Free Weights Or Machines? Decisions, Decisions

Resistance or strength training has proven to be essential for just about everyone. After all, it can help with everything from heart health and back pain, to burning calories and reducing stress. Oh, and let’s not forget it prevents bone loss, and helps to reduce body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol, too.

It isn’t just the benefits that make strength training so appealing, though. It’s also the fact that you can do it pretty much anywhere—gym, home or office—with almost anything—resistance bands, heavy soup cans and body weight—so essentially none of us have an excuse not to be doing it.

However, most people choose to stick to machines or free weights (dumbbells, barbells and weight cuffs) when it comes to their strength training needs. But is all resistance training equipment created equal? Or is one better than the other? It depends. Everything from personal preference and current fitness level, to training goals and equipment availability factors in.

A case for machines.

If you're new to strength training (or exercise in general), machines are often considered the safer choice. This is largely due to the fact that machines guide your range of motion and help with form—which is essential for free weights.

Machines are also easily adjustable. You can increase the resistance or weight, as well as the positioning of the machine so that it fits your unique body shape and size. This is a great way to learn how much weight you can safely lift.

Finally, machines are ideal for targeting specific muscle groups. In some cases, you may want to focus on certain muscles that are a part of one of the 5 major muscle groups (chest, arms/shoulders, legs/glutes, abs and back), you can do that without fatiguing other muscles.

 A case for free weights.

The most compelling reason to utilize free weights is that you can target more muscles at one time. This means that all those stabilizing muscles—no matter how big or small—get involved in the strength-training process.

In theory, this means that you’ll likely work more muscle groups and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. But that’s assuming that you’re utilizing correct form. Try partnering up with an experienced friend or personal trainer while you get started.

Another benefit of free weights, once you have them mastered, you can customize your own workout. There are an endless number of moves you can do with them, and they’re much cheaper than machines.

You don’t have to weight.

While strength training can be slightly overwhelming at first, there are several easy steps you can take to get started. First off, make sure to partner up with an experienced strength trainer, or ideally a personal trainer, to ensure proper form and technique.

For instance, the experts at GMC’s Fitness & Performance Center can help you to overcome any obstacles, prevent injury and reach your fitness goals, the perfect fit for all of your strength training needs.

Also, start by utilizing body weight exercises and resistance bands to build up strength before moving to weights. And as a general rule-of-thumb when strength training, start with large muscle groups, then move to smaller ones. Train at least two days a week, but always with one or two days off between workouts.

5 Ways To Get Your Glutes Going During Exercise

Whatever your exercise of choice—be it cardio, weight lifting or both—gaining muscle is always a welcome result. However, some areas, like your glutes, may remain unresponsive during your workout (no matter how hard you try).

So what’s going on? Is it the exercise? Is it your form? Could be. But more likely, your glutes are just remaining inactive and they’re leaving your other large muscle groups (quads and hamstrings) to pick up the slack. And this may be true regardless of exercise, whether you’re using glute-specific moves or not.

Why are glutes so lazy you ask? Well, a big part of it comes down to how you spend your day. If you’re planted in a chair at work or on the couch watching TV, it’s easy for your glutes to snooze the day away (leading to tight muscles and hip misalignment).

To get those stubborn glutes in gear, here are 5 things to remember (without having to go squat- and lunge-crazy, although that may help, too):

1.    Strengthen supporting muscles: When it comes to exercise, it’s all about form. But many of us overlook the supporting muscle groups that make certain moves more effective. For instance, hip stabilizers, hamstrings and obliques help to keep glutes in optimum position for exercise.

2.    Focus on form: We aren’t just talking about keeping your back straight during a squat or making sure your knees don’t go past your toes during a lunge. Instead, we’re talking about the mental side of things.

By staying present and focused on how your glutes are feeling during exercise and making a conscious effort to engage them, you’ll notice a big difference.

3.    Stretch for success: Despite your gluteus maximus being one of the strongest muscles in your body, it doesn’t take much for it to become deactivated (we’re looking at you, desk jockeys). And if you don’t wake your glutes up with dynamic stretching, they’ll remain snoozing right on through your workout.

Add in some glute bridges and/or reverse lunges to really get your glutes firing beforehand. You can also utilize those same glute-isolation exercises at the end of your workout, too, for an extra kick.

4.    Get back to the basics: Let’s state the obvious: breathing is kind of essential during exercise—right? But this doesn’t often doesn’t stop the impulse to hold your breath while lifting. Make sure to utilize proper breathing to maintain energy levels, keep focused and help calm muscles.

While you’re at it, remember to stay hydrated (with water) which will help to regulate body temperature and prevent cramping and fatigue—both of which are major exercise bummers.

5.    Give your glutes some assistance: If you’re giving your glutes all you’ve got, and you’re still struggling to really get them active during exercise, it may be time to get the help of an expert.

At GMC’s Fitness & Performance Center, you’ll have access to knowledgeable, experienced specialists who can answer your exercise-related questions, evaluate your form and provide hands-on personal training to ensure you get the most from your exercise.

Pro Tips To Exercise Smarter, Not Harder

You’ve finally finished a long day at work, picked up the kids and finished dinner, so it must be time to go to the gym—right? Well, maybe tomorrow (or the next day) instead. And before you know it, a full week has passed and you still haven’t gotten in a workout. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

When you do manage to squeeze in some time to exercise, you want to make it count. After all, seeing results can be a powerful motivator. So, what do you do to make your workout as effective as possible? While you may not have more time to spare than the recommended 30 minutes a day, there are simple ways to maximize your workout—and see those all-important results.

According to Kristie Willhoit, MS, a fitness specialist with GMC’s Sports Medicine Program, here are 6 things you can do to take full advantage of your workouts:

   1. Don’t push it 100% of the time.

To clarify, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be challenging yourself. But it’s important to clear up some confusion. For many years, it was believed that going non-stop when it comes to cardio (going for long, steady stints) was the best way to stay in your fat-burning zone; but this isn’t the case.

Instead, it’s best to replace that hour-long trek on the treadmill with a shorter span of speed intervals. Interval training has been shown to burn more fat during your sweat session and for up to 24 hours after you’ve completed your workout.

   2. Be intentional with your rest periods.

Time flies, especially when you get sucked into the social media black hole. You scroll and scroll and before you know it, 5+ minutes have passed between exercises. Whether you’re doing weight training, using machines or body-weight exercises, it’s essential to be mindful of your rest periods.

On the one hand, you want to rest enough between strength sets (at least 30 seconds) to increase the amount of work that you can do. On the other hand, you want to keep your rest periods to a minimum to maximize your time in the gym.

A great way to make your rest periods work for you is to add in alternating exercises. A typical compound set involves exercises that use opposing muscle groups, different body regions or opposite muscle actions (so that one muscle group gets rest, while the other works).

   3. Take advantage of off days.

While it may seem like more exercise equals more (or faster) results, this isn’t necessarily true. In order for your body to really perform while exercising and to actually develop those muscles you’re trying to sculpt, it needs time to recover. If you don’t give your body rest days, you’ll likely have decreased performance, higher blood pressure, disturbed sleep and more.

One of the best ways to help your body repair after an intense workout is to get some light exercise. This may be asking a lot when you’re feeling sore and taking the stairs is a tall task, but yoga, walking and swimming can help stimulate blood flow to tissues, remove waste and speed up muscle regeneration.

   4. Be adventurous.

It’s normal to be a creature of habit. After all, when you find something that works for you, why mess with a good thing? Because the minute an exercise becomes too routine, it’s likely that your body has gotten comfortable and efficient at the exercise. And if you aren’t challenging your body, you won’t be seeing the results you’re after.

One of the best ways to ensure that you’re keeping things new and challenging for your body is to try high-intensity circuit training. This kind of workout usually involves a combination of cardio and strength training, which offers the variety your body needs.

   5. Set yourself up for success.

Even if you’re giving your exercise routine all you’ve got, it may not be enough if you aren’t taking care of yourself outside of the gym. Yes—feeling tired, stressed and dehydrated take their toll in more ways than one. In order to have your best workout, you need to be sure that you’re getting at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

And let’s not forget the importance of drinking water throughout the day to help support a healthy metabolism and maintain energy levels, among many other things.

   6. Be eager to learn.

One of the best things you can do when it comes to exercise is to be open minded and willing to learn. This doesn’t mean that you should buy into every new exercise trick or diet trend, but it’s important to look for areas of improvement and to ask for help.

Whether you’re looking for a new exercise routine tailored to you, or you want an expert to evaluate your running and/or lifting form, GMC offers the services you need. Find out what the expertsat GMC’s Ellis Fitness & Performance Center can do for you!