Weight Machines at the gym

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xtinalee17
xtinalee17 Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I know strength training is an important part of the journey so I have been included it in my exercise routine. What I am unsure about is what people are talking about when they talk about weight/strength training. I use some free weights for my arms.. but other than that I stick to the "machines". I can feel the burn and am starting to see the benefits but was curious if that is what people mean when they discuss strength training. Keep in mind I am a female, semi new to the process and am not even thinking about bench pressing.

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  • mellowkate
    mellowkate Posts: 32 Member
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    Yup, that's exactly what people mean. I remember hearing that free weights are usually better for muscle building than machines, but I'm generally the same way (free weights for arms, but mostly stick to machines and laugh at the thought of a bench press).

    At the end of the day, it's about what works for you: if you're feeling a burn and seeing results, stick with what you're doing.
  • pinkiezoom
    pinkiezoom Posts: 409 Member
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    I wondered that too! I had to ask, but i too use the chairs for everything and free weights for my arms, as i am leg strong but my arms resemble Mr Burns from the simpsons in strength lol!
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    Using machines is better than not doing anything but you will gain a lot more muscle, build more strength, build more stability/coordination and burn more calories doing compound lifts with a barbell or with dumbbells. Starting Strength is a great book for newbie lifters, I highly recommend you buy it.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Strength training is any type of exercise done to build/increase strength. There are lots of ways to do it, and yes... machines are one of them.

    On a related note, why are you not even thinking about bench pressing?
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
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    The machines are for isolation, they dont really train the core, or teach you balance.

    I can press 250 on a machine for 10 reps, but my bench press max is 225lbs. That just makes me feel like using machines is lying to myself.

    Both free weights, and machines have a purpose. Especially in bodybuilding, but if you're goal is strength training, you need to go learn the freeweights.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    There's far too much snobbery over weights machines! If your goal is functional strength then no they aren't the best as you don't use all the smaller muscles for balance and stability that you would with free weights.
    But they certainly also aren't all isolation exercises by any stretch of the imagination - I see just as many isolation exercises being done with dumbbells as machines.
    They also aren't all created equal, many of the more modern ones are a long way from simple linear over-controlled movements.
    They can also take away some of the fear factor that some people have from feeling like a fish out of water in the weights room.
    If you enjoy them, use them. I've been training a long time (40 years!) and still use them alongside free weights, cable machines & bodyweight exercises.
    They are hard to beat if you want a high tempo circuit training style of workout with minimal setup time.

    Horses for courses.

  • xtinalee17
    xtinalee17 Posts: 42 Member
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    Awesome- thanks so much for the responses!
  • xtinalee17
    xtinalee17 Posts: 42 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Strength training is any type of exercise done to build/increase strength. There are lots of ways to do it, and yes... machines are one of them.

    On a related note, why are you not even thinking about bench pressing?

    As someone above referenced- just not at that point and using the machines eases my fish out of water feeling. Will try that eventually I am sure but am still new to the game.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    mellowkate wrote: »
    Yup, that's exactly what people mean. I remember hearing that free weights are usually better for muscle building than machines, but I'm generally the same way (free weights for arms, but mostly stick to machines and laugh at the thought of a bench press).

    At the end of the day, it's about what works for you: if you're feeling a burn and seeing results, stick with what you're doing.

    I wouldn't say that you're 100% on point. Machines isolate and don't engage stabilizing muscles, where freeweights do. Machines have their purpose, but IMHO it's important to incorporate free weights (yes the bench is one) to make sure those stabilizing muscles are being worked as well.
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    xtinalee17 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Strength training is any type of exercise done to build/increase strength. There are lots of ways to do it, and yes... machines are one of them.

    On a related note, why are you not even thinking about bench pressing?

    As someone above referenced- just not at that point and using the machines eases my fish out of water feeling. Will try that eventually I am sure but am still new to the game.

    I'm a chick too...and I bench press 2x/week.

    Honestly, I think you're selling yourself short if you're not following a routine. There are a ton of great beginner ones out there (StrongLifts 5x5, Starting Strength, NROL, bodybuilding.com, muscleandstrength.com, just to name a few). Some include machines, most don't. The point is, a routine will help focus you and get you more comfortable with lifting.

  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    xtinalee17 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Strength training is any type of exercise done to build/increase strength. There are lots of ways to do it, and yes... machines are one of them.

    On a related note, why are you not even thinking about bench pressing?

    As someone above referenced- just not at that point and using the machines eases my fish out of water feeling. Will try that eventually I am sure but am still new to the game.

    There's no reason to be scared of doing bench presses. It's a pretty standard lift that pretty much everyone can do. I did it as a beginner and so can you. If you're worried that you can't bench the bar (45 lbs if it's an Olympic bar), do chest presses with dumbbells. You'll probably find that 45 lbs isn't nearly as heavy as it might sound. Have a spotter your first time, just in case you can't get it back up.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    RGv2 wrote: »
    mellowkate wrote: »
    Yup, that's exactly what people mean. I remember hearing that free weights are usually better for muscle building than machines, but I'm generally the same way (free weights for arms, but mostly stick to machines and laugh at the thought of a bench press).

    At the end of the day, it's about what works for you: if you're feeling a burn and seeing results, stick with what you're doing.

    I wouldn't say that you're 100% on point. Machines isolate and don't engage stabilizing muscles, where freeweights do. Machines have their purpose, but IMHO it's important to incorporate free weights (yes the bench is one) to make sure those stabilizing muscles are being worked as well.

    Agreed.

    Machines are certainly better than not lifting at all, and they definitely have their place/purpose... but generally speaking they should be used to supplement a handful of core free weight lifts. Unless you are working around an injury or dealing with some other extenuating circumstance, I can't think of a reason why a machine-centric program would be "better" than free weights.

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