One of the most confusing aspects people encounter when joining a gym is wondering if they will ever understand how to use the wide array of machines these big box facilities cram into their four walls. But the 25 year old sales associate, whose primary fitness goal is generally to get BIG, puts the prospective member's mind at ease by telling them they will get a great workout, there is a machine to exercise every body part, and they're safer and better than free weights. And unfortunately, there are way too many personal trainers out there that agree.
Here's something you should ask yourself: "Does this exercise improve only itself in the single act I'm participating in (ie: leg extensions), or does it carry over into the sports and activities that I do?" In other words, does the exercise mimic a movement you do in real life? In the case of most machines, the answer is no.
When you sit at a machine and work through a fixed plane of motion, your nervous system doesn't really need to get involved. While the machine may work the primary muscles you're targeting, the stabilizing muscles, which in real-life activities must fire first, aren't being recruited. This is why many exercisers become injured outside the gym--their body hasn't been worked throughout all planes of motion or in a manner they use them in everyday life.
Working out on machines actually promote dysfunction in your body. They force your joints into unnatural ranges of motion, creating damage that often takes years to repair.We should focus on movement patterns first: squatting, lunging, bending, twisting, pushing, and pulling. Properly learning, or relearning, these movements are the real key to reducing your risk of injury. As highly-acclaimed physical therapist Gray Cook says, "Move better, then move more."
No comments:
Post a Comment