Resistance exercise equipment tones and strengthens the muscles of the body. While the original strength-training machines had a relatively simple design, technology has influenced the exercise equipment manufacturing industry. In contrast, the functional exercise trend inspired manufacturers to take a back to basics approach to resistance exercise machine design. Fitness enthusiasts and professionals rarely agree about which manufacturer makes the best exercise equipment. The answer depends on your goals and body type.
Early History
Progressive resistance training is not a new concept. Physical therapist Gray Cook, who authored "The Athletic Body in Balance," explains the ancient Greek wrestler Milo of Croton prepared for an Olympic event by lifting calf every day until it became a full-sized bull. Milo gained strength as the calf gained weight. Lori Incledon, in her book titled "Strength Training for Women," explains that formal weight-training equipment was a later development. The dumbbell, for example, originated in the 1700s. Strength-training enthusiasts placed a rod between two church bells, removing their clappers. The bells were rendered silent or "dumb," thus the name "dumbbells." Incledon explains that pulley-based, multi-station exercise machines debuted in the 19th century.
Time Frame
By the late 19th century, most people understood the importance of progressive resistance, but few were aware of what kinesiologist Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, who authored "Science and Practice of Strength Training" called "accommodating resistance." Zatsiorsky credits Gustaz Zander, a Swedish physician, with enlightening the world about the basic principles of biomechanics. The human strength curve varies throughout different points of a muscular contraction. During a leg curl, for example, you are weakest when your legs are extended, but you grow stronger as your legs bend. Zander was the first person to design resistance exercise machines that changed the resistance according to the weak and strong phases of the movement. Years later, in the 1970s, Arthur Jones created the Nautilus exercise equipment, which works on a similar concept.
Benefits
Resistance exercise machines apply an external force, which causes the muscles to contract and grow stronger. Resistance training increases lean muscle mass. Mayo Clinic experts explain that lean muscle mass has a higher metabolic rate, so toning and strengthening your muscles can actually aid weight loss. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends resistance training for bone density maintenance. Exercising on weight machines also strengthen the muscles that protect the joints, and may therefore prevent injuries. Some physical therapists recommend resistance training machines as a way of correcting the muscle imbalances that cause poor posture.
Considerations
Some people wonder whether machine-based strength training is superior to free-weight exercise. The answer depends on your goals and fitness level. Beginners find that resistance exercise machines isolate the working muscle groups while stabilizing other parts of the body. Machines are also adjustable according to your height and limb length. Serious fitness enthusiasts often use a combination of machine and free-weight exercises. Cable exercise equipment is another option. These pulley-based machines let you work in various, unrestricted planes of movement, making them viable for sport-specific training.
Warning
A machine's existence at a well-respected gym does not indicate its safety. The leg extension, for example, is a source and controversy. Fitness expert Eric Cressey, in an article on the Testosterone Nation website, details numerous studies that question the safety of this equipment. Unlike the squat, which keeps the foot in a fixed or closed chain position, the leg extension keeps the foot in an unfixed or open chain position. Closed chain exercises exert compression forces, whereas open chain exercises exert shearing forces, which potentially damage the knee joint. Exercise form should also be considered from a safety perspective. Just as equipment design has evolved, so has theories regarding correct form. While the lat-pull-down was once performed by pulling the bar down behind the neck, fitness expert Paul Chek argues that performing the exercise in this manner stresses the neck and shoulder joints.
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