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All of my exercises now mimic real life motions (kind of like the Karate Kid wax-on, wax-off approach). I literally think of things I do in my day to day life (e.g., lift grocery bags, pick up heavy boxes) and convert that into weight-bearing routines.
I'm also beginning to transition into the Charles Atlas mindset where I'm moving away from weights and instead using my own natural weight for resistance. Muscle mass has come down a bit but tone and definition are looking way better.
All of my exercises now mimic real life motions (kind of like the Karate Kid wax-on, wax-off approach). I literally think of things I do in my day to day life (e.g., lift grocery bags, pick up heavy boxes) and convert that into weight-bearing routines.
I'm also beginning to transition into the Charles Atlas mindset where I'm moving away from weights and instead using my own natural weight for resistance. Muscle mass has come down a bit but tone and definition are looking way better.
I do that too.
Getting your ass off the toilet and standing up --> Squats
Picking up heavy grocery bags / lifting heavy furniture --> Deadlift
I want to know if this is true about these exercising machines. I went to physical therapy for knee problems and the leg extension machine where I sat down I was taught to use to help. Now I am reading for the first time ever that people should never use this machine and it wear down cartilage. Is this true about the seated leg extension machine and are there other kinds of leg extension machines? I don't know why this was used in physical therapy if it can cause more wear down on cartilage. What exercises are good for the knees and HOW do I stop knee popping??? I tried even ice and it always comes back. What exercise machines can replace these and still help the knees?
"2. The Machine: Seated Leg Extension
Since the weight is placed so close to your ankles, the machine puts undue torque on the knee joint, which can wear down cartilage and cause knee pain, Gaddour says. Plus, the common gym contraption is built around a motion that has little real-life benefit."
Also I remember being told that exercise on the hips can be beneficial for the knees and hip exercises (not this specific one) were done in therapy but at my gym they don't have the same machine so this is the only one I found. I've only been doing this for a week and now after reading this I stopped especially since I have back problems.
"4. The Machine: Hip Abductor/Adductor
If it looks ridiculous, it probably is, Gaddour says. And squeezing your thighs together — or pushing them apart — over and over definitely counts. Besides actually working very few muscles, it also strains the spine and can make the IT band so tight it pulls your knee cap out of place — not a good look for anybody."
There are two issues with most machine exercises. The first is they promote bad form. Walk through any gym and you will see awful form where people are begging to injure themselves. Ever watch people using a rotary torso machine, pec deck, or seated chest press machine? The leg extension is another prime example where people use to much weight and jerk the weight. The second problem with machine exercises is the machines are designed for an average size person. Obviously an average size man and an average size woman are not the same size. Most machines do have adjustments such as moving the seat position but it is usually not enough of an adjustment for someone my height, which is 6'4".
I'm not bashing machine exercises like the seated leg extension and the hip abductor/adductor. I've come to the realization that many people are not going to do squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups, and Olympic lifts. If done correctly, people can get a decent workout with machines.
I started lifting free weights in 1966 when I was in 6th grade. I've lifted most of the time over the 51 years since that time based on what was available to me at the time. I've used Super Gyms, Universal Gyms, Nautlilus, Hammer Strength plate-loaded equipment, etc. I've found that most people overthink working out. You are better off doing something rather than nothing. I've had virtually no injuries from working out over the years other than the elbow tendinitis I currently have from doing too many pull-ups.
Regarding the two machines mentioned above, I had rarely used the leg extension machine until I developed a torn meniscus. A doctor pointed out to me that the affected leg was losing muscle mass because I was favoring the other leg when doing squats and deadlifts. I started using the leg extension and leg press using one leg at a time. I do them very slowly and typically do at least 10 reps. BTW, the orthopedic surgeon who operated on my meniscus also told be leg extensions were bad for your knees. He pretty much said the same thing that is in the Why You Should Never Do This Exercise | STACK article. There may be something to this, but I like being able to concentrate on one leg at a time. I should mention that I do these exercises as a warm-up to squats and deadlifts. Squats and deadlifts are my main leg workout.
The hip abductor/adductor machine is probably the most bashed machine in existence, especially in magazines like Shape, Men's Fitness, Men's Health, etc. Most guys think these machines are for women who want to burn fat off their thighs. I had a problem with my IT Band. The exercises I was given in physical therapy are similar to the muscles the abductor machine exercises. In fact, I thought the abductor machine was more efficient that the band exercises that my PT gave me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kings Gambit
I agree. These two machines should be avoided. ESPECIALLY the Hip abductor/adductor which always seems to be the favorite of every newbie fat woman at the gym. That is, until they learn better then avoid it altogether in favor of the squat rack.
But how many fat women actually progress to the squat rack?
Quote:
Originally Posted by A1eutian
One of the few times I tore muscles in my upper back was with the Nautilus "Pullover" machine. On those you sit with your elbows pointed up, arms bent behind your head. Then you pull down with your elbows until they are parallel with your body.
Nautilus has a lot of great equipment so this isn't a knock on them, and I may have had too much weight on the stack.
But pullover machines should be used with caution, because you could be in for a painful back muscle tear. It's like having someone put a knuckle into your back as hard they can all day. Fun.
I used to use a Nautilus pullover machine but have not seen one in over 15 years. If you got a back muscle tear, you were not using the machine correctly. I liked the stretch I got from that machine and wish I had access to one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida2014
I would agree about the hip adductor/abductor machines. I recently tried these and within a few weeks I started having issues with a pulled groin. No more!
Another machine to avoid is the ab pulldown machine that every gym has.
The only way you could have gotten a pulled groin from this machine is to be using too much weight and jerking the weight. The machine actually stretches your groin muscles.
Did you mean the lat pulldown machine. If so, what you should avoid is pulling it down behind your neck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYC2RDU
All of my exercises now mimic real life motions (kind of like the Karate Kid wax-on, wax-off approach). I literally think of things I do in my day to day life (e.g., lift grocery bags, pick up heavy boxes) and convert that into weight-bearing routines.
I'm also beginning to transition into the Charles Atlas mindset where I'm moving away from weights and instead using my own natural weight for resistance. Muscle mass has come down a bit but tone and definition are looking way better.
This actually sounds more risky than using weights. Most injuries are caused by lifting things other than weights. It is also not very effective nor efficient. Are you get to do reps and sets of picking a box or grocery bag off the floor?
I'm also not a fan of the concept that weight lifting exercises should or can be functional. Weightlifting can build size and raw strength. That raw strength does not always carry over to sports or real life.
The only way you could have gotten a pulled groin from this machine is to be using too much weight and jerking the weight. The machine actually stretches your groin muscles.
Did you mean the lat pulldown machine. If so, what you should avoid is pulling it down behind your neck.
Strained the groin area. I don't know if it was totally "pulled" or not. Regardless, I had never used that machine in 20+ years of lifting and never had those problems so I will not be using them again.
Lat pulldown? That's an entirely different machine and body part! lol.
I agree that for most people, most machines are fine....at least 1000% better than doing nothing. And maybe 90% as good as the latest bunch of "best" exercises. Unless you're in (or THINK you're in) the rarefied air of top 5% athletes, it's really not necessary to quibble so much and make stuff hard. You need to know enough to not hurt yourself...and the rest is debatable.
The problem I have is with the patella. I already saw a doctor many times. All he says is there is nothing that can be done and they did x-rays and he just says everything looks fine but the popping isn't normal popping people get once in a while. It's the kind of popping I have to pop and it's hard to pop it so I have to press my knee cap tight with my hands and then kick my leg fast a couple of times in order for there to be a pop and if I don't do this then it when I am walking it feels tight and it feels stiff when I am walking and I have to do this for both of them but especially with the left. Then there is regular popping too, when I wake up and stand up a lot of times there is popping mostly on the left knee but the right knee pops too. What about leg press? Are there any negative side effects for this? I already do exercises with bands in the morning and at night, then I put after doing the exercises for 15 minutes. The ice helps for a while but the popping always comes back no matter what. So what the hell am I supposed to do? I already saw a physical therapist and the doctor is the one who gave me the referral and this was a few years ago and I am still doing these exercises? That means the problem wasn't fixed and the popping is even worse than before... This doctor is considered the best in my region and I did at least 3 x-rays like once a year. He just says everything looks fine but he said it has something to do with the patella.
What exercising machines are actually SAFE for the knees and are specifically for the quads because that's what makes the knees stronger. I don't understand why is it until now I am learning that the leg extension machine is bad for the knees since this is what I was taught to do and did in physical therapy.
The problem I have is with the patella. I already saw a doctor many times. All he says is there is nothing that can be done and they did x-rays and he just says everything looks fine but the popping isn't normal popping people get once in a while. It's the kind of popping I have to pop and it's hard to pop it so I have to press my knee cap tight with my hands and then kick my leg fast a couple of times in order for there to be a pop and if I don't do this then it when I am walking it feels tight and it feels stiff when I am walking and I have to do this for both of them but especially with the left. Then there is regular popping too, when I wake up and stand up a lot of times there is popping mostly on the left knee but the right knee pops too. What about leg press? Are there any negative side effects for this? I already do exercises with bands in the morning and at night, then I put after doing the exercises for 15 minutes. The ice helps for a while but the popping always comes back no matter what. So what the hell am I supposed to do? I already saw a physical therapist and the doctor is the one who gave me the referral and this was a few years ago and I am still doing these exercises? That means the problem wasn't fixed and the popping is even worse than before... This doctor is considered the best in my region and I did at least 3 x-rays like once a year. He just says everything looks fine but he said it has something to do with the patella.
What exercising machines are actually SAFE for the knees and are specifically for the quads because that's what makes the knees stronger. I don't understand why is it until now I am learning that the leg extension machine is bad for the knees since this is what I was taught to do and did in physical therapy.
Your doctor doesn't know what he's talking about. Why is he using an X-ray? Your doctor's reputation must have gone to his head because honestly, he really has no idea.
He should be using an ultrasound. You probably have some problems with your ligaments ligaments or maybe a logistical issue with one of your nerves, that is causing degeneration because it's not getting the information necessary for your body to heal.
Look up comprehensive prolotherapy and perineural injection therapy. Your best bet is to find a doctor that uses a combination of both procedures and you will get fixed, but it won't address the underlying condition that you have, which is likely some sort of an imbalance.
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