Benefits of Using
Weightlifting Machines
Provided
by American
Council on Exercise
Thanks to
the popularity of high-intensity exercise programs, many fitness centers are
changing their equipment offerings and creating space for high-intensity conditioning
programs. Likewise many personal trainers now make exercises like barbell
deadlifts, sled pushes, Turkish get-ups, overhead presses and kettlebell swings
standard components of clients’ workout programs. It’s important to keep in
mind, however, that the sight of a huge tire, the shape of a kettlebell, the
sound of a barbell dropping on a platform or the noise of a heavy rope slamming
against the ground could be intimidating to the novice exerciser.
It’s also
important to consider whether high-intensity workouts are appropriate for
someone who is just starting to exercise. While there is a ton of evidence
supporting the benefits of high-intensity exercise for clients of all skill
levels, that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for every single
person walking into a gym. Now, you might argue that using full body exercises
is more functional and helps clients prepare for challenges they may face in
their daily lives. Your primary role as a trainer, however, is to not only give
clients a workout for the day, but to help them learn how to make physical
activity a regular part of their daily lives.
I used to
define myself as a “functional trainer” and took pride in creating a variety of
movement-based exercise programs. A number of years ago I attended a lecture
given by strength coach Mike Boyle, author of the book Functional Training for Sports. He described functional training
as training with a purpose, and asserted that challenging exercises may provide
a variety of benefits, but if the exercises don’t address a client’s specific
interests, or if the client is uncomfortable doing the exercises separate from
the trainer, are they truly functional?
In other
words, you need to consider the needs of your clients and eliminate the
tendency to use the types of workouts you enjoy. Even though I like using
barbells and kettlebells for my personal workouts, when it comes
to exercising on their own many of my clients are more comfortable using
weightlifting machines. More importantly, machines can help clients become
stronger while establishing the healthy behaviors necessary to make exercise a
consistent part of their daily routines.
6
Benefits of Weight Machines
Strength training provides
a number of benefits and
the primary feature of machines is that they use cams and pulleys to place the
greatest amount of resistance at the point where a particular muscle is in its
strongest position, thus helping that muscle to develop to its fullest
potential. If the goal of an exercise program is to create large, well-defined
muscles, machine training can be an extremely functional way to achieve that
outcome.
Here are
six benefits of weight machines that can help you reconsider whether it’s
worthwhile adding them to your clients’ programs.
1.
Controlling mechanical overload and path of motion
Mechanical
overload is the amount of physical force placed on a muscle and is essential
for stimulating muscle growth. Compound
barbell lifts require
optimal range-of-motion
from a number of joints. If one of those joints does not function properly, it
could cause an injury. Because exercise machines control the path of motion and
place the greatest amount of force where a muscle is the strongest, it can be a
safe way to apply the overload necessary to stimulate muscle growth.
2. Placing resistance specifically on the contractile
element of muscle
There are
two components of muscle: the elastic component of fascia and the connective
tissue responsible for providing shape and transmitting forces from one section
of muscle to another, and the contractile element of the actin and myosin
protein filaments responsible for controlling muscle contractions. Improving
muscle size and strength requires using external resistance to stimulate the
contractile element to become capable of generating higher levels of force.
Machine training can be extremely effective for achieving this outcome.
3.
Creating metabolic overload
Metabolic
overload occurs when a muscle is required to work to a point of momentary
fatigue and does not have the energy to generate another contraction. Muscle
growth occurs either as a result of mechanical or metabolic overload. A
long-time bodybuilding secret for achieving rapid muscle growth is the use of
drop sets, which involves doing an exercise to the point of momentary fatigue,
immediately lowering (dropping) the weight, and then continuing to the next
point of exhaustion. Machines provide the safest and most time-efficient means
of being able to perform drop sets to the point of complete fatigue, which
ensures that all fibers in a particular muscle have been engaged.
4.
Time-efficient solution for circuit training
Circuit
training requires transitioning from one exercise to another with a minimal
amount of rest and can be effective for creating both a mechanical and
metabolic overload for your clients. You might design circuits featuring
barbells, kettlebells and weight sleds and encourage your clients to work to
the point of fatigue. However, it can be intimidating for clients to use this
equipment on their own. The solution is to design a machine-based circuit for
your clients to follow when you’re not working directly with you, which allows
them to experience the benefits of circuit training without the need to know
how to properly use advanced equipment.
5.
Focus on developing definition in specific muscles
In
addition to the many health benefits of strength training, including improved
metabolic efficiency, enhanced neuromuscular coordination or stronger muscles,
many clients simply want to look better. Muscle definition is the result of a
muscle remaining in a state of semi-contraction. Machines are designed to
create mechanical overload in a specific muscle, which means they can help
improve definition in that muscle. One unique programming strategy is to do a
compound, multi-joint exercise (e.g., a barbell squat) followed immediately by
a muscle-isolation exercise (e.g., a machine-based hamstring curl) to continue
using a specific muscle to the point of fatigue, which results in greater
definition.
6.
Safety
When used
properly, free-weight equipment like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and
medicine balls can be extremely effective. However, if an individual lacks a
base level of strength or basic movement skills, using this equipment could
increase the risk of injury. Even if an individual is strong, the ego is
sometimes stronger, causing him to lift a weight that is heavier than his
existing level of strength. While overloading a barbell for a squat or bench
press could cause serious injury, machines allow a user to lift with maximal
loads with a minimal risk of injury from falling weights.
The role
of a personal trainer is to help client’s live healthier lives. If we design
exercise programs that are so challenging that our clients don’t feel
comfortable working out on their own then we our failing in our mission. While
I still design challenging barbell and kettlebell workouts for when I am
working directly with a client, I now take the time to also develop a
machine-based exercise program that the client can use on those days when we
don’t meet or when he or she may be traveling out of town.
Don’t get
stuck in the trap of training your clients like you train yourself. You can
design the best program in the world, but if the client doesn’t feel
comfortable doing it when you’re not there, you’re doing them a major
disservice. Opening up my way of thinking to appreciate the benefits of
old-school exercise machines has helped me deliver solutions that meet my
client’s needs and that is the true definition functional training.
AUTHOR
Pete McCall
Pete
McCall, MS, CSCS, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and long-time player in
the fitness industry. He has been featured as an expert in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Runner's World and Self. He holds a master's degree in exercise science and
health promotion, and several advanced certifications and specializations with
NSCA and NASM.