How To Get The Most From Using Gym EquipmentModern gyms have machines to work every muscle you can think of - plus many you probably haven't heard of before! But do we benefit from working muscles in this way? If you play a sport, your muscles will be conditioned for the movements of your game. If you just want to stay toned, or keep your muscles, gyn equipment will do this for you. But if you're concerned more about your sports performance, you'll need to decide which machines will be best for your game. Movement, Muscles & MachinesWe've come to believe that the stronger a muscle the better, without a thought to what we actually do with a stronger muscle.
If you want to get fit, ask the question - fit for what? If you want to develop your muscles using gym equipment - what do you need the strength for? When did you last review your goals for devoting so much time and effort to exercise? To help get the best from your body and exercise, it's useful to understand the physiology involved. All movement, even of the smallest part, involves every muscle, yet many exercise systems fail to recognise this. Exercises have always been designed to achieve specific improvements for one part of the body. My view is that by concentrating on individual parts whilst performing these exercises, it could compromise your movement. Getting into shape usually involves a trip to the local gymnasium with its staggering array of specialist gym equipment. A combination of technology and clever marketing has transformed the dull exercise machine into an essential piece of equipment capable of achieving miracles. Today’s machines have made it possible to work individual muscles in isolation - the first-time gym user will often joke they ache in muscles they did not know existed. Unfortunately, in the rush to develop the ultimate range of gym equipment, I believe a vital factor in human development and movement has been overlooked. That is, no single movement involves either an individual or isolated set of muscles! Gym equipment that work a muscle whilst immobilising or supporting part of the body, encourage ‘unnatural’ actions never to be repeated outside the gymnasium, sports scientist Dr Mel Siff wrote: - "….it is well known in physiology that the body knows of actions, not muscles, so that it is inappropriate to place any intentional stress on individual muscles rather than on the desired motor patterns." Even the harmless looking treadmill ia not the same as running on the road. Running on a moving surface employs a different combination of muscles when compared with road running. Chuck Wolf, the director of sport science and human performance for the U.S.A. Triathlon National Training Center in Florida acknowledges this problem with the exercise machine saying, "… our love of machines has caused us to lose sight of the way the body functions. Machines are ideal for multiple repetitions of the same movement patterns along a single plane. Unfortunately, that's not how we move." This is not to say that using gym equipment is harmful - far from it! It is how we approach the use of these machines that is vital. They do offer an opportunity to develop body awareness and strength but the temptation is to focus on the specific muscle being exercised whilst ignoring how the whole body can be used. For example, it is common to see people gritting teeth, straining neck muscles and arching their back when using gym equipment to work the biceps. All this unnecessary action is not going to help build the biceps but it will develop poor muscular habits that will affect other activities. If used with the total body in mind these exercises will develop every other muscle appropriately as they are needed to stabilise the frame. So rather than looking to build the abs, biceps and quads separately, be aware of their involvement on every machine. Buying gym equipment for your home? Gym equipment now comes in foldable and smaller packages making home use possible. But what is the best type for your home? Is a bike better than a rower? Or would a treadmill be a better option? Check out what sort would suit your needs with my guide.
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