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, Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: science, smith machine
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Everybody and their brother in the fitness world are writing posts about the new year. And everyone is ripping each other off, generating marginal content, and feeding cliches. Not to mention the fact that the content for 2010 is exactly what everyone wrote in 2009, which is just like 2008, and 2007… etc. Here is my send-up to all the lame post topics I’ve seen in the past four weeks…
#6 – “The Top Fitness Things I Learned in 2009″
My answer: Nothing. Seriously, there’s very little truly new in fitness. The core principles have been around for decades and new discovery is very limited.
#5 – “My Fitness Predictions for 2010″
My answer: Some people will get fatter. Some people will lose fat. Some people will gain muscle. Some will lose muscle, thinking they are losing fat. Overall, sadly, not much will statistically change in 2010.
#4 – “My New Year’s Resolution Is To Finally Get in Shape in 2010″
My answer: Resolutions are not goals. See this.
#3 – “Start Now To Work Off The Holiday Treats You Ate at the End Of 2009″
My answer: You should have started working BEFORE Thanksgiving, and you should have limited your binge eating to only Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (3 days, not the 3 weeks many of you took “off”).
#2 – “How To Get Motivated For 2010″
My answer: If your motivation is only triggered by the calendar year incrementing to 2010, then you need some serious lessons in motivation.
#1 – “How To Make 2010 Your Best Year Ever!”
My answer: Work hard. Really hard. Excellent fitness takes hard work (physically) and hard work (mental discipline).
So, what would YOU add?
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Last week we talked a bit about cases were it might be ok to use machines instead of free weights. But even in those limited circumstances, you have to take some precautions to prevent injury and to maximize the effectiveness of your workout:
pic: Don't Be Stupid - use machines as they were intended
The 8.5 Precautions You Need To Take Before Using Fixed-Path Machines
1. Be absolutely sure you can’t find a free weight alternative. Most of the time, with some advance research, you can find a better way to work the desired muscles by using a free-weight exercise. Note well: “free weights” includes dumbbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls too!
2. Be absolutely sure you can’t find a cable alternative. Same as above.
3. Always take the time to try different seat heights, and other ergonomic settings to get the best range of motion; then Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: free weights, machines
pic: Skinny guys can get muscular by eating right and training
pic: Skinny guys can get muscular by eating right and training
[Don't forget - I give away a free lifting routine ebook to the top contributor each month to our free discussion forum!]
Why Skinny Guys Stay Skinny
This is Part 2 of a series on how to eat right to gain muscle. Click here for part 1. This article (part 2) has three sections
- one about why skinny guys stay skinny,
- another about how to get yourself to eat more, and
- the real secret to gaining muscle fastest from your diet.
Then next week I’ll share the advanced eating technique to actually gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, plus I’ll include a few sample menus!
The biggest mistake skinny guys make, when starting to lift, is not eating enough. Oh, they think they are eating enough. But they aren’t. They think they are in Case 5 above but really they are in Case 4.
Look at a skinny guy who isn’t lifting. He’s currently skinny, right, so that means he’s not eating excess calories.
Now start him lifting on a decent muscle building program. Lifting heavy weights burns calories during the activity and also burns more after the activity. If he’s still eating the same amount as he was before, then he’ll actually lose mass!
This is compounded by the fact that the skinny guy isn’t happy about his muscle size, but he likes being able to see his abs. (Yeah, but you can see his ribs too!) So he absolutely doesn’t want to get fat. He just wants more muscle. As we’ll see, this constraint comes back to haunt him.
Of course he’ll have heard from his buddies that he needs to eat more. Plus, he’ll naturally be more hungry. So chances are he would increase how much he eats, right?
But most skinny guys only end up eating a little bit more. They eat enough to prevent muscle loss, but not enough to really grow muscles.
An Example Might Help
Let’s take an example of a skinny guy: 6 feet tall, 150 pounds, 10% bodyfat. So he’s not too skinny, he’s got a thin layer of muscle because he’s an active guy, but he’s now going to start lifting. His target is to get to 180 pounds and stay 10% bodyfat. (6 feet tall, 180 pounds, and 10% bodyfat looks really good at the beach.)
And let’s say he wants to get there within 1 year. That’s 30 pounds (27 pounds of muscle and 3 pounds of fat) in 12 months. Breaking this down, we get to an average of 0.5 pounds of muscle a week. That’s tough to do but not impossible for the skinny guy who’s never really lifted before. [And it won’t be linear – in the beginning, if he does things right, he’ll gain faster than he will towards the end.]
It’s pretty universally accepted that Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: diet, eating, muscles, skinny guys
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Last week I outlined the argument in favor of free weights over machines. But is that the end of the story? No way. There are some advantages to machines in some cases. I’ll go into details momentarily but first let’s dispel some myths about who should use machines…
Cases Where You Might Hear Machines Are Better, But Where No Evidence Exists
You might hear pseudo-experts pontificate about who should/shouldn’t use machines. For example, I often hear people tell me that the following groups of people “should” use machines instead of free weights:
- older people
- children
- fat people
- women
- newbies to lifting
Hogwash! There is no scientific evidence to support such claims.
So When Are Machines Ok?
That said, there are a few cases where machines are acceptable (or, in some cases, even preferred). Machines usually (and I do mean usually, as in “not always”!) have these advantages: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: free weights, machines
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pic: Do exercise routines have to use a 7-day week?
Sounds like a silly question, right? I mean, a “real” week is 7 days, so shouldn’t our routines be based on “reality”?
Actually, after years of lifting and running, I’m starting to come to the conclusion that in many cases, our bodies don’t care about “real weeks”. Our bodies care about the balance between stimulation and recovery.
The goal for every serious fitness buff is to kick your own butt just enough to get progress, but not too much that your body can’t recover. This applies to lifting weights, running, skiing, biking, etc.
Why 7?
So we’re all stuck on “x days per week” and we assume that a week means 7 days. (And to be fair, it usually does mean 7 days.)
But what if the key to getting in the right amount of work means you have to shift your paradigm from 7 days a week to something different…?
What about a 6-day week?
What about an 8-day week? (Please, no Beatle quotes…)
In my newest lifting program, Hypertrofreak, I include two different programs.
And guess what? I’m using an 8-day week.
I have you working out 6 days a week, but there are 8 days in my week. That means you are getting 2 recovery days each cycle.
Here’s a cut and paste from part of the program:
Day 1 = Day 1
Day 2 = Day 2
Day 3 = Day 3
Day 4 = recovery
Day 5 = Day 5
Day 6 = Day 6
Day 7 = Day 7
Day 8 = recovery
Day 9 = Day 1
Day 10 = Day 2
Day 11 = Day 3
Day 12 = recovery
Day 13 = Day 5
Day 14 = Day 6
Day 15 = Day 7
Day 16 = recovery
At first, this is hard to get your head around and can be a little confusing. But if you learned to tie your own shoes, then you can learn this.
I’m also experimenting right now with Read the rest of this entry »
………………
I’m starting a series today on how you should eat in order to gain more muscle mass. This will be a 3-parter that I’ll finish throughout the month. Here’s the outline:
- Why your eating habits are more important than your lifting habits if you want to get bigger (naturally)
- Why skinny guys stay skinny – plus, the fastest way to gain muscle from your diet
- How to eat more to gain more muscle and actually lose fat at the same time – plus, I’ll also include some sample menus ( keep in mind that entire books are written on menus so I’m only offering some examples!)
Today let’s tackle the importance of eating habits compared to lifting habits. Next week we’ll dive into #2 and the week after that we’ll conclude with the third topic.
Why Eating Is More Important Than Lifting
- pic: Good eating, with good weight lifting, equals bigger and better physique
You want to get bigger, huh? Join the crowd.
You might just be thinking “a little” bigger. Or maybe you are thinking “a lot bigger”. And maybe you just want bigger shoulders, or pecs, or glutes, or whatever.
The point is, we’re talking physique here and we all have different ideal images of what our target physique should be. If you are reading this, then chances are high that part of your desired physique means bigger muscles.
So weightlifting is the most important part of getting bigger muscles, right?
Wrong.
Now before you start writing me hate mail, I’m saying “most important”. That’s a relative term. Meaning, that of course lifting matters! If you want to get bigger muscles, instead of just a bigger gut, then you’ve gotta lift.
But I’m saying that a great eating plan with a mediocre lifting routine will do more for your physique than a great lifting routine and a mediocre eating plan.
(I’d like to write that previous sentence in all caps, but that would just annoy you, right?)
A Simple Example
Let’s walk through a very simplified analysis of 5 cases…
Muscles need stimulation, nutrients, and rest. That combination triggers growth. How much growth depends on the quality and quantity of the stimulation, nutrients, and rest.
No stimulation, no growth. Ditto for rest. And of course, no nutrients (food), no growth.
Since this article series is about how eating impacts muscle growth, let’s assume for now that you are on a pretty good lifting routine. It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst. (So, you can extrapolate from this and assume that results will be better/worse in relation to your lifting routine.)
Case 1: Let’s say you are doing your “adequate” lifting routine, but not eating at all. What would happen? Your body would go into starvation mode, burning muscle first, then fat, and then you’d die. Obviously, no muscle growth in this scenario.
Case 2: Now, instead of eating nothing, imagine you eat a small quantity of junk food. Let’s assume total calories are just enough to prevent starvation. But your muscles need protein (in the form of amino acids) to heal after you’ve stimulated them with your adequate workout. And so just junk food doesn’t give the muscles what they need to grow. Result: no muscle growth.
Case 3: Read the rest of this entry »
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A couple months ago I did a full article on how to improve your pull-ups/chin-ups. Here’s one more technique I think you’ll love.
It’s just a simple ladder. This is for people who can do a few pullups/chinups – say 4 or 5 max, though it might work for people who are already doing 10 to 20 who (for some reason) want to increase further…
First decide if you are doing chin-ups or pull-ups (click here for the difference). I’m going to assume chin-ups for this explanation.
- Do 1 chinup
- Rest 30 seconds
- Do 2 chinups
- Rest 30 seconds
- Do 3 chinups
- Rest 30 seconds
- Continue in this pattern until you can’t move up any more. It will certainly be at a number less than your max, because you will have pre-exhausted the muscles.
- Now that you’ve tapped out, reverse the pattern, going back down the ladder.
That’s it! After a few weeks of doing this once or twice a week, you’ll see your max increase for sure. Have fun!
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