Like every machine ever invented, from the
Cuisinart to the calculator,
weight machines provide advantages over
the low-tech contraptions that
came before. Here are some of the ways
that weight machines can top dumbbells
and barbells:
Weight machines are safe. Your movement range is
limited and the intended pattern is preset, so you need less instruction and
supervision than you do with free weights.
Weight machines are easy
to use. Machines
don’t require much balance or coordination, so you can get the hang of an
exercise more quickly. Also, you’re more likely to use proper form because the
machine provides so much guidance. Machines don’t guarantee good form. You can
still butcher an exercise on a machine, which can lead to injury or at the very
least cheat your muscles out of a good workout.
Weight machines enable you
to isolate
a
muscle group. In
other words, machines enable you to hone in on one muscle group to the
exclusion of all others. For example, very few free weight exercises isolate
your hamstrings (your rear thigh
muscles). Usually, you can’t exclude other muscles — such as your front thighs,
butt, or lower back — from getting involved. On the other hand, numerous
machines can isolate your hamstrings. This feature of weight machines is
helpful if you have a particular weakness or are trying to build up one body
part.
Weight machines help you
move through your workout in minutes. You put in the pin, do the exercise, and
then move to the next machine. This process also makes working out with a
friend, who is stronger or weaker,
easier — you don’t have to load or unload weight plates off a bar. But keep in mind that
you do need to adjust each machine to fit your body.
Weight machines challenge
your muscles throughout the entire motion of an exercise. Many (although not all)
modern-day weight machines
compensate for the fact that your muscles aren’t equally strong throughout a
particular motion. This exercise is relatively easy at the start, but by the time
your arm is halfway straightened out, your muscle is being challenged a lot
more. By the end, your triceps again have better leverage, so you finish feeling
strong. Use a kidney-shaped gizmo
called a cam
to
manipulate the resistance at various
points throughout your exercise. When you’re at a weak point during the exercise, the
cam lightens the load. When your muscle has good mechanical advantage, the cam gives
it more work to do. This way, your
muscles are working to their fullest throughout the motion. Otherwise, you’re
limited to a weight you can move only at your weakest point, as you are with
free weights.
