Four Weight Machines that Are Essential to Your Workouts

There are many reasons why you need to get better acquainted with the exercise machines at the gym. These machines can bump up your metabolism by nearly 20% for at least two hours after your workout, leading to better weight loss. These machines also provide heart health benefits, as studies show that circuit training twice a week may lower your blood pressure. Plus, weight machines are good for your emotional wellbeing, with one recent study finding that women who regularly lifted weights felt healthier and had a more positive body image. We spoke to health and wellness expert Liz Neporent for her advice on the best gym machines.

 

Neporent instructs, ‘Begin by doing one set on each machine, using a weight you can lift between eight and 15 times. If you can breeze through all the repetitions, go slightly heavier; if you’re shaking after the first few reps, lower the amount of weight. Take a 30-second break (no more!) between each exercise to give your body adequate time to recover. Aim to do the workout two or three times a week. After two weeks, do two sets on each machine; after one month, challenge yourself.’ So which gym machines should you use?

 

1. Cable Tower: According to Neporent, ‘If you had to choose just one machine to use at the gym, this is it. That’s because the cable tower – which features several weight stacks, adjustable cables, and a whole bunch of attachments – offers dozens of exercises to target all of your major muscles. With a mere flick of a clip, you can easily go from doing curls to kickbacks to rows. To work your arms, stand facing one of the low weight stacks and clip a short, mustache-shaped bar onto the end. Grip the bar, placing hands near ends, palms up, arms extended, with hands in front of thighs. Curl the bar toward shoulders, keeping elbows close to sides. Lower slowly back to starting position and repeat.’

 

2. Lat Pull-Down: ‘A strong back will help you stand taller, reduce injury risk, and look seriously sexy in a strapless dress,’ Neporent asserts. ‘Clip the long bar onto the cable attachment and grip the bar with your hands 1 or 2 inches from the centre on either side, palms facing forward. Lean back slightly, keeping your arms straight, abs engaged and chest lifted, then pull the bar to the chest. Hold for 1 count; slowly return to starting position.’

 

3. Leg Press: Neporent explains, ‘Because [the leg press] keeps your body in a stable position while targeting your butt and thighs, you get an amazing workout. Adjust the seat so the thighs are parallel to the foot plate when you recline; keep the feet hip-width apart. Pressing the feet into plate, straighten the legs; don’t lock the knees at the top. Bend the knees and lower until the weight hovers just above the stack; repeat.’

 

4. Smith Machine: ‘The chest press is an incredibly effective way to work several muscles at once,’ says Neporent. ‘It looks a little scary at first, but the Smith has a safety net – if the weight should suddenly feel too heavy, you can plant the bar in the nearest set of holes on the frame. You can also use the Smith for standing moves like squats or lunges with weights. Place five-pound weight plates on both ends of bar. Lie on the bench with the chest directly beneath bar, feet flat on the floor. Grip the bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms forward, and unhook the bar; straighten arms. Bend the elbows until they’re just below shoulder height, then press back up. On the last rep, bend wrists to set bar back on hooks.’

Categories: cable tower, gym machines, leg press, machines, repeat nbsp, smith machine, starting position, weight, weight machines, weight stacks

How to Get Those Arms and Shoulders in Shape for Summer

Summer’s around the corner, which means it may soon be time to pack away your cardigans and get those arms out on display. However, if that fills you with thoughts of worry rather than wellness, fear not; we spoke to top fitness experts about how you can make your shoulders and arms more toned and fit.

 

According to fitness trainer Brad Schoenfeld, MS, CSCS,  ‘The shoulders are the most important muscle group of the upper body for appearance as well as function. Even if you have nice arms, you won’t look good if your shoulders are stooped.’ Much in the same way that shoulder pads help to balance you out, well-developed shoulders also give the illusion of a smaller waist. Your main shoulder muscles include three parts. ‘These include the posterior, medial, and anterior deltoid heads,’ explains Schoenfeld. Your workout should include exercises targeting all three.’ In order to do this, try doing the following three exercises three times per week. Aim for three to four 12-15 repetitions (reps) per set.

 

1. Overhead Shoulder Press: This move works your anterior deltoids. Wellness writer Linda Melone instructs, ‘Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold onto dumbbells. Position dumbbells at each side of shoulders, with elbows bent at a right angle, hands stacked above your wrists (think of goal posts), and palms facing forward. Press the dumbbells upward until arms are extended overhead. Slowly lower to the starting position and repeat.’

 

2. Lateral Raise: This is a good move for your lateral deltoids. ‘Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and grasp two dumbbells,’ says Melone. ‘Move dumbbells to the front of your thighs, with palms facing each other. Slightly bend the elbows and raise dumbbells up and out to the sides until parallel to the floor. Your pinkie should be higher than your thumb.’

 

3. Reverse Fly: Finally, this move targets your posterior deltoids. Melone details, ‘Grasp two dumbbells and stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Bend forward at the waist until your back is parallel to the floor (keep knees bent); keep elbows slightly bent with arms towards the floor, palms and dumbbells facing each other. In this bent-over position, raise dumbbells up and out to the sides, moving from the shoulders only, until arms are parallel to the floor at approximately shoulder level. Lower to starting position and repeat.’

 

Once you’ve worked on your shoulders, it’s time to look at your arms and back. Exercise physiologist Pete McCall, MS, CSCS, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, notes that pull-ups ‘work the back, forearms and biceps.’ However, if you’re not strong enough to lift your own body weight, here’s how to substitute seated pull-downs or seated rows, which work the same muscles:

 

1. Seated Pull-Down: ‘Attach tubing to upper part of a door hinge,’ Melone advises. ‘Sit tall on a stability ball or bench and grasp tubing handles. Keep feet flat on the floor and chest high as you pull elbows down and back, squeezing shoulder blades together. Pause and slowly return to starting position.’

 

2. Seated Row: This move works your back and biceps. Melone suggests, ‘Attach exercise tubing to a door hinge and sit tall on a bench or exercise ball, grasping handles in each hand, palms facing up. Keep chest high and shoulders down (avoid shrugging) as you pull the handles towards you (tubing should be at chest height). Pause when hands reach the sides of your chest, pause and slowly return to starting position. Keep palms facing up to work the biceps; palms down strengthens forearms.’

Categories: arms, door hinge, feet shoulder, knees slightly, palms facing, raise dumbbells, repeat nbsp, shoulder width, shoulders, slowly return, starting position, Workout

Love Your Lower Half with these Spectacular Moves!

Your lower half isn’t always the easiest area to love, but FITNESS advisory board member Joe Dowdell, author of Ultimate You: A 4-Phase Total Body Makeover, has created movements that can turn your wobbly bum and thighs into a lower half worth your affection. Not only is getting fit good for your wellbeing, but toning exercises like these are vital to your weight loss wellness. According to Dowell, ‘It’s about the quality and not the quantity of movements,’ so make sure you give each move your best work!

 

1. Split Squat: This move targets your bum and legs. Kneeling on the ground with a dumbbell in each hand and your palms facing in, bring your left knee up so it’s at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Curl your right toes under and push through your left heel to stand and, with your arms by your sides, lower on a count of three until your right knee is a few inches off ground and both knees are bent 90 degrees. Hold for one count, stand, do eight to 10 reps, switch sides and repeat.

 

2. Two-Arm Swing: As well as toning your bum and legs, this move tones up your shoulders and abs. Standing with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, hold a single dumbbell with both hands in front of you, palms facing in. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at your hips to bring the dumbbell back between your legs. Immediately return to a standing position, swinging your extended arms up to chest level, and repeat for 12 to 15 reps.

 

3. Lateral Squat: This is another move that gives your bum and legs a great workout. With your legs wide and holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your hips, shift your weight to your left leg and bend your left knee slowly. On the count of three, you should end up in a squat with your right leg extended out to side and dumbbells lowered towards the ground. Return to the start, do eight to 10 reps, switch sides and repeat.

 

4. Modified Deadlift: This is a great move for working your back and hamstrings. With a dumbbell in each hand and arms by your sides, stand on your left leg with your knee slightly bent and the toes of your right foot on a step behind you. Bend forwards at your hips on a count of three until your back is nearly parallel to ground. Return to the start, and do 10 to 12 reps on each side.

 

5. Rollout: This move targets your back, abs and arms. Kneel down and interlace your fingers atop centre of a stability ball. Lean forwards slowly on a count of two to roll your arms over the ball until your body is at a 45-degree diagonal to ground. Make sure you keep your abs tight, arms extended and body in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Roll back to start to complete one rep, and do as many reps as you can.

 

6. Dumbbell Push-Up: This move works your shoulders, chest, triceps, and abs. In a full push-up position – holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms turned toward each other at a 45-degree angle – bend your elbows to lower your body towards the ground on a count of two. Return to the start position, and do as many reps as you can. If this move is a bit tricky at first, do the same thing with modified push-ups where you start on your knees.

Categories: bum, degree angle, dumbbell, ground return, left knee, left leg, legs, palms facing, repeat nbsp, reps switch, switch sides, tone