I was at the gym, and I got asked a question: Are Fitness Machines Good?
When I go to the gym, I am pretty quiet. And I don’t let people know what I do for a living. I just go in there and work out.
One of the guys there, Frank, knows what I do and asked me fitness-related questions, And this was one of his questions: Are Fitness Machines any good?
My 5 Best Answers
1. Enjoyment
The first part is the best exercise that you can do, the one that you enjoy doing. If you enjoy doing machines, then do machines. If you enjoy doing something else like running, do something else like running. When it comes to machines, if it is what you enjoy doing. And it will get you to exercise and move, then do it and keep doing it.
2. For Beginners
The second part is that machines are excellent for someone new to fitness. The machines are less intimidating. Increase your body awareness and get you to understand the typical movements that end up happening in fitness: pressing, pulling, pushing, and squatting movements. It gives you a good foundation to start doing more advanced fitness and exercise.
3. Injury Recovery
The third part is that machines are excellent for injuries and injury recovery. Because you can isolate joints when it comes to movements. You can control the load. You can control speed, they are safe to use, and you can work around injuries much easier.
4. For Older Adults
The fourth part is machines end up being excellent for older adults. They tend to be less intimidating. They tend to be in a seated position, so they end up having more stability. Often older adults have balance issues; the machines make it easier for them to overcome those balance issues.
Also, the machines allow them to push themselves harder and add more resistance because there are fewer moving parts, and the movements aren’t as compounded. They can isolate the movements and increase the resistance, which will end up benefiting them and improving their function or even maintaining their function.
5. Fitness Continuum
The fifth part is I end up looking at machines when it relates to almost like a fitness continuum. Machines are good for some time, and you can progress to more advanced techniques. That could end up being moving into the free-weight area. It can utilize other modalities like kettlebell work or bodyweight work or move on to the Olympic lifts or weight training. I find machines are a nice part of that continuum to more advanced and complex movements and more compound movements.
Final Word
So there you go, that ended up being my answer regarding Are Fitness Machines Good? They play a role.
Before I go, I want to hear from you; what are your thoughts on fitness machines – good or bad?
Put your comment in the comment area or Facebook comment area.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Rick Kaselj, MS
