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Anonymous
I've seen pretty much everyone on here say that machine weights are worthless, and I'm just really curious what the problem with machine weights is.
>> Anonymous
They restrict your motion, which practically eliminates the use of stabilizing muscles. They're unnatural: you will never functionally use a motion like a leg extension or a leg curl in real life, ever, whereas a squat or a deadlift is much more realistic. more often then not they're isolating, which is good in certain cases, bad in others.

i don't think they're as terrible as the rest of /fit/ seems to think they are (they're certainly better than no strength training at all,) but free weights are better in every way.
>> Anonymous
Although, I will say this: I don't really get the difference between cable machines and freeweights. They feel different, I know free weights give me a better workout, but I can't think of the practical difference between the two.
>> Mark !tsGpSwX8mo
>>247162
A SEX MAN PRODUCTIONS
>> Anonymous
OP here I never really even realized the stabilizing muscles thing. So I guess I will make my workout predominantly free weights.
>> Anonymous
>>247171
balancing works your muscles too.
>> Anonymous
>>247162
DENTAL PLAN
>> Anonymous
>>247175

If you can, try to get help from someone. It can be as simple as asking someone at the gym, you'll find that 99% of the time they're very friendly about teaching people good form. And you need to do free weights with good form.

>>247176

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense on some exercises (bent-over rows, natch) but a lot of exercises have more or less the same range of motion, especially those of the incline bench press, shoulder press sorta ilk. Maybe it's because there's less stress coming down with a cable machine, you can let the cable do a lot of the work for you.
>> Anonymous
they were designed to be used ONE AFTER ANOTHER, until the entire body was finished.

It's nearly impossible to do this in any gym..
>> Anonymous
>>247181
Signed, a really huge guy at the gym saw that I was doing squats wrong and taught me to do them the right way.

Just pick someone that looks friendly and ask away.
>> Anonymous
They aren't worthless, but compound excersises should be the base of every work out
>> Anonymous
They aren't worthless, but compound exercises should be the base of every work out. Machines and isolation exercises are for just that, isolation of a certain muscle.