The question I want to address today came to me from a person who has access to a gym and already has a strong cardio element to her workout, but she wants to add a resistance training element. She asked what kind of routine she should do, and if she should use the machines at the gym or free weights.At FitDaily I typically focus on those who want to workout from home, so I suggest stretch bands or adjustable dumbbells. So this is a very valid question for a person who has access to aa full line of equipment at the local gym. With so many options comes indecision.
The answer is all about the training regimen. It boils down to compound exercises versus isolated strength exercises. Most machines in the gym, with the exception of a cable cross machine and perhaps a few others, are designed to isolate a specific muscle or muscle group. Many free weight exercises are also designed to isolate muscles and muscle groups, but they also add an element of balance and stabilization to the exercise, which engages other muscles.
The simple answer is that unless you plan to be a bodybuilder who wants to focus on the growth of very specific muscles, you want to engage as many muscles as possible throughout your workout. This includes your core to stabilize your body, and all the tiny balancing muscles you need to stabilize free weights.
Here's an example. You could do a leg circuit where you do leg extensions, hip adduction, and hip abduction. Each one of these isolates certain parts of the upper leg/hip muscles. Or instead of that you could work on weighted or unweighted squats, lunges, step-ups, or another similar more functional exercise. By more functional I mean something that is more similar to motions you will use in your life somehow.
By doing shoulder-width squats, for example, you are working the same muscles isolated by the three exercises mentioned above. If one of the muscle groups is weaker, it will naturally strengthen as you progress. Not only are squats more functionally useful than the other exercises, but they are more efficient because they work more muscle groups simultaneously.
As you progress and feel inclined to spend more time on your resistance training, then you can spend the time to isolate the smaller muscle groups you feel need special attention.
So if possible I recommend using dumbbells (or kettlebells) first. It is important when choosing any sort of free weights that you execute exercises with proper posture and form.
After dumbbells I would recommend cable machines, and barbells after that. Stretch bands are a good low-cost substitute for cable machines, but they pull at an uneven rate, so they can also be used to mix up a routine that uses mostly free weights.
The last thing I would recommend is using the machines. With that said, the machines are much better than doing no resistance training at all. For those with certain injuries these machines may be the only safe alternative.
The biggest benefit to using the machines is that they are typically designed to make the exercise simpler, and thus may reduce the risk of injury. They also provide some motivation because they give a clear-cut exercise to do, and at a gym they are sometimes even ordered for a circuit pattern. A dumbbell doesn't typically have exercise instructions written on it.
That's part of the reason for having resources such as FitDaily. If you print out your daily workout, you won't have to stare at the row of dumbbells and waste time trying to decide what to do next.
