Something you need to keep in mind and never forget is that when you
exercise, you are training for life. You still may spend an hour a day
in the gym, although that will still leave another 23 hours or so for
your muscles to function without using any fancy equipment.
Whenever you do any type of exercise, the movement of your body during
the exercise is known as the range of motion. The more difficult the
range of motion is, the more effective the exercise will be, because
your body has to work twice as hard to perform the movement.
Take for the instance the classic dumbbell bicep curl. If you aren't
familiar with the exercise, it is performed by standing up straight
with your palms facing forward, and a pair of dumbbells held down by
your sides. You'll contract your biceps to bring the dumbbells up to
your shoulder height, then repeat the exercise as many times as you
wish.
Using that same movement for exercise on a bicep curl machine, you
should sit down, brace your upper arms on a pad, grasp 2 handles that
are in front of you, then perform the same movement as above to move
the handles in an upward motion.
Now, looking at the muscle contractions in this exercise, you are contracting
essentially your biceps if you are using the curl machine, and that
is pretty much all you are doing. When you use the machine you are sitting
down, which will limit just how much your shoulders give. The machine
has several muscles used in this exercise limited to the biceps, as
well as the muscles in your forearms and fingers.
Most of the time, when using machine weights, you will always be limited
as to what type of exercise you can perform. You must always follow
a strict procedure, which is pretty much the same with free weights.
Unlike free weights, machine weights offer a certain degree of resistance.
One of the best thing about free weights is the fact that you move
a little chuck around to select the weight you want to use. Instead
of dragging it over to your exercise area, you simply select it on the
machine. When you are tired during a workout, this can be a blessing.
A lot of people argue in the fact that free weights are the best for
your body. While this is normally true, many people out there feel that
machine weights are the best. There are pros and cons with both machines,
although free weights have been around a lot longer and have been proven
time after time to achieve dramatic results.
Body builders for example, have used free weights over the years to
build very impressive bodies. If you ask most of them about machine
weights, they would probably laugh at you and tell you that you need
to quit joking around.
In a nutshell, free weights will use more of your muscles than the
machines do, which makes them more effective overall. This doesn't mean
that the machines are a waste of use, as they offer some great advantages.
In some cases, it is best to stabilize the muscles that are being used
in a movement, which is where machines are the best to use.
The decision on which to use for you should be based on what you hope
to achieve with lifting weights and where you plan to use the equipment,
such as home or at a gym. Both systems are great for your body, although
the free weights are best to use if you want the best possible workout,
and always ensure that your muscles are getting the right workouts they
need.
