At the gym, there are machines, machines, and more machines… everywhere.
There are machines for legs. Machines for arms. Machines for abs. Machines for your chest. There is even a machine for your neck muscles.
It gets pretty silly, actually, especially once you discover the truth about machines.
There are several reasons that using a variety of machines is NOT your best option for losing weight. Here are just a few of them.
- Machines often allow only one direction of travel, usually because they are forced to go along a guide bar or metal rail. The leg press variations are a great example of this. With a leg sled, you usually push weights along a rail system. Other types of leg press machines force you to push the seat that you are “riding” on along a straight bar. Either way, there is only one direction that these machines go: straight.
- Some “advanced” machines are built to mimic the body’s natural range of motion. They tend to move along an arc, or gentle curve. While these could technically be considered superior to the first type I mentioned, the question becomes, “whose body’s natural range of motion was this machine designed to mimic?”
Was the machine designed and built for a 6’4” football player or a 5’0” petite female? Sure, the machine may be adjustable, so that you can sit higher or lower, farther forward or farther back, but the curve of the machine is always the same.
Is the machine’s curve the right curve for you?
- No matter how you look at it, you will utilize less muscle using a machine. Since you are forced to go in the direction the machine is designed to go, you will be using fewer muscles for stabilizing. Fewer muscles used = fewer calories burned. Period.
- Finally, and we could probably spend all day on this topic: why in the world are nearly all machines created so that you are sitting down while you use them? It’s not rocket science! You’re going to burn more calories standing up for the majority of your exercises, versus sitting on your tush.
Before we dismiss all machines, completely, we will freely admit that we heavily utilize cable machines with our training clients. A cable machine is ideal for a lot of the pulling exercises. Other than that, machines are way, way less than ideal.
But, hey, they look pretty. Which means they are great for selling gym memberships. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a gym membership, but THAT is the truth about machines for weight loss.
Friend, don’t give in to what the world says about “easy” weight loss. Losing body fat takes work, which means you need to utilize your time and your body wisely in the gym. Grab the free weights, and avoid the machines.
I hope you’re having a great week, and may God bless you richly as you get Fit For Jesus!
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