Use These Machines Rather Than The Free Weights
Machines can be incredibly helpful for some lifters, especially beginners. The machines are a form of isolation (single-joint) exercises that train a single muscle group. While using the free weights has its advantages, there are instances where you’d be better off using the machines.
You should consider using machines instead of performing the compound lifts if you’re recovering from an injury. On days when you feel tenderness or soreness (in a funny way) in your muscles, you should head straight towards the machine station.
Pec Deck Flyes
Many people waste their precious time and energy on performing the dumbbell flyes as they can’t feel any tension on their inner pecs. Establishing a mind-muscle connection can be harder while performing exercises with free weights.
Using the pec deck fly machine can give you a better pump as the range of motion is defined and all you have to do is focus on contracting your pecs with every rep. If you don’t end the exercise with a muscle tearing pump, you should try lowering the weights.
Machine Preacher Curls
Using machines takes away many moving parts from the equation like lifting with the right form, setting an appropriate range of motion, and the scare of hurting oneself if failure is hit during the exercise.
Cutting down these variables makes more space for the most important aspect of bodybuilding – focusing on the muscle under question. The machine preacher curls are a great exercise for training the peak of your biceps.
Lat-Pulldowns
Some people have trouble training their lats optimally. A good back workout should feel as brutal as an annihilating leg workout, if not more. Performing the pulling movements work the lats and build the width in your back.
The only real substitute to the lat pulldowns is the pull-ups. Lat-pulldowns are the perfect substitute for people who can’t perform bodyweight pull-ups or think that bodyweight chin-ups are too easy.
Tricep Cable Pressdowns
In exercises like the dumbbell kickbacks, skullcrushers, or any other free weight lift there are chances of the recruitment of secondary muscles like forearms and shoulders. The cable tricep pressdowns are an isolation exercise and can efficiently target the triceps.
You can get more tension on your triceps by performing the unilateral cable tricep extensions. In the unilateral version, you perform the tricep pressdowns with one arm before switching to the other. The unilateral exercises help in building symmetry and fixing muscle imbalances.
Ab Crunch Machine
Most people make the mistake of not treating their abs like they train all their other body parts. While they do 8-12 repetitions while training other muscles, they resort to doing 25-30 reps while working abs.
Using an ab crunch machine helps by defining a range of motion and gives you the freedom to focus on contracting your abdominal. Machines are better at helping you achieve a muscle pump as they provide the same amount of tension on the muscles throughout the range of motion.
Do you prefer compound or isolation exercises? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements
