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Monitoring Your Weight Loss Progress Progress: Don't Guess- Measure!
Any weight loss or fitness program is incomplete without the timely measurements to monitor Your Progress. The only way to know if your health and fitness program is successful is by monitoring your measurements, weight and body fat levels on a...
More Than Facial Exercise...Facialbuilding!
How did you get started in FlexEffect? I began teaching Facial Exercise in 1976. At that time, Isometrics were the only form of facial training known to the public. A year later, still teaching Facial Isometrics, I became interested in...
The Truth About Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa is a Sanskrit word, which refers to breath and movement. For example each Yoga posture is matched by one breath. This is what you do when you perform Sun or Moon salutations, and these are also a form of Vinyasa Yoga.
So, any sequences of...
Top Ten Tips For Having Fun Organizing
Has the word “clutter” become a negative trigger for you? Do piles of papers or stacks of stuff invade and haunt your physical and mental space? Do you feel hopeless at the thought of filing or clearing? How about if your beliefs on creating order...
Understanding Your Metabolism
The one thing people most often say to me is, "my metabolism has slowed down", but very few individuals truly understand what metabolism is or how to improve it. Metabolism is the term used for all of the physical and chemical reactions in the...
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Which Is Better For Building Muscle: Machines Or Free Weights?
Want to know the Million Dollar question I get asked probably
more than any other?
Which is better for building muscle: Machines or Free Weights?
Well, first of all, overloading the muscle with heavy weight --
whatever the type of equipment you use -- is what promotes
muscle growth. Any exercise that limits overload is not a good
choice.
However, in most cases, it's much more effective, and more
efficient, to overload the muscle with dumbbells and barbells.
Most machines are very inefficient and not nearly as effective
at muscle stimulation as free weight compound exercises. That's
because they limit the amount of overload you can achieve. Less
overload... less muscle fiber recruitment and less muscle growth
as a result.
Sticking with basic free weight exercises enables you to handle
maximum overload and use natural biomechanics as you perform the
movements. Machines restrict your natural movements, again,
making them less effective for building muscle.
Now, if I had to use a machine for resistance training, it'd
probably be Hammer Strength machines. Hammer Strength is a
company that recognizes that humans do not lift weights in a
perfectly straight line. The range of
motion of Hammer Strength
equipment generally follows the natural arc of our own force
curve.
And the thing is, you can probably lift more weight on Hammer
Strength equipment than a free weight barbell. And it makes
sense why. The machines help you out by balancing and
stabilizing the majority of the weight for you. This makes it
easier to lift more weight. But it's not an advantage. Muscle
fiber recruitment will always be less than if a free weight were
used.
Even though the absolute poundage is greater on a machine, the
actual overload on the muscle is greater with free weights
because you're responsible for balancing and stabilizing all the
weight yourself. This, along with an increased range of motion,
is why free weights are better for more muscle fiber recruitment
and maximum stimulation.
Bottom line, good old-fashioned free weights are the number one
selection for building muscle!
About the author:
Shawn Lebrun is an online personal trainer and natural
bodybuilder. If you're looking to pack on more muscle mass and
get a lean, tight physique, check out my "Simple
Steps To Get Huge And Shredded" program
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