In the same way bench, pushups, situps and crunches are not too functional, neither are the vast majority of gym equipment.
And if you remember all the benefits of switching to functional training for your injury risk and posture, among others, you’ll know that you want to make this switch, too.
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Why Skip The Machines
Uh-oh, the machines are taking over.
Even in the gym..
So again, the true reason most gym machines are bad (or not as good) compared to free weight and bodyweight exercises is that, as alluded to, they are not functional.
Take any or most of your favorite gym machines and ponder on if that’s ever a way you’d be lifting out in nature or in your daily life today.
The answer is usually no, with the exception of possibly some cable crunches, row and treadmill.
Why? Because it’s unnatural to be seated or lying down when lifting heavy objects, leaving most of your core and stabilizing muscles out of the equation.
And it can even more often lead to muscle imbalances and postural issues, since you’re isolating a body part or muscle that wouldn’t be used that way naturally.
Sitting or lying down on gym benches while lifting is also not recommended, and for similar reasons.
The core, whether you know it or not, is one of the most useful parts of your body to train when it comes to functional training, and you do not want to miss out on this as a part of the other exercises, nor all the smaller stabilizing muscles.
Don’t, and you’ll be more athletic for it.
The Alternative To Machines? Free Weights
So, what to do instead then with your workout?
The answer is free weights.
And that’s great news, because it can make your workout even simpler.
Just remember you nearly always want to be standing up, and with free weights you can do pretty much every exercise in a better and more effective way than with a machine.
Another goodie is that a very potent little home gym is easily achieved this way, which takes:
With these at home or in the gym you can hit basically your entire body, including doing rows, pull-ups, military presses, squats, bicep and tricep curls, carries, barefoot running and so on.
Either way, with that said:
To Conclude
I hope I convinced you of prioritizing free weights over machines in the gym or at home, because they’re really so much better for you.
Core and stability is not to be unnecessarily avoided.
Let’s spread this message and make gym machines obsolete together, embracing more old-school types of training in the gym.
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