• November 22, 2021

Free Weight Machines Vs: Which Are Better For Lean Guys?

First, machines are not more secure, especially Smith machines. Here’s a great quote I found on Paul Chek’s forums:


People have pattern overload when using the Smith machine. The more fixed the object, the more likely it is to develop pattern overload. This is due to the fact that fixed path training repeatedly loads the same muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints in the same pattern, fostering micro-trauma that eventually leads to injury. If Johnny Lunchpail always uses a Smith machine for his bench presses, he ends up working the same prime mover fibers in the bench press all the time: triceps brachii, pectoralis major, long head of biceps, anterior deltoid, and serratus anterior. But you cannot change the path, the bar will always be in the same position. This commonly leads to chronic injuries over time. The weight stabilizes for you. However, the joints operate in multiple planes. The use of the Smith machine greatly decreases the activity of the stabilizer. That creates a problem when the trainee returns to free weight training. When that happens, the student is exposed to the three-dimensional environment called real life.

Also, when you exercise with machines, you lift more weight and appear to be stronger. But in reality you are not. When it comes time to pick up the couch or push a car in real life, you might be surprised … and not in a pleasant way. Not to mention that we as skinny are already a little weaker than everyone else (it sucks, but we have to accept this fact and break our asses to make ourselves stronger). So a second point against machines is that they don’t include stabilizer muscles in training and that’s why you can lift more and you’re not as strong as you could be if you were training with free weights.

So the reasons free weights RULE are:

1. Trained stabilizer muscles, this means more strength, better balance in real life

2. More micro muscle trauma, this means better gains because your body is better challenged by the exercises.

3. The best exercises like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, barbell rows, bench press are performed with free weights

4. Allow more variation in range of motion

But this doesn’t mean that you can’t use machines at all … not necessarily. Adding leg presses to squats, lunges, and straight leg deadlifts is good. They give your quads a good workout. But this is just an additional exercise and should in no way replace free weight exercises.

So definitely choose free weights over machines when possible. This will help you grow bigger and stronger and get that beach body faster!

Health,

Adrian

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *