Machine Workout: Intro
Get a great workout on those machines at the gym.
Introduction: Workout like a machine
The character trait that we will focus on during this workout will be self-confidence. If you are just beginning your journey into weight lifting, you may not be confident in all the compound and Olympic lifts, but even if you have years of experience, make no mistake this will be a difficult, muscle-building workout series.
The exercise machines that we will be using in this workout progression are likely found in every mid to large-sized gym. These machines are great for beginners because they can effectively stress the muscles to produce growth, while guiding the movement, making it easier to “learn” as well as safe.
List of machines used in these workouts: (if you don’t have one of these at your gym, you can do the same motion with dumbbells)
Chest/reverse fly machine
Seated bench press machine
Seated row machine
Shoulder press machine
Lat pull-down machine
Bicep curl machine,
Tricep extension machine
Low back extension machine
Ab crunch machine
Smith machine for inverted rows
Leg press machine
Glute kick-back machine
Hip abduction machine
Leg curl machine
Leg extension machine
For lifters who have never, or rarely, use these exercise machines, you are missing out on a great way to push your muscles farther than you can with free weights because your joints and toes are protected from dropping the weights. You don’t need a spotter to push to failure!!!
These exercise machines are also allow you to focus on just contracting the muscle you are training, rather than needing to learn the coordination to execute the proper form. For example, the barbell squat is a great way to strengthen the legs, but you need to have proper form to safely train without hurting your back. Without good form, you could injure yourself rather than get stronger.
Compare this to a workout that includes leg extensions, leg curls, and kick-backs on these machines. You’re not going to hurt your back doing this, AND you can push your muscles to the absolute limit without crushing yourself under the weight.
No matter who you are, you are going to get a lot out of these workouts, but if you only come away with ONE thing, I hope it’s this –
You MUST push your muscles AS HARD AS YOU CAN, to get anything out of a workout.
There is no secret to gaining size and strength beyond progressively increasing the stress you put on your muscles. This is called progressive overload. Only YOU can control how hard you work out. You MUST increase your weights and reps over time.
If you were training for a marathon, you wouldn’t run 1 mile everyday for 26 days in a row and expect to run a 26 mile race then next day. Obviously, to work your way up to running 26 miles, you need increase the distance of your runs over time.
The same can be said if you are going to the gym to get bigger and stronger and NOT pushing your muscles to their absolute limit (or close to it) EVERY SINGLE SET.
Do these workouts. Track your progress. Push yourself to the MAX every workout (safely) using these exercise machines. And you will get bigger and stronger. Period.
