Consider the lying leg curl, a popular hamstring machine. You lie flat on your
stomach and then bend your knees until your heels approach your rear end.
This exercise does a nice job of focusing on your hamstrings, but when in real
life do you lie on your stomach and kick yourself in the butt? (Actually, we
have relatives who do this when they throw tantrums, but apparently they
don’t need to train for them.) Some experts believe you’re better off strength-
ening your hamstrings with exercises such as squatting, a motion you use
often in daily life, like when you pick up a heavy box. Because each has its
advantages, we recommend doing both free-weight and machine exercises.
One final reason to venture beyond machines: You can’t take ’em with you.
If you’re on vacation and your hotel gym has nothing more than a pile of
dumbbells, you need to know what to do with them. Don’t give yourself
another excuse to blow off a workout.
Special tips for machines .................................................................
Don’t let weight machines scare you. Use the following tips to look like an old
pro next time you go to the gym:
Make the adjustments.Don’t just hop on a machine and start pumping
away. If the last guy who used it was a foot taller than you are, you may
find yourself suspended in midair in the middle of the exercise.To adjust a machine, you usually have to pull out a pin, shift the seat up
or down, and then reinsert the pin. Adjusting the seat is a hassle at first,
but if you don’t do it, you set yourself up for an injury. Also, you cheat
yourself out of a good workout. For instance, if you don’t adjust the
biceps-curl machine correctly, you may compensate by using your back
muscles, thereby defeating the purpose of the exercise.
Let a trainer show you how to adjust each machine to fit your body. In
general, line up the joint that you’re trying to move (your knees, for
example) with the joint of the machine that’s moving. You shouldn’t
have to strain in any way to do the movement. If you begin to feel any
discomfort, particularly in your joints, stop the exercise and readjust the
set or position, as needed.Check the weight stack before you lift.Never begin the exercise with-
out checking where the pin has been inserted. If someone has rackedthe
machine (put the pin all the way on the bottom so the entire weight
stack is captured), either your eyes are going to pop out of your head or
you’re going to be mighty embarrassed when you can’t budge it. When
you first learn to use a machine, write down the weight and seat adjust-
ment (“leg extension: 30 lbs., second setting”) on a card or in a workout
log. Carry these notes with you and update them regularly.Chapter 13: Demystifying Strength Equipment 195