I ran across the Q&A article below on T-mag and it
explains why free-weights are better than machines;
take it for what it’s worth…
Q: I always used a weight machine to bench press, but
I want to start using free weights. Any tips?
A: Hmm. I think I read another version of this
question in “The Playboy Advisor” once. It went, “I’ve
always used a rubber vagina I got from an ad in the
back of Hustler for sex, but I want to start sticking
my weinie in a real-live snatch. Any tips?” But
seriously, folks, it’s a legitimate question.
The fact is, nobody should start out on machines,
unless they’re 70-years old and arthritic. Many health
club chains and thousands of personal trainers start
novices out on machine circuits. The only benefits are
to the clubs and the trainers. It’s fast to shuttle
members and clients from one machine to another, and
very low-risk from a liability standpoint. You don’t
have to worry about putting weights on and off bars,
or transporting dumbbells around. There’s very little
risk of injury, at least in the short term.
If you read Paul Chek’s article, Pattern Overload, you
know that machines have the disadvantage of
overloading the same exact movement pattern each time
you use them. There’s never any deviation from the set
“track” that you use on that particular machine. Over
time, this can lead to debilitating injuries in the
knees, rotator cuff, and elbows. So much for machines
being safer than free weights!
Another problem with starting out on machines is that
you never learn any balance and coordination. The
instability of free weights is what makes them more
difficult. It’s why a 200-pound barbell row is much
harder than a 200-pound cable row, and it’s much
easier to perform lat pulldowns with the equivalent of
your bodyweight than it is to do chin-ups. Free
weights are the core of resistance training. Machines
are an excellent augmentation once the beginner phase
is over and the trainer has mastered the basic
exercises like the squat, bench press, deadlift, row,
and dip.
Starting out on machines is like learning advanced
conjugations of French verbs without even knowing the
basics of the language first. A good personal trainer
who isn’t trying to rush a hundred clients through the
gym in a day will take the time to teach the basic
free weight movements. Everyone should begin training
with free weights for at least the first year if they
truly want to improve size and strength. If someone
tries to tell you differently, look at his or her
motivations for doing so.
Finally, I’ve received e-mails from people accusing me
of ripping apart letters to every other magazine but
T-mag. In compliance with the Fairness in Blasting
Magazine Advice Columns Act of 1986, this comes from
Ian King’s “Heavy Metal” in paper issue number three
of Testosterone.
