05/17/2023
Hello everybody! Today’s trainer tip is about free weights versus machines. While both are good for strengthening your muscles, free weights tend to give you more bang for your buck. Free weights engage more of your stabilizer muscles and your core muscles than your fixed machine will.
At the same time, a fixed machine is good for isolating specific muscles, as those stabilizer muscles aren’t being activated as much. For example, if you want to isolate your quads but don’t want to do a squat, you could use the leg extension machine, which focuses more on your quads than your hamstrings, hip flexors, and quads like a squat will.
Machines can also be very helpful for beginners who may be intimidated by the free weight section of the gym. This will help them understand how an exercise is supposed to feel so when they do move onto the free weight section, they will have a better idea of how to approach some exercises and, in turn, more confidence to do so.
I know the free weight section can be intimidating for some people, especially beginners and, hell, even seasoned gym people. But the thing is, when people are at the gym working out, they’re typically more absorbed in what they are doing to really notice you or pay attention to you the way you think they may be. For the most part, everyone is in their own little world. 🌎🙂
If you’re curious about starting in the free weight section but doing a whole workout in that area seems a bit much, start with doing one or two exercises that utilize the weights in that section. That way, you can ease yourself into that gym area by spending a little more time there each time you go back to work out. Soon enough, you’ll be doing most of your lifting in the free weight section before you even realize it.
Have a great day!! 😀😀😀