{"id":8466,"date":"2011-02-02T14:10:01","date_gmt":"2011-02-02T20:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.withamymac.com\/news\/?p=8466"},"modified":"2011-02-13T17:54:22","modified_gmt":"2011-02-13T23:54:22","slug":"which-is-better-free-weights-or-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.withamymac.com\/news\/2011\/02\/02\/which-is-better-free-weights-or-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Which is Better? Free Weights or Machines?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>At one time or another everyone has asked this question…<\/em><\/p>\n

Either the first time someone walked in to the gym and saw all the different choices of work out equipment or a seasoned lifter wondering if they are getting the maximum bang for their workout buck.\u00a0 Well the answer is actually quite simple if you think about it…. IT\u2019S BOTH!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well to be fair it is really about what kind of results you are looking for.\u00a0 There is no hard fast rule that you can not get all the results you are looking for by doing a circuit on the machines at your local gym.\u00a0 The same goes for free weights.\u00a0 I have seen lots of people get some excellent results from incorporating free weights in to their work out routines.\u00a0 But consider that you are in completely different positions when doing using either free weights or machines.<\/p>\n

For example, when doing standing bicep curls your forearms are getting quite a workout.\u00a0 Your shoulders take some of that weight and as you squeeze your abs to pull up the free weights you get some action there too.\u00a0 Not to mention your legs get a small workout as you balance yourself with all the extra weight moving around.<\/p>\n

Compare that to a similar workout on a machine.\u00a0 You are sitting down so you miss the leg and core stabilization, your are abs are less tense (because you’re sitting), BUT there is a lot more direct focus on the muscle you are working out.\u00a0 As we all know, spot training is a thing of the past.\u00a0 Not that you shouldn\u2019t work out individual parts of your body.\u00a0 The downside is routinely working on one muscle (like your bicep) might get it to look a bit bigger but the rest of your body doesn\u2019t get the workout which can make you look uneven in your fitness AND make you prone to injury.\u00a0 When one part of your body gets a lot stronger than another it puts extra strain on the joints and all that work you have been putting in could actually be leading you to disaster.<\/p>\n

So which one is better?\u00a0 BOTH! <\/strong>A healthy mix of tightly focused workouts on machines combined with all the full body benefits of free weights is a great way to maximize your time at the gym, reduce injury and get the results you want.<\/p>\n

WithAmyMac.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At one time or another everyone has asked this question… Either the first time someone walked in to the gym and saw all the different choices of work out equipment or a seasoned lifter wondering if they are getting the maximum bang for their workout buck.\u00a0 Well the answer is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1449,9,1450,873,390,347,1403],"class_list":["post-8466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-exercise-machines","tag-fitness","tag-free-weights","tag-health-and-fitness-tips","tag-strength-training","tag-weight-lifting","tag-working-out-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t