Age old Question: Machines over Free Weights

[.V.]

Originally Posted by Merrida

So I used them differently, but sort of along the same lines. Worked for me.

On your reccomendation from our other discussion, I've been doing just this lately. I'm using the leg press to finish off my legs at the very end of my workout at a time I couldn't handle another squat or deadlift. It lets me use about 3x the weight too. Wow it hurts so good at the end after everything else is done. You seem to know your stuff and can hurt me anytime you want.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by .V.

You seem to know your stuff and can hurt me anytime you want.

Don't tempt me,.....I could get carried away, and then where would you be?

[.V.]

Originally Posted by Merrida

...then where would you be?

Sore and smiling.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by .V.

Please do comment. I've noticed that the "older" crowd at the gym I'm going to for the winter uses almost exclusively machines. The very few "younger" people who are there are using free weights but these younger people are kind of hardcore lifters.

I have the same thing at my club, and often, when I start working with an older client (and cursor you don't count as "older ANYTHING," because nothing about you qualifies you, or quantifies you, as "older." So you'll have to settle for providing your opinion on the premised groundwork of being seasoned, well-experienced, well-versed, successful worker-outer-person who knows lots of stuff,....age being inapplicable)..... So about the general experience of working with older people, I notice they do want to stick to machines, BUT I believe this has multiple levels.

One level is that they are afraid to work out with free weights, afraid of getting hurt, that they'll drop the weights, and it's just too complicated. They (generally speaking) tend to prefer the simplicity of a machine being set up for them.

On another level, depending on age and the subsequent deterioration of their health (generally joints), I've worked with people who are afraid they will fall using free weights. I had one women who flat out refused to do ball squats because of the starting position (with feet forward and having to lean BACK against the wall), and that feels too scary.

Many of these people also have experienced falls, fractures, they have joint replacements, poor posture, poor flexibility, balance problems galore,

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by Merrida

Many of these people also have experienced falls, fractures, they have joint replacements, poor posture, poor flexibility, balance problems galore,

Couldn't a few of these be corrected by using free weights?

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by LiftGirl

Couldn't a few of these be corrected by using free weights?

Oh absolutely, without a doubt. In fact, I'd say in many, if not most, cases, it would actually be better for them to be using free weights. But it frequently has less to do with what is ideally more effective, and has more to do with these people getting over the psychological impediments and emotional fears that generally have been years in the making, imbedded into both their subconscious and conscious.

All the explaining in the world is rarely going to crack through the tough shell formed after someone has been hurt and is carrying around that baggage of previous injury, a scary diagnosis, and the fear of potential reinjury.

I definitely have clients that I am confident free weight work would help them strengthen their stabilizer muscles,....that balance work (ie: such as with a physioball, air disks, bosu balls,--even the small or medium bosu balls, since the full size ones can be intimidating,--wobble boards,-- even the ones that are blocked with restricted movement so they are low and shallow and do not roll but rather only shift in 2 directions, not all over the place,-- and even a balance tool I consider extremely minimal and very gentle: the Airex Airpad) ... would help them learn skills to help them respond and recover from the very situations they're afraid of getting hurt by.

But that isn't the problem.

The problem is that I cannot force them to do something they're adamantly afraid of,...and depending on the individual, it takes a great deal of time to address, and disperse, these imbedded fears. Some never are willing to try.

One woman in particular comes to mind,...I've tried to get her to just touch the physioball, just to get her familiar with the tactile feedback....and her response: "I don't want to do this, it's silly. My grandchildren play with these types of balls, I certainly don't want to do something so childish!" (Translation: I'm afraid, and get that thing away from me!)

[mdedge]

I have always got better results with free weights.