Machine Workout Plan

April 21, 2009 3:19 PM

Please provide me with a twice-weekly gym machine workout so I can fill out this form (pdf).

I had a great workout schedule last year when I took weight training classes at college, but I don't have the sheet any more, and I'm looking for a replacement.

Don't worry about cardio, I've got that figured out.
Thanks!

posted by Citizen Premier to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

FWIW, the general consensus among strength training experts seems to be against both primary use of machines over free weights and against body part split workout schedules over heavy compound lifts.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 3:25 PM on April 21, 2009

Take a look at this one: http://stronglifts.com/

It's 3/week, but you could certainly adapt it. I did it for several months and I enjoyed the progression (and simplicity).
posted by Pantengliopoli at 4:07 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

What are you trying to accomplish? How strong are you now? If you're not very strong and you're trying to become strong, which is my guess based on your question, Inspector.Gadget and Pentengliopoli are right. Don't waste your time on machines. Use a barbell, learn the basic compound lifts, work out 3/week, eat a lot, and get strong. Stronglifts is a good site and there are lots of helpful folks in the forum. Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe is your best resource for learning the lifts.
posted by ludwig_van at 7:20 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Gyms will usually have their machines set up in a circuit, so you can run through the whole body at once. The reason it is easier to do this, vs. doing it with free-wieghts, has to do with how taxing machines are to your Nervous System(hint: not nearly as much). If you are only go to workout twice a week, do a whole body workout circuit.
Otherwise, I would just set up the exercises in a similar fashion as you would with a general free-weights program. You should be able to do this easily since you've already taken weight training classes. Or pick up any muscle mag at your local grocery store to see a run of the mill program.
If you need help figuring out your machines here are some simple rules to follow (assumption of compound movements in seated or prone position, otherwise do excessive reps and "feel the burn" to figure out the specific muscle).
Pulling with upper body will work the muscles of the Back, Rear Shoulders, Biceps, and Forearms.
Pushing with upper body will work the muscles of the Chest, Front Shoulders, and Triceps.
Pulling with legs will work back of legs or Hamstrings
Pushing with legs will work front of legs or Quadriceps
Butt muscles are considered back of legs, but will be activated with front leg exercises also.
Calves...use the calf raise machine.
posted by P.o.B. at 6:34 AM on April 22, 2009

The basic schematic P.o.B. lays out looks good -- specifics, of course, will depend on what machines are available to you. In a typical gym, you could do this as:
--Upper body, pushing, vertical orientation: some kind of overhead press
--Upper body, pulling, vertical orientation: some kind of pulldown (or chinup)
--Upper body, pushing, horizontal orientation: chest press
--Upper body, pulling, horizontal orientation: row
--Lower body: leg curl for hamstrings, leg extension for quads, leg press can hit both depending to some extent on foot placement

While it's popular nowadays to assert the supremacy of free weights and "functional training" over machines, I haven't seen a lot of convincing evidence; for a differing view, see, as a random example, this , which came over my RSS feed today. Bottom line as far as I'm concerned is to figure out what works best for you in terms of your goals, what equipment is readily available for you, and most importantly what you will actually do consistently.
posted by Kat Allison at 7:30 AM on April 22, 2009

While it's popular nowadays to assert the supremacy of free weights and "functional training" over machines, I haven't seen a lot of convincing evidence; for a differing view, see, as a random example, this

Barbell training is not something that is "popular nowadays." People have been getting strong with barbells since the 19th century. Weight machines gained popularity in the 1970s, and they are still what most people use. And the guy in the linked interview seems to be full of crap. That interview is all handwaving and contradictions. His web site says:

A functional training advocate would suggest that because running is an activity performed on one's feet, we should perform lunges (an exercise for the thighs and glutes) as they too are performed while standing. In truth, the runners goal should be to strengthen these muscles in the most effective means possible, which often involves sitting on a leg extension, leg curl or leg press machine.

The point of training compound movements with free weights is not only to mimic a natural movement (although that's part of it), it's to maximize central nervous system and muscular recruitment and skeletal loading in a way that is not possible with machines. A proper barbell squat involves the glutes, quads, hamstrings, adductors, calves, rectus abdominus, erector spinae, obliques, and enough CNS involvement to keep your balance and control all of those. You will not find that with any machine.
posted by ludwig_van at 9:11 AM on April 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I would agree the article Kat Allison linked to is a bit Kool Aid heavy, and everyone likes the flavor of their own Kool Aid. The guy never mentions it directly, just the people, but he is a Nautilus student. HIT was spawned from those guys and was originally used in order to train Mike Mentzer to win the 1980 Olympia . I don't have a problem when someone talks about how great their training system is, except a red flag should immediately go up when they disparage other training systems.
The comments below the article are just as insightful as the article.
posted by P.o.B. at 3:52 PM on April 22, 2009