to rectify the situation without giving the
woman a new hairstyle.
Most machines require little coordination; they basically hold your body in
position and guide you through the motion. Consider the shoulder-press
machine. You simply sit in a chair and push the handles up — all your effort
goes into lifting those handles. But if you’re shoulder pressing with a barbell
(defined in the “Free Weights” section later in this chapter), you not only have
to push the bar up but also have to keep it balanced and steady. Initially, your
arms may wobble back and forth. Even after you get the hang of it, the exercise
always requires a certain amount of balance and coordination.
You may come across one type of machine that does require coordination.
These “free-floating” machines look like regular weight machines, but the
levers don’t move in a fixed pathway. You have to control the motion so the
bar doesn’t wobble. These machines are designed to give machine users a
free-weight feel while retaining the safety aspect of machines. But we’re not
high on the concept. We think these machines are too complicated for begin-
ners and not very satisfying for advanced lifters. If an experienced lifter
wants the feel of free weights, he’ll likely prefer the real McCoy.
Another plus for traditional machines: They’re helpful for isolating a particular
muscle group. Isolatingis just gymspeak for zeroing in on one muscle (actually,
using a single joint in a motion) rather than getting several muscles or joints
into the act. This is helpful if you’re trying to correct a specific weakness. For
example, if your hamstrings (rear-thigh muscles) are underdeveloped, you can
use a machine that holds your whole body still while you bend your legs to
target your hamstrings. With free weights, you’ll have a harder time strengthen-
ing your hamstrings without working your front-thigh and butt muscles, too.
Finally, machines — at least those with weight stacks — let you get in a faster
workout with less stopping and starting to adjust the weights. Instead of
sliding weight plates on and off or removing free weights from the rack, you
simply place a pin in a hole and adjust the seat. If your gym has 10 or 12
machines grouped in a circle, square, or similar shape, you can move from
one right to the other, exercising your whole body in less than 20 minutes.
Typically, machines that work your larger muscle groups (chest, back, butt,
and thighs) come before machines that work your shoulders and arms.
The drawbacks of weight machines ................................................
You may want to stick to machines initially, but plan to mix in some free
weights after a month or two of working out two or three days a week.
Machine circuits can get pretty boring — for you and your muscles. You need
to stimulate your muscles with at least occasional changes in your workout.
Typically, a gym has only two or three machines for each muscle group; with
free weights, you can strengthen each muscle with dozens of exercises.
Chapter 13: Demystifying Strength Equipment 193