| |
|
Fitness Equipment Information |
|
|
Machines vs Free Weights
I am often asked, what is the best machine for me?, what is the best machine for this or that body part?. The answer that I always give is none. With the exception of a few specialized pieces of functional equipment, machines in your gym or home are designed to fit the mass population. So we go to exercise and are forced to contort ourselves into a machine that forces us to move in a specific pattern. The unfortunate fact is these patterns are almost always single joint movements (bicep curl). The problem with single joint movements is life involves multiple parts of the body functioning together. Any time isolation exercises are performed the joint and surrounding tissues are exposed to high stresses and loads. These stresses cause injurious forces to the tissues exposing the exerciser to joint and soft tissue damage. Sadly some of the most loved machines actually don't work. I will list just a few of the most common ones, the first being the seated inner/outer thigh machine. What is not understood is the inner and outer thigh musculature are primarily stabilizers, and stabilizers need to be weight bearing to contract effectively, sitting to exercise them actually makes them weaker and does nothing for toning and shaping. Turn on the TV and you will see ad after ad for abdominal machines. Much research has been done and machines will make your abdominal muscles work, but the price is high. Abdominal machines cause very high stresses on the spine which will cause damage to the disks. No machine can ever make the core contract properly because as I have previously stated machines isolate and the abdominal wall like the hips was designed to stabilize and that is hard to do laying down. On of the most dangerous machines in the gym is the back extension. The spine has very little ability to move on it's own, it is influenced strongly by the hips and abs. The spine musculature consists of stabilizers that serve to protect the disks, and the extensors of the lower torso. Just like the abdominal machines performing a hyperextension on a machine or bench can cause up to 1000lbs of compressive force on the spine, there are better and safer exercises. A rare commodity in health clubs today is floor space, and that is just what is needed for the best and most efficient types of exercise. In our next article I will go into detail how to exercise without expensive machines, decrease the risk of injury, and most importantly have a more effective and efficient workout. We go to exercise and are forced to contort ourselves into a machine that forces us to move in a specific pattern. Machines do not allow us the freedom to balance or to simply engage our 'core' muscles. What if I said that all you need to exercise efficiently, effectively and safely is a stability ball, some light free weights and a resistance band. The amazing part is that all this will cost you under $100 dollars. With these three things we can mimic and even improve upon any gym exercise with the added ability to activate more muscles with each exercise. Consider this, a chest press on a machine or bench uses roughly 8 muscles of mostly the chest, shoulder and arm. A chest press lying on a ball activates every muscle in the body, stimulates balance throughout the body, core control and stabilization of the shoulder and trunk musculature. Life and sports are not performed sitting down, why exercise sitting down. Try performing your exercises standing, initially on both feet with the knees bent, then progress to one foot or stand on a foam mat, anything to make the body work harder. While standing on one leg you can train almost any body part in a much more functional manner than a machine will allow. The exercises you can perform are limitless and if you start to get board simply integrate in the ball to increase and challenge balance and rotational control. At this point we must touch on the difference between rubber bands and free weights. Both are excellent mediums for resistance exercise that you must control in efficient and natural patterns. Bands allow you to mimic cable machines but if you have trained with bands before you know that the greater the movement the tighter the bands become. This means that the muscles work much harder at the end of the movement then at the beginning. Free weights stay consistent throughout the movements you perform with them, but they are gravity dependent. There are simply some exercises that can not be performed with free weights. Both bands and free weights are safe, effective and allow the user freedom of movement. Stabilizers must fire at all times, balance increases and the stresses on the joints are decreased because a machine is not dictating how you must move. The bottom line is simple. Most commercially produced gym equipment forces us to exercise in set patterns that require only single joint movements. This causes increased strain on the tissues surrounding the joint and on the joint it's self. Life is not a single joint movement. It requires a symphony of balance, coordination, strength and endurance. Unfortunately none of those can be achieved on a machine. As a society we have become sedentary, we sit too much. Common sense dictates that we should exercise to counteract and correct the faulty postural patterns that we live in. The more muscles that we can activate, contract, at one time the greater the benefit from the exercise which means less work with more benefit. The bottom line is simply called functional exercise. Bryan Fass,BA, ATCL, CSCS, NREMT-P
MORE RESOURCES:
Fitness-Equipment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Who Else Knows These Facts About Trampolines "El trampolino" was the Mexican word for "diving board", and one of the many words in common usage, which was once actually trademarked as "trampoline".The first gold medal awarded in Olympic trampoline competition, went to Irina Karavaeva, of Russia. There Are Alot Of Features To Look For When Deciding On An Elliptical Trainer Thats Perfect For You Have you decided to purchase a piece of home workout equipment? There are a lot of choices available today on the market for home gym equipment. The key is to find the right piece of equipment for you and your workout needs. Treadmills - Keep On Running There are benefits to the use of treadmills as part of your exercise program. A treadmill provides a wonderful cardiovascular workout for your heart, your lungs, and your circulation. Do You Know The History Of Trampolines As Exercise Equipment? The manufactured trampoline, as we know it today, was created by two men, George Nissen and Larry Griswold. Around 1935, Griswold, then the assistant gymnastics coach at the University of Iowa, and Nissen, a tumbler on the University of Iowa gymnastics team, "made regular jaunts to Bloomington, Illinois where numerous circus people had their winter homes. Home Exercise Equipment - Choosing the Proper Equipment For Your Workout Routine The fitness industry has become big business as more and more people work out to get in shape. Many companies have gotten onboard the bandwagon, and the number of different types and brands of home exercise equipment available is amazing. Cycling Your Way To Fitness - Stationary Exercise Bikes - Still A Top Choice For Overall Fitness Stationary Exercise Bikes - Still A Top Choice For Overall FitnessIn all the craze over new fangled fitness equipment, the exercise bike often gets overlooked. Stationary exercise bikes have been around for many years, which can lead some people to think they are outdated or not as effective as newer types of equipment. Inexpensive Exercise Machine Gets The Results Of A $12,000 Treadmill Whether you're on a low carb diet or a low fat diet, its important to exercise if you want to accelerate your weight loss while dieting.Would you be interested, to find a piece of inexpensive exercise equipment that could help you achieve the same results you'd see from a $12,000 treadmill? My answer to that question was sure, but its probably just hype for one of those TV gimmicks that don't really work. Is A Treadmill The Best Exercise Equipment For You? The #1 fear people have when buying a treadmill is that they won't use it. (That's the #1 fear when buying any piece of exercise equipment). Ironman Treadmills Ironman Treadmills - For The Guy Who Does The IroningIronman Treadmills are produced by Keys Fitness Products, which also produces Keys, Alliance, Discovery, Healthtrainer, and Encore treadmills. Ironman treadmill models are in two series, the newer Ironman T Series and the substantial Ironman M Series. Calories Burned On An Elliptical Trainer If you're trying to choose between an elliptical trainer and another piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or an exercise bike, one of the most popular questions is'How many calories can I burn with an elliptical trainer?'You want to get the most bang for your exercise buck - that's understandable. Here are some calories burned estimates for elliptical workouts - and several tips to burn more calories with your elliptical trainer!General Estimates of Calories Burned with An Elliptical Trainer:- 150 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 387 calories- 180 pound man, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 464 - 500 calories- 120 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 310 caloriesGeneral Estimates of Calories Burned (According To Elliptical Manufacturers)- Elliptical manufacturers claim you can burn up to 720 calories an hour with an elliptical workout. Use of Lifting Belts During Strength Training Workouts The decision of whether to use a lifting belt during exercise should be guided by the following information:As mentioned in an earlier article on lower back pain, the deep stabilizing muscles of the lumbo-pelvic region (core) are suspected as having a "drum forming" effect - that is the muscles contract simultaneously in a reflex (no conscious thought required in people without back pain) action to help stabilize the low back and allow forces to be transferred from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa. This action also has the effect of compressing the abdominal contents - composed primarily of water and very little gas; thus the name of this phenomenon is the "fluid ball" effect. Find the Best Home Tanning Bed Package Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could find a cheap used tanning bed for your home. Have you ever wondered how to buy tanning beds and what would be the best home tanning bed package? Well you've come to the right place. Experience The Smooth Ride Of True Treadmills True treadmills are one of the top of the line treadmills for home or commercial fitness equipment. Exceptional standards of excellence go into the manufacture of each treadmill and each one is tested before it leaves the factory floor. Is A Heart Rate Monitor Right For You? Exercise equipment, like Bowflex, Body by Jake etc., has advanced dramatically over the last 10 years. How Trampolines Can Be Used In Competition The first competitions were held in colleges and schools in the USA and then in Europe, with the first World Championships being held in London in 1964. Kurt Baechler of Switzerland and Ted Blake of England were the European pioneers and the first ever televised National Championships were in England in 1958. Riding The Vision Fitness Elliptical Trainer The Vision Fitness elliptical trainer comes in five models. Ranging from the low end to the higher end machine, the models are the Vision FitnessX6000 Folding, the Vision Fitness X6100 Folding, the Vision Fitness X6200 Folding, the Vision Fitness X6200HRT Folding, and the Vision Fitness X6600HRT Commercial Grade. Treadmill Comparison: 3 Things You Must Know Buying a treadmill? You'll probably be making several treadmill comparisons when doing your research. Here are 3 things you must know when comparing treadmills in order to find the best one for you. Weight Loss by Treadmill Weight loss using a good Treadmill workout program has worked for many people - and it can work for you too.Treadmills can be used by virtually any age group, and by individuals of any activity level. Home Treadmill Review: Things To Watch Out Before Buying A Treadmill Treadmills are known to be the most popular and most effective home exercise and fitness equipment with 33% of the sales and is capable of burning around 850 calories per hourTreadmills basically serve two purposes:a) Walking.b) Running. Manual Vs. Motorized Treadmills When people go to purchase a treadmill, one of the first questions they ask is "Do I want a manual or motorized treadmill?"What's the difference between the two?The Basic Difference:With a manual (or non-motorized) treadmill, you push the belt with your feet. The action of your feet against the treadmill moves the belt.
|
|
Fitness Equipment |
Exercise Equipment
|
Weightlifting Equipment
|
Fitness Equipment
|
Bodybuilding Equipment home | site map | NURPLE.COM |
|
| © nurple.com | |
|
|
  Domain Name Registration and Web Site Hosting web development MediaRocket  |
|
