There are surprisingly many scientific studies comparing machines to free weights. You have to be careful about who is sponsoring them of course, but generally you’ll see pros and cons start to emerge if you read many of them. I’ve done my best to summarize them in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series. Now, in Part 4, I want to share a few of the better studies and go a little deeper into each one. These were some of the studies I used as the basis for the earlier parts of this article.
Smith Machine Squats Inferior To Free Weight Squats
In a recent study (see Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: December 2009 – Volume 23 – Issue 9 – pp 2588-2591) researchers figured that the Smith Machine was probably better for activating certain leg muscles because the lifter wouldn’t be focused on stability so much. The logic, like most people would have thought, was that attention to stability reduced activation of the leg muscles in free weights, whereas the Smith Machine users could focus more on the leg muscles.
Well, turns out they were wrong! They measured the same lifters (i.e. people) using a weight on each exercise equal to 8 reps maximum. And they measured 7 different muscles (including some abs and lower back).
Surprisingly, (more…)
Continue reading about The Science Of Machines vs Free Weights – part 4 of 4 articles
Back when I was out of shape, each January I started using a phrase to make a joke out of the junk I was eating. I’d say “I’m bulking up for the Winter Games”, a lame reference to gaining weight for the Olympics, as I chowed down my French toast.
Of course, that kind of bulking up is not acceptable!
What Is A “Bulking” Phase?
pic: Should you do a "bulking phase"?
Simply put, bulking means adjusting your exercise and your diet in order to focus exclusively on building muscle, without much care about adding fat too. It’s generally easier to add muscle if you are willing to add some fat too. For example, to add 5 pounds of muscle without adding any fat is really hard but if you are willing to gain 5 pounds of fat too (so 10 pounds total weight), then it’s pretty easy.
But what about the age-old habit of bodybuilders to do cycles of bulking and cutting? Usually, they would bulk up (gaining muscle and fat) in the off-season – when not competing. Then they’d cut (shedding fat while trying to preserve as much muscle as possible) just before a contest.
I do not recommend this, especially in the extremes that some bodybuilders do. I’m not a “bodybuilder”, but I am a “body builder” (note the space). But even if I was, the idea of swinging from 25% bodyfat to 5% bodyfat, and back again, seems crazy. Of course, your phases could be less extreme.
Even the recreational lifter is faced with an important question:
Should I bulk up this winter?
Here are some pros in favor of bulking up…
Yes, Bulk Up In Winter
If many of these apply to you, then maybe you should try a bulking phase now:
- I’m really trying to gain mass and I’ve tried everything else I know
- It sounds fun to me
- If you are a classic ectomorph (naturally skinny) then use this as a time to experiment with bulking
- I’m an experienced lifter, and I’m already pretty lean, but want some extra muscle
- I’m having a hard time getting in cardio this Winter because of weather, and in a bulking phase you generally eliminate or drastically reduce regular cardio
- I’m a lean woman, and I know that for my female chemistry “bulking” isn’t going to make me bulky – but I would like more muscle so I don’t look like a twig
If you are going to bulk, eating is a huge part of it. You need a lot more calories. In terms of adjusting your workout, I have just released Hypertrofreak which you might be interested in.
Hypertrofreak is two programs in one – they both are split routines, where you focus on specific muscles on specific days, rather than full body routines. You can read more here, including some comments from other people who have used it. [http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/more/hypertrofreak.html]
Note: Hypertrofreak is NOT for beginners. If you haven’t been lifting regularly for at least a year, please do not order it.
Now, here are some opposite points – why you should NOT do a “bulking” phase:
(more…)
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.
Remember when we asked you to Take Your Worst Picture Ever? Well it’s time to take it out. If you haven’t taken it yet, or are new to World Fitness Network, we’ve got reminders at the end of this post…
What Do You See?
That old picture of yourself – is that what you still look like? Have you made any progress? Have you made enough progress? I’m not here to lecture you – I’m here to help you lecture yourself.
If you think you’ve made good progress, skip to the Take a New Picture section and then compare.
If you haven’t made progress, do these things right now:
- write down every excuse you can come up with; don’t hold back!
- now rank those excuses by their “power”; the stronger their power over you, the closer to the top of the list they go
- for each of your top 5 excuses (more if you have the gumption), write down at least one action you are going to take to eliminate it as an excuse moving forward
- take your top 5 excuses and share them with someone who cares about you; ask them for their advice on how they think you can eliminate those; don’t share the previous step with them – you want original ideas
- take the combined list of approximately 10 ideas to combat your 5 major excuses, and tape the list to your bathroom mirror
- every day (especially on your workout days) recite that list out loud; if you get embarrassed reading it out loud, good! you’ve got to break through some barriers if you want to eliminate those excuses
- now act!
And time to take a new picture:
Haven’t Taken Your Picture Yet? Or Need To Take A New Picture?
Did you fail your self-evaluation? Or are you just now planning to get in shape, but haven’t quite started yet?
Or even if you’ve made progress, you now need a new benchmark – a new picture.
Go into your room and take all your clothes off. That’s right, strip down to nothing but your briefs, your Spiderman Underoos, your boxers, your lingerie, whatever you are wearing underneath. (more…)
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.Continue reading about It’s Time to Look At Your Worst Picture Ever, And Take A New One
Why is it that the world is focusing more and more on fitness, but at the same time everybody seems to be even more out of shape?
Scores of new diets come in and out of the market place that promise us amazing results in a matter of weeks. There’s (more…)
Continue reading about Why Lifting Weights is Key To Your Health- New Year Approaching
Imagine what the world would be like if you were to wake up one morning, and all of the exercise machines were eliminated from the face of the earth and all of the isolation exercises were outlawed. What would the world look like?
If all of the machines and isolation (more…)
Continue reading about When Should a Beginner Use Isolation Exercises?
- Should I workout if I’m still sore?
This is a constant debate. Should you still lift if you are sore from your previous workout?
I’ve tried to find some science behind an answer, and one thing might surprise you:
Soreness is not directly related to recovery. It is an indicator, (more…)
Continue reading about I’m Still Sore – Should I Lift Today?
Progressive overload.
If you’ve been lifting for some time, you’ve no doubt heard that phrase.
The brief explanation: Over time, you need to consistently add work to your muscles, beyond what they are used to doing.
This can take the form of going up in weight. Or adding more reps. (more…)
Today we’re going to talk about chin-ups and pull-ups. They’re usually one of the most frustrating exercises for new lifters.
Everyone would love to be able to hop up to a chin-up bar and bang out 15 reps right?
But can you do it? Are you actively working towards doing (more…)
Continue reading about How To Increase Your Pullups and Chinups
