Can machines exercise for you? - Body Talk

Ebony, April, 2004

EXERCISE machines are getting smarter and more functional. And although they can't exercise for you, they can exercise with you and help you exercise better.

Within recent years, there has been a proliferation of exercise equipment, some of which can be installed in your home or apartment. An increasing number of Brothers and Sisters are installing treadmills in their bedroom so that they can roll out of bed and walk a mile or two before breakfast.

There has also been increasing specialization and the design of machines that can used to develop and strengthen particular areas of the body, including the thighs, back, arms, legs, abs and buttocks.

Chicago insurance executive Tammy Williams-Blakeley, training for her seventh Chicago marathon later this year, uses a combination of indoor and outdoor workouts to maintain her training schedule. The treadmill and strength-training machines are essential to her indoor workout. But she prefers to run outdoors if the weather cooperates.

"I only come indoors [to run] when it's too cold," says Williams-Blakeley. "But I also have to do the weight training because it keeps me strong, fast and injury-free."

Williams-Blakeley says that she prefers to use the strength-training machines rather than the free weights because "they almost do the work for you." And while that may be a benefit for some, she and other fitness specialists say exercise machines should be components of a total body workout program.

"Using strength-training and cardio equipment is a good way to get started" says Sherwood Grant, a personal trainer from Oak Park, Ill. "But free weights or using your own body strength and resistance is best and safest because you get more of a full-body workout."

Grant, who has been a personal trainer for nearly five years, says machines usually focus on one particular muscle in the body.

But when you use free weights and run on the track or trail, he says, you use not only the large muscle group, but also the smaller, stabilizing muscles surrounding the large muscle group. The same holds true, to a certain degree, for other fitness machines.

Having said that, you should never turn your back completely on exercise equipment because there are benefits. In many cases, using strength-training machines are safer than free weights--particularly if you're a novice or don't have someone to assist you while lifting. And cardio exercise equipment can be safer than running outdoors and a lifesaver during the rainy season and cold, winter months. For many people, moving that workout indoors can mean the difference between reaching a fitness goal and blaming Mother Nature for their own failures.

The bottom line is that fitness machines and using your body resistance have different degrees of effectiveness. It's important to remember that cardio machines simulate normal, everyday activities--climbing stairs, riding a bike, walking or running. Additionally, many of the strength training machines were probably developed based on a movement discovered using free weights.

Most fitness experts won't make you choose one or the other. Even trainer Grant recommends a combination of the two, depending on your fitness goals, body type, strength and schedule. As long as you continue to be challenged and your workout varies in intensity, you'll reap the benefits. Using both workout methods also means that you'll have a varied workout routine, which is a great way to stay focused and involved.