I also follow the same. I care nothing about body building. I just want strength and stamina. I work out everything.
Max weight. 5 reps. 3 sets. Thats it.
Stupid for some. But worked for me. Again back into it. Cannot lift my arms.
That's the basics of
Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Hope you're targeting the big muscles and not wasting time doing biceps and triceps, or overdoing chest. Great workout for beginners. You can move to 5x5 once you've hit a plateau.
i meant 'assistance' provided by the machines... so as to not lose the proper form. injured people use machines to isolate the injury and keep training... i put a novice in the same category.
That's where you are wrong. A novice isn't the same as an injured person. And using machines won't improve your form one bit. You'll have to work even harder to correct your form afterwards if you've got used to machines; I've explained the reason below.
Guidance: in my opinion, indian instructors can't provide any guidance. so, i asked him to rely on machines in the beginning.
You're right in your first sentence, but the irony is that even these instructors suggest to workout on machines because it's less work for them.
Machines have become a mask to hide behind for lazy trainers.
the last i used any machine was in year 1997. i've learnt a lot in the meanwhile. i suggested machine to a new user to avoid any injuries.
You are misinformed about machines then. They are more dangerous and cause greater injuries than free weights. The reason: locking your body into an unnatural movement.
Have you ever seen kids (even 1-year-olds) squat? Heck, even Indian-style toilet is the same
That's the natural body motion for doing squats. Just imagine doing that on a Smith Machine, and with weights on your back. You are forced to carry the weight into a straight vertical motion. Doing it naturally will carry the weight in a slightly curved path. The same holds true for doing bench press, overhead press and deadlift on a Smith Machine.
Leg extension machine stresses the shin bone, which in turn puts pressure on the knee cap. Seen many people weaken their knees due to overuse of this machine. Our quadriceps are meant for running, jumping, squatting, etc... not to generate torque for rotating your knee joint.
Pec Deck, Cable Rows, Abs crunchers and twisters are some of the other machines that pose a higher risk of injury than free weights.
those stabilizers can be trained later on with free weights, which requires some knowledge and practice about proper form. a new user can be productive on machines from day 1... while learning the ropes on free weights might take forever.
That's exactly the problem. You'll have to train your stabilizers from the beginning, starting with the least weight. Most people try to lift the same (or at least close to the same) they're capable on a machine and get themselves injured.
Form is basics, and from day 1 that is what you should be targeting. Forget how much you lift. Just do it with a bar with no weights. If you can't do that, then try with a wooden stick. If not even that, then just bare body.
The machines will hinder your natural movement, and in the process also wreck your form.
Form, form, form. Basics. That's all that a novice should be concentrating on.
Once they've passed the basics stage (in reality we are always improving on our technique, but I mean at least 85% of the basics), the beginners start enjoying their training. They are the ones who I've always seen to have a long-term commitment to exercising. Even if they take a 1-year or 2-years break, they always have a yearning to come back.
i've used some good machines for isolated training, so i just shared my experience.
That's alright. We're all here to share and learn.
you guys know better about cardio... i just don't need it. i've always been lean due to heavy weight training only. just once in a while i'd do cardio to beat the calorie scores of fellow gym goers. FYI, all of our machines (cardio + weight) were fitlinxx equipped; so, it used to be fun to see where you stand against other runners.
I cycle in real life, so even I don't bother much about it. Also, a HIIT session with weights is a much better cardio workout than what's traditionally considered to be cardio.
and i am happy for him and other steroid users. you guys are in a different league... you follow bulk-n-cut routines and i always eat clean to stay ripped. bulking is not my cup of tea. i strictly follow my routine and my chances of skipping workout would be once in a year; whereas you guys might not even touch cold iron in winters (Rockfella).
Don't know much about him, but my training is always about building strength and maintaining it. Haven't followed a bulk-and-cut routine as of yet, though many strength trainers suggest to go on a cut at least once a year to push your body to the limits.
