Machines?

[hittman]

I was talking to my friend the other day and he had recently purchased a gym membership and had got an appraisal. The gym instructor then told him to use machines and no free weights for 8 weeks.

WHY?

 

[he-man]

maybe to establish a base and to get his body used to the mechanics of lifting while keeping him from the dangers that sometimes some with inexperienced free weight lifting. how much lifting experience does your friend have?

 

[IronLion]

most people who have never lifted don't have the muscular stability to lift free weights so they are an injury waiting to happen...btw he-man i love your avatar were/are you a green beret?

 

[Lee]

when i first started lifting i couldnt do free weights to save my life. i just didnt have the muscle strength to do it. so i stuck to machines for a month and a half then went to free weights and it worked fine.

 

[he-man]

most people who have never lifted don't have the muscular stability to lift free weights so they are an injury waiting to happen...btw he-man i love your avatar were/are you a green beret?

im in the qualification course right now at ft bragg

 

[CollegeKid]

freeweights require a surprising amount of supporting muscle to balance.. i know when i started i couldnt do freeweights worth shit with proper form, so i stuck to machines. now i'm all about freeweights though.

 

[Lord_Suston]

never have done machines and most likely never will. they are a wast of time unless injured IMO

 

[satchboogie]

if used properly machines can offer very effective workouts.

i still believe that free weights are superior but to perform with perfect form is much harder with free weights.

that takes time my friends.

 

[Baoh]

lol

If one feels he is too weak for free weights, then simply use lighter weights. You won't build free weight coordination from a machine.

 

[endpoint]

This always makes me laugh

Hittman...you are from australia?
i am as well. I participated in a "fitness instructors" course at TAFE.
I nearly got sent out of class because i argued the fact that a beginner needs to develop co-ordination first then strength....and not the other way around. Basically you are putting the trainee in danger by building the strength of a muscle. After these 8 weeks the trainee will be handling heavier weights when they move over to free weight...but with no stabilization and co-ordination to back it up. thats bad news waiting to happen.

Any person new to resistance training will have a rapid increase in strength when they learn any movements (getting more coordinated, confident, and efficient). why not start out at a low weight, and increase it every (couple) week/s?

It seems australia is light years behind in personal training.