machine vs barbell vs arthritis dilemma

AbbeyDove

Hey there,

I have significant arthritis in my joints, particularly my elbows and knees.

I can squat more deeply, with more weight, and without distracting pain using a leg press machine. Ditto for the bench press.

I keep seeing comments that machines are inferior, though, and that worries me somewhat.

I do planks for ab work, since I know my core doesn't have to work as hard with machines.

Still, given my particular situation, am I significantly shortchanging myself by using machines?

Thanks for your comments/thoughts!

SideSteel

I think it's better to exercise pain-free .

That being said, I would be curious what the differences are and I would wonder if there's some technical issues going on in the barbell movements that could be addressed.

AbbeyDove

I asked the trainer who set up my program about this.

The answer was complex, something about the ratio of the length of my thigh vs my calf (I've never really noticed this--I've tended to think of myself as proportionate!), and the point at which there is greatest downward pressure on my elbow.

He assured me that machines would be just as effective--perhaps more for me. But I like crosschecking things, especially if what I'm hearing contradicts other things I've read.

Still, I know this may be minutia. It might be more important to just lift heavy than to worry about the type of weight. But I notice folks are very emphatic about barbells at MFP and around the web.

heybales

The free weights translates better into normal daily life - if that has a chance of being active and using what you are improving at the gym.
Because then you get all those supporting muscles worked too.
Machine is normally going to NOT get those support muscles, so translation to daily life could have you feel like you got the strength to do something, but then you discover quickly you don't really.

Prime example I've seen many do when big group picnic and some don't normally do basketball or tag football or even baseball, but they've done their machines.
Injuries during those games with them are common because they can't do fast changes of direction, though the muscles very much help get them moving forward fast or jumping high, but landing with feet slightly uneven or any other normal movement just has bad chance of injury.

Then again, you could have a ton of machines that hit all those supporting muscles too, or the machine is made in such a way to engage them - seen that on 1 brand I can't recall, floating pivot points, was pretty cool.

quackmunch

@AbbeyDove I have arthritis in my hands and find using lifting gloves helps reduce (not remove) the pain a great deal. Would something like straps or similar help you? This is something I'm thinking about if my arthritis spreads.