Use of gym fitness equipment

The core logic of using gym equipment is never to copy "standard movements" from Internet celebrity tutorials, but to first clarify your own training goals and physical tolerance, and use the equipment as an auxiliary tool to achieve your goals, rather than a shackle that must complete fixed operations. This is the most realistic conclusion I have come to after practicing for four years, going through more than 20 pitfalls, and consulting with coaches from three different schools.

Last week in the strength area, I bumped into a little girl who had just applied for a card. She studied the lat pull-down machine for ten minutes. The teachings of a fitness blogger with a million fans were playing on her phone. She sat on it and pulled it twice before frowning and rubbing her shoulders, muttering, "I obviously have all the movements right, but why are my trapezius muscles sore than my back?"

Actually, it’s not that she learned something wrong, it’s that too many people regard standardized movements as the only correct answer, forgetting that people’s physical conditions can be very different. Take the high pull-down as an example. Bodybuilding-style training requires sinking the shoulders, tightening the core, and pulling the bar under the chin to maximize the contraction of the latissimus dorsi muscles. However, if you have rounded shoulders and low shoulders, deadlifting to the chin at the beginning will only make the trapezius muscles compensate for the force. It is better to lower the height of the pull-bar to the upper edge of the chest, first find the feeling of tightness in the latissimus dorsi muscles, and then slowly lower it. The effect will be better.

Speaking of which, I have to mention a controversy that has been raging in the fitness circle for many years: Are fixed equipment novice-friendly?

Most bodybuilding-oriented trainers will recommend newbies to start with fixed equipment. After all, the track is fixed, there is no need to control balance, it is easier to find muscle force, and it is less likely to be injured due to movement deformation. However, most friends who are into powerlifting will scorn it, thinking that fixed equipment locks the mobility of the hips, knees and ankles, and the muscles trained are "dead muscles". On the contrary, it will reduce the joint coordination ability when squatting with free weights. It is better for novices to practice the action pattern with bare hands first. Both statements are supported by complete training logic, and no one is right or wrong at all - if you want to build some muscles and look good in clothes, it is absolutely fine to start with fixed equipment; if you want to do powerlifting or participate in competitions in the future, it is of course more appropriate to try free weights early.

Oh, yes, don’t believe the nonsense that "fixed equipment is absolutely safe". I had a friend who just recovered from lumbar prolapse last year. I heard someone said that Hack squats put less pressure on the lumbar spine, so I added 60kg of weights when I squatted to the bottom. He froze on the spot and held his waist for a long time before he came down. Later, when he went for a review, he found out that his pelvis was tilted forward. When Hack squatted, his waist couldn't touch the cushion at all. The lumbar spine was compensating the force throughout the process, and it was not as stable as doing box squats with bare hands. When it comes to safety, you should spend 30 seconds adjusting the seat height before using the equipment. It is better than anything else - the seat for seated chest presses is too high, and all the force is exerted by the anterior deltoid muscles during the push. After the exercise, the shoulders hurt and cannot be lifted;

Every time I go to the gym now, the first thing I touch is never the heavy weight equipment. I first take a 2.5kg small dumbbell and rotate it twice to activate the rotator cuff, then find a high pull-down on an empty bar and do two sets of high pull-downs to feel the strength of the back. Once it is warmed up, I slowly increase the weight. Really don’t just grab the one with the heaviest dumbbell rack and squeeze it to death, and don’t compete with the people next to you who has added more presses. I’ve seen too many people pretend to be sexy just to shoot a circle of friends. The Smith bench bench press adds three large presses. When pressing, the whole process is half way, and when you come down, you have to rub your shoulders for a long time. It’s really unnecessary. You can feel whether your muscles have grown or not, and only you know whether your joints hurt or not. You cannot harm your body for the sake of other people's eyes.

There are also unspoken rules that no one talks about: the safety buckles on the equipment are really not decorations. Last year, I saw someone bench press without the buckle, and the outermost piece slipped off and hit the foot. The swelling took almost half a month to go away. After using the equipment, put the pieces back in place. Don’t throw 20 kilograms of pieces all over the gym. It is really annoying for people behind you to look for the pieces with sweat. If someone is waiting for you to use the equipment, don’t sit on it with your mobile phone and watch videos for ten minutes between sets. Everyone’s time is precious.

Last time I saw an old man in his sixties, Yun Shou, who was practicing Tai Chi with a light-weight tension band from a gantry frame. His movements looked weird. He was told that his shoulder circumference was not good, so using a tension band to help him move around was much more effective than wandering around on his own. You see, there is no fixed correct way to use the equipment? You can use dumbbells to do shoulder exercises, or you can use dumbbells as weights to climb stairs. As long as you can achieve your training goals, not get injured, and not cause trouble to others, you can use them no matter what.