I can't believe a mainstream article is stating that these machines and movements are not ideal or useful/ dangerous for people to use.

Maybe we are getting somewhere..what next? No long steady state cardio??

http://health.msn.com/fitness/artic...84337&GT1=10815

Don't hold your breath Steve. LOL

Can you tell me how you do cardio? I'm curious because I need to make my workout shorter. (And I can't afford a personal trainer )

Shy-anne,
research all that you can on High Intensity Interval Training..HIIT. It is intense, but highly effective "cardio" training. It burns fat faster than long steady state cardio like jogging, treadmilling, walking..and some build some nice muscle on it.

Also get yourseld familiar with EPOC..excercise post oxygen consumption..

Here is a good article from Muscle Media going over HIIT..they use sprinting as their HIIT movement, but you can use a stationary bike or even a treadmill

http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp

Good luck..

If you're not already doing intense cardio, you may want to hold back a little and build your base first--work your way up to HIIT. I like the following article, esp. for beginners (Gost's article is good, but it assumes you are already doing intense exercise). Towards the end of the article she talks about how to start if you are unconditioned.

http://builtblog.wikidbody.com/2007...io-if-you-must/

Do you consider Tae Bo to use HITT? Or is it long duration cardio just at a super high rate?

Thanks,
Eden

No Tae bo is not HIIT..you could probrably make it HIIT, but again it is one of those long steady state type of cardio routines.

I would agree with some of those, particularly the smith machine squats, which have already given me back problems. Some of the other machines I just never use.

Machines, in my opinion, have a single purpose: A substitute when free weights are unavailable. But that only applies if both free weights and machines exist in the gym. If there's only free weights, the choice is easy. A barbell is eminently more useful and effective than any machine invented yet. A barbell, although it just looks like a steel bar, is in fact a high precision tool especially those intended for Olympic or powerlifting competition.

The arguments that machines are useful were brought forth by those who manufacture them and by the gym operators who use them to fill the gym. Those who use them simply repeat those same arguments, convinced that they are indeed useful. I mean, they must be what with the amount of people that use them.

But that suits me just fine. It means the power rack and the platform are always available when I get there.

Dane and gostryder thanks for the info. I will check into it. I do cardio now but it is slower and steadier, like 4.5 miles per hour. If I could shorten it and make it more beneficial that would be cool. I have read a little about it in the body for life books. I think it's either the same or really close. I plan to read both of those articles. Thanks!

I work out in a women's only gym. I've never even *seen* anyone else use the squat rack, let alone have to wait for it.

A pity. Guys dig the squat butt.

Well, that gives me an edge, doesn't it, since I do use the squat rack?

I think the focus here might not be as effective as possible.

Yes, we absolutely need to hit it with high intensity...but I think we need to look at more than heart rate for that.

Our bodies adapt so quickly to whatever exercises we do (like running everyday) that the same exercises become less effective over time. I think the key is finding new ways to shock our system. So in that regard, having one routine (like 'tiebow' or free weights only) isn't the way to go.

Even though I still say free weights are the king...in general.

Welcome, BruceK.


Strength is neuro-muscular.

With study and practice, we develop, improve and maintain skill. Lifting an object from the ground is a skill as demonstrated by Olympic weightlifting. By lifting an object repetitively, we become proficient at it. As we improve our skill, we can lift a heavier object.

The details are complex but by lifting a heavier object, we continue to stimulate growth. And by growing bigger muscles, we continue to develop strength which in turn allows us to lift a heavier object. And by repeating the motions through practice, we grow stronger still.

A heavier object is a new way to "shock the system" if that's what you're looking for. But shocking the system is not how muscles are stimulated to grow. The primary stimulus for muscle growth is mechanical load. More specifically, it's mechanical load applied to muscle cells. Again, the details are complex but by lifting an object, our muscles become resistant to that load and so we must lift a heavier object to continue to stimulate further growth. Or, we must allow our muscles to decondition themselves (to become sensitive to a previous load) so that a previous load is again effective at stimulating growth.