Gym Essentials

Usually when you go to a big gym you are surrounded by so many high tech machines which all seem to amaze people with advances. The truth is that yes these machines are good and they do work but gyms tend to pack in more than they really need. In all honesty if you want to get a good workout all you need is some form of cardiovascular exercise, a set of dumbbells and barbells with adjustable weights along with a couple leg machines. I have come to find that most commercial gyms use the presence of several unnecessary machines to draw in customers.

This presence of several machines causes those using the facility to potentially neglect free weight exercises which are the most important. Using a machine engages your muscles on one level keeping the movement on a set path. When you use free weights like dumbbells or barbells your muscles have to work harder in order to stabilize the weight throughout the lift. This engages your stabilizer muscles. For example if you use a machine to do biceps curls you are only engaging the biceps and not the muscles that support it. When you use dumbbells you engage you biceps as well as all the surrounding muscles of the arm, chest and back.

So remember not to get sucked into a gym just because they have a bunch of fancy machines. The truth is that you only need a good set of dumbbells, barbells, a few machines, and a cardiovascular section with treadmills, bikes, and possibly stair climbers. If you do go to a gym with all of these machines learn to use free weights more often and you will start to see and feel a difference in the results you get!