Machines Are NOT Just For Beginners!?!

 

Machines have a benefit for everyone from profesional athlete to complete beginner.  Some athletes I have trained seem to think they are beyond machines and give me this funny look when I instruct them to do an exercise on them.  Almost like they think they are too advanced for them  There is really a reason to my madness, believe it or not!  Read on to fine out why!
    Well I think we can all agree that free-weights are beneficial to build up body awareness, balance, stability and most importantly strengthen your stabilizers muscles which is needed for any sport.  However there is a point where the stabilizers muscles become overworked!  Especially in programs for high level athletes where the volume and intensity of programs is quite high.  This is where machines come into play.  You see when going through a resistance training program these stabilizer muscles fatiques ALOT faster then the primary movers.  So if you keep going with free-weights after these primary movers are fatiqued they will become overtrained and increase the risk of injury.  So by switching to machines they will get a break.  By no means am I saying too only use machines and ditch free-weights. 
    Lets put this into simpler terms, say we are a football player which everyone know needs a lot of leg strength.  We are at the gym training legs.  We have just done 4 or 5 sets of heavy squats with free weights.  Now we move onto some heavy stationary lunges with some free weights. Next we blast the hamstrings with some still legged deadlifts with a free weight barbeall for 4 heavy sets.  By this time the quads and hamstrings are tired but not done yet.  However all these exercise use the spine erectors muscles( muscles that stabilize the lower back) .  We can all agree by looking at them that these muscles are by far smaller than the quads, glutes and hamstrings.  Now wouldnt it make sense after all the previous exercise to give them a break, maybe finish the legs off on a leg press, hack squat or even some leg extentions and curls?  I would prefer this choice over injuring my lower back! 
    Machines also come into place to work around injuries, I myself have a right shoulder that gives me a lot of problems.  This injury was not from training but from swimming competively when I was younger.  The Muscles in my rotator cuff were overworked from the repetitive motion of swimming and became sretched out.  Thise cause my shoulder to become loose in the socket.  By doing my shoulder presses on a smith machine it allows me to train my delts HEAVY without using those stabilizing muscle and overworking them again.  This does not mean I dont add in some free-weight exercise to keep them strong.

To get a customized program with the right mix of free-weights and machines built for you and your goals contact Dan The Man today at 403-606-3206! Remeber consultations are always free so you can pick my brain and see what I can do for you!  Train safe and train hard!!