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Strength machines are known for being for newbies, but even if you’re a gym rat who lives on free weights, some choice machines can help you take your fitness to the next level. Here, personal trainers share the five strength machines that every exerciser can benefit from using.
Cable machine
Arguably the most versatile piece of machinery in any gym, a cable machine allows you to attack virtually every muscle in your body through a range of both total-body and isolation exercises, says Maryland-based certified strength and conditioning specialist Erica Suter. With them, you can perform countless exercises from a variety of heights and positions including standing, sitting, kneeling or even lying down. Plus, even though it’s a machine, it trains your muscles more similarly to free weights, says Nick Tuminello, 2016’s National Strength and Conditioning Association personal trainer of the year. Translation: Your body works in all three planes of motion, making every exercise highly functional and helping strengthen your stabilizer muscles for improved joint mobility and stability as well as athleticism, he says.
How to use a cable machine
Try performing staple exercises such as back rows, chest presses, flies, triceps extensions, bicep curls, lat pulldowns and wood chops on the cable machine. Also, most any exercise that you typically perform with a resistance band can be performed with more intensity and results with an appropriately loaded cable machine, Tuminello says. If you’ve never used one before, consider asking a trainer at your local gym to give you an introductory lesson.
Hamstring curl machine
The average American has weak hamstrings, but this easy-to-use machine can strengthen them up big time. And even if you routinely work your hamstrings with hip-focused movements like single-leg deadlifts, you still need the hamstring curl machine, Tuminello says. That’s because electromyography studies show that the machine works a different region of your hamstrings. “If you want comprehensive training, you want at least one exercise in your arsenal in which movement originates from the knee joint and follows a full range of motion,” he says.
How to use a hamstring curl machine
Adjust the machine’s weights and pads so that you are sitting tall in the machine with your back firmly against the seat. Your knees should be in line with the machine’s axis, and the two leg pads should sit on the top of your thighs, just above your knees, and behind your ankles or lower calves, respectively. To complete the exercise, bend your knees to at least 90 degrees. Then slowly, and under control, return back to start. Make sure not to move your upper body or jolt the weight throughout the movement.
High-row machine
“You can never do too many pulling exercises,” Suter says. They help strengthen the back, open up the chest, improve posture and correct muscular imbalances that stem from sitting at the computer all day, she says. The high-row machine scores high points as a pulling exercise because it follows a functional movement pattern that’s ideal for the elderly and athletes alike, according to Tuminello.
How to use a high-row machine
Sit tall into the machine with your chest pressed firmly against the pad and reach up at a 45-degree angle to grab the handlebars with both hands. Keeping your torso still and your feet flat on the floor, pull the handles toward your body by contracting your shoulders and pulling your elbows behind you. Once your hands reach the sides of your torso, pause, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start.
Landmine
Don’t let the size scare you. Landmines are actually great for beginners because they allow you to perform large, compound exercises with an easily customizable amount of weight. A barbell that’s simply attached to the floor at one end, landmines train your whole body with anywhere from 30 to 45 pounds (the weight of the barbell) to hundreds of pounds, Suter says. Just add weight plates to crank up the resistance. Plus, since the landmine works your body at an angle, it increases the core benefits of essentially exercise you would typically perform with dumbbells, resistance bands or other equipment.
How to use a landmine
Grip the end of the bar with one or both hands, depending on the weight and exercise that you’re doing, and progress through exercises including squats, lunges, deadlifts and shoulder presses. Master handling just the bar’s weight before you add on weight plates, and consider getting some instruction from a trainer if you’re new to either the landmine or weightlifting in general, Tuminello says.
Assisted chin-up machine
“This machine is excellent,” Suter says. “It’s a great way to work toward performing a chin-up or pull-up.” And, even if you can already eek out a pull-up or two all by yourself, the machine allows you to get in muscle sets and reps for increased strength and muscle gains throughout your back, core, biceps and shoulders.
How to use an assisted chin-up machine
Facing the machine, grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing you, and then kneel with your shins on the bench (preset to your preferred “level of assistance”) and let your body hang, elbows straight but not locked out. Then, squeeze your back and brace your core to pull your chest to the bar. Pause, then slowly lower your body in a controlled motion back to start.
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5 Strength Machines You Should Start Using ASAP originally appeared on usnews.com
