When you consider joining a fitness club, one of the reasons you may cite is because of the equipment that will be available to you at a gym or fitness club. So let’s talk about these weight machines and what are the pros and the cons of using them. This can help you make your decision about whether joining a fitness club will be beneficial to your particular program of physical training.
The Pros of Using Weight Machines
If you’ve never embarked on a weight or strength training program before, then weight machines are a great opportunity for you to begin strength building safely. A weight machine isn’t going to drop the bar on your chest, so if you push it too far or too hard and need to let go – nothing is going to fall except for the weight stack and it won’t land on you.
Also, you don’t have to be well coordinated to use a weight machine. The equipment is designed to put you in the right position in order to perform the exercise correctly and this gives you the benefits from isolating the specific muscle groups you want to target. Because you don’t have to reset up for a different piece of equipment, you can get in a faster workout on weight machines. Also, they are typically laid out in a circuit in most gyms so you’ll be able to do your workout efficiently.
The Cons of Using Weight Machines
The layout of weight machines in circuits is very helpful when you get started on a work out, but doing the same circuit over and over again – while effective can get pretty boring and if the gym you are using is particularly busy, you’ll end up having to compete for use with the machines.
There is also a problem with some weight machines because they are not always designed for people of beyond average height. If you are shorter than 5’4 or taller than 6’2 – you may not be able to use the equipment with a great deal of comfort. Women may also have more problems with some weight machines than men. Though there are some gyms that have specifically labeled some of their equipment for women.
Isolating muscle groups is definitely a pro of the machines, but it’s also a con because we don’t use our own muscles in isolated fashion. If you get to used to isolating them, you may end up creating a situation later that can cause you injury. Still, perhaps the greatest con is that a weight machine can’t travel – if you are away from the gym or unable to get to the fitness club – how do you maintain your strength training?
As you can see – there are both pros and cons to using weight machines and they can be a great part of any regular workout – but it’s important to mix and match after you’ve gotten started working out regularly in order to maximize your fitness routines benefits for you. Do you use weight machines regularly now? Or do you mix and match?
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