Weight training with free weights.
Using free weights is a great alternative to exercise machines for strength and fitness development. Lifting weights increases muscle size, strength, power, and endurance. It also burns calories and increases bone density.Advantages
Using free weights is a good way to develop functional strength - strength that simulates both sport-specific and real-world actions that use a variety of movements with a wide range of movements. These functional fitness programs are based on a variety of complex exercises (multi-joint movements that involve multiple muscles or muscle groups at the same time), which include free-weight exercises and self-weight exercises. Another drawback of strength training equipment is non-compliance with the principle of the specifics of training. You should train only for sports, improve your strength only in sports, and the best workouts mimic your athletic movements. If you train on exercise machines, you will learn how to lift or push these weights on the simulator. Does this mean a better serve in tennis or a better hill climb on a bike? Unlikely.
Even if you are not an athlete and just want to feel better, training on simulators is unlikely to make your daily tasks easier. The vast majority of everyday tasks that we perform do not correspond to the fixed movements on the simulators. Most of our daily tasks are related to free weights. Food items, books, furniture, lawn tools, and children are not fixed weights that move in a certain direction. You lift these items without using guides, cables, or levers.
Free weights, such as dumbbells and stuffed balls, are better suited for sports and for life. We can create a much more specific workout using free weights than exercise machines. Exercise machines strengthen the muscles that you use mostly in the gym. Unlike weight training machines, free weights do not restrict movement. This is great for building strength, but also increases the risk of injury when lifting weights. Precautions include getting a little instruction on the correct position and lifting technique. Most free-weight accidents happen when a load falls or when a free weight is wanted to be lifted or put back in place.
Another advantage of training with free weights is that you will improve your balance. Exercise machines don't require balance at all - you sit down, take the right position, and push. Balance training is an essential part of all sports and is extremely important for healthy aging.
When to use the simulators
Exercise machines do have a place in rehabilitation and training when muscle isolation or the ability to control speed, direction, and intensity of movement is desired. Simulators are also useful for beginners who may need a very structured program of movements to develop basic strength. Exercise machines can also play a role in" building up " muscles to achieve undefined strength. Obviously, bodybuilders need as much muscle as possible, and they don't care too much about how that muscle performs the athlete's precise movements. But functional training should be the foundation of a fitness program for anyone who wants to develop strength, skills, agility, and balance for sports (and life) outside of the gym.
Tips for using free weights
* Get instructions from a qualified trainer to learn the correct technique for each free-weight exercise.
* Exercise all sides of the body-right and left, front and back.
* Breathe during each ascent and do not hold your breath.
* When performing each exercise, lift weights in the full range of motion.
* Lift slowly and in a controlled manner. Do not use inertia to move heavy objects.
* When lifting very heavy weights, use a spotter for safety.
* When lifting, keep your head up and keep your back straight.
* Avoid overextension of the spine during the ascent.
