Monday, December 30, 2013
Free weight training provides a number of benefits above and beyond the benefits machines offer. Whether your goal is increased muscle mass or weight loss, training with free weights might just be the ticket to accomplishing your goals in 2014.
This week, I’ll discuss some of these benefits and introduce an exercise that’s designed with free weight advantages in mind.
Strength training with machines is fantastic from a safety perspective, simply because your movement pattern is defined by the machine. There’s little or no variation, which means it’s difficult to put yourself in a position where injury could occur.
Plus, machines are easy to adjust and don’t require that you lug large metal objects around.
If you’ve been weight training for some time, you’ve probably experimented with free weights. One of their advantages also makes this form of exercise somewhat more dangerous than machine training. The user-defined movement pattern allows the individual complete freedom, and that means it’s possible to move the weight in ways that hurt joints more than help. It’s sort of like taking the training wheels off your bike. Yes, you could fall, but you’ll improve your balance at the same time.
Training with such freedom allows for the involvement of stabilizer muscles above and beyond what is observed with machines. Joint stability is maintained through the activation of other muscles that don’t necessarily have to contract during the same movement on a machine. Therefore, your joint stability will improve much faster when training with free weights.
Plus, you can manipulate the movement to fit your body’s preferred path rather than a path that’s chosen for you. Bodies come in different shapes and sizes; machines are usually one size fits all.
This week’s exercise is a combination movement that’s simply not possible with a machine, which makes this movement all the more exciting. The Hammer Curl and Press will challenge the biceps and the shoulder muscles while addressing balance and core stability at the same time.
It’s a cornucopia of muscle contraction.
Select a pair of medium dumbbells. Grasp one in each hand and stand facing a mirror.
Rotate your hands so the palms are facing toward each other (inward).
Curl the dumbbells up by flexing the elbows. As you reach full flexion, press the dumbbells upward into an overhead press.
Both arms should be fully extended overhead with the biceps lined up with your ears.
Reverse this movement pattern. Lower the elbows, then allow the elbows to extend.
Repeat this pattern for12 repetitions.
This exercise will really make the shoulders burn, because the anterior deltoid must contract during both the curl and the press portions of the movement. It serves as a stabilizer initially, then becomes a primary mover when you perform the overhead press. Pretty tough!
Matt Parrott has a doctorate in education (sport studies) and a master’s in kinesiology and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.
ActiveStyle, Pages 30 on 12/30/2013