Using machines to workout has become commonplace in our culture. For many people they are irreplaceable. But let's pause for a moment: is there anything strange about using machinery to train our bodies? Well, it's certainly a good way to become proficient at using machines! But what about high-dynamic or everyday activities that use our full body in a coordinated way? Workout machines (with a few exceptions) just don't replicate that. And relying on them can actually detrain your nervous system and its ability to coordinate many muscle groups efficiently and effectively. Not only that, but machines do such a great job of creating a stable environment that little-to-no balance is required on your part. And that means you need far fewer muscle groups to accomplish a given task. In the end that means you do less work in a machine-based activity and hence less you get benefit for your muscles and overall fitness.
Many such machines were developed in the 20th century and are a mainstay for physical therapy and helping patients recover from injuries. For these patients, having a more stable environment is often necessary because of a previous injury and the need to isolate a specific muscle or muscle group. But for the rest of us what we need is actually a less stable environment and less isolation! (Not to mention that many people recovering from injuries can benefit from stability training too.) I see the popularity of workout machines being due to a few things: increased comfort from an indoor workout environment; sense of satisfaction in knowing that you are working a single muscle and what that muscle is; sedentary workouts - most machines require that you sit down to use them; and simplicity of participation, e.g. press a button or move a weight pin and adjust seat height, then begin. Simplicity is good, but maybe we would benefit from taking some time to learn more complex, non-machine-based movements. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that traditional exercises without machines are better for you and more worth your time. And in the end, what is so complicated about a push-up?
In my personal workouts and my programs for clients I emphasize 'functional' training and 'stability' training. These are closely-related training methods and, in my opinion, make the most sense if your goal is total fitness and long-term health. An exercise is "functional" if it trains you to accomplish tasks that might come up in your ordinary life, e.g. lifting boxes, opening heavy doors, recovering from a fall, running up stairs, etc. But functional training can also go beyond these more everyday activities to include any activity that uses most of your body to accomplish a specific task, e.g. climbing a rope, throwing a large object, and jumping onto a high surface. When we are moving in the world, most of our body is required (hence the argument against machines). This means complex coordinations are performed by the nervous system to organize one's entire body toward attaining a set goal. There are major muscle groups activating to generate power, but there are also smaller muscle groups that bear the responsibility for keeping you from falling over, keeping your joint surfaces aligned, etc. And it is the activation and training of these smaller muscle groups that 'stability' training focuses on.
Stability training is composed of movement patterns and environments that have intentionally unstable aspects. An example would be a movement that requires some time balancing on only one foot. Another would be accomplishing a task with a moving object, so that you have to compensate for your center of gravity constantly shifting. Balancing is all about managing how you fall. Overtime, the falls become smaller and smaller (think of an infant learning how to walk) until you are proficient at the given task. And, just like the infant, once you are proficient it is time to try something more difficult and unstable again (like jumping, spinning, doing a handstand, etc.). In fitness training we call this a progression, and the idea is simply that your training increases in complexity as you increase in your own ability. In short, your fitness training should evolve with you.
To train my clients in functional movement patterns and stability exercises, we perform movements in the real world (often outside) and with simple equipment (bodyweight, floor mats, benches, playground structures, resistance tubing). The only time I use more equipment is at my private studio where my clients train themselves with medicine balls, stability balls, and dumbbells, but all in ways that recruit numerous muscle groups and increasingly challenge their coordination.
For more on the Author, Sebastian Grubb, visit his ‘Movers’ page!