It might sound a bit odd that a fitness coach is telling you NOT to exercise on machines at the gym.  But, hear me out first.  It’s not an “all or nothing” suggestion.  I see many, many women at the club where I exercise going from machine to machine when they do their strength training.  it’s certainly better than sitting on the couch at home–but I’d like to see them venture off those machines for at least a few exercises–and here’s why:

Machines control your range of motion

Sounds like a good thing, right?  Not really.  Machines often eliminate a lot of work on your part.  This is great for beginners and frail individuals, but once you’re past the beginner stage—pick up some dumbbells or use cables/pulleys attached to a weight stack.  You need to be in control of your movement, activating lots of muscle in each movement.

Lots of machines put you in a seated position

I like to see my clients do most of their exercises in a standing position (of course there are exceptions here, like push ups!).  Standing while working with weights, pulleys or bands loads your skeleton (good for bone health), requires you to engage your core muscles more, and challenges your balance.

Many machines isolate one muscle group

Our muscles rarely work in isolation. I’m a proponent of using functional, multi-joint exercises in strength workouts (if weight loss or general fitness is the goal). Although there’s nothing wrong with supplementing a good workout with exercises that isolate a muscle group (such as a biceps curl), I develop workouts for my personal training clients in San Jose that are chock full of exercises that use several joints at once and mimic real-life movements (examples:  squats, lunges, and assisted pull-ups). In fact, just today in my Fit and Fabulous over 40 class, I had my group perform a squat with an elastic band anchored low in a door frame, and as they came out of the squat, they performed a rowing motion with the band.  They worked their thighs, their back, their arms and their core in that one exercise! Performing exercises that involve movement around several joints is beneficial for you because you use lots of muscles at once (think: calorie burn!!), and many multi-joint exercises require you to engage your core muscles as well.

So, if you exercise at a gym and your workout is all based around strength training machines, grab the nearest certified personal trainer and have them teach you some new exercises using dumbbells or the machines with pulleys and cables.  You’ll improve your overall function, help maintain your bones, work your postural muscles and burn more calories!

Committed to your success,

Becky

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I am happy to report that I did another “on the road” vacation workout for you when I visited Holland, Michigan this summer to attend my nephew’s wedding. The wedding was in August, but it took me awhile to get the darn video footage out of my Flip camera and into my new Mac. Seems that the editing software I was using has been upgraded about 4 times since I last bought a computer. Needed to go back to the Apple store for a few lessons!

Many boomers are fortunate enough to be retired empty nesters (negative on both counts for me at this point) who have the time and discretionary income to do a little more traveling. As a professional fitness trainer, I hear all too often about how my training clients and boot campers don’t get their workouts in when they’re on vacation. Now, I don’t expect perfect adherence to a supportive nutrition plan and exercise regime when a customer of mine is traveling, but I am here to tell you you CAN get a workout in when you’re away from home. So, I try to film a “workout on the fly” when I am away from home to give you ideas on what you can do with no advanced planning and no equipment. It’s really fun to get out there and see what you can dream up!

I show you in the video below how to create a “workout on the fly” while you’re away. Things you come across such as benches, curbs, bike racks, playgrounds, or even walkways become the subject of higher intensity “intervals” between segments of “recovery” walking, jogging or running. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced exerciser, there is something you can do outdoors or indoors while you’re away without visiting the hotel gym. It’s actually kind of fun!

Check it out here:

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