Shoulders,
Biceps & Abs
EXERCISE
SETS REPS
Seated Barbell Press 4 12, 10, 8, 6
Seated Arnold Press 4
SHOULDERS
3
12, 10, 8, 6
3
Alternating Front
Dumbbell Raise
2
10, 10
2
Machine Lateral Raise
2 10, 10
3 12, 10, 8
BICEPS
Barbell Preacher Curl
3
Cable Curl
3
12, 10, 8
ABS
Hanging Leg Raise 3 15, 15, 15
Exercise Ball Crunch 3 15, 15, 15
The debate over machines
has continued for decades.
Are they a vastly inferior way
to train, needlessly diverting
people from free weights, or
do they offer an advantage
that makes them a productive
addition to a program? While
we won’t wade into that
debate here, we do admit that
when it comes to machines,
their greatest asset can also
be their most glaring liability—
that is, unless you just
acknowledge that attribute
and maximize it.
MACHINE
PRECISION
That so-called asset and
liability? The fact that a
machine will often lock you into
a fixed range of motion, which
in turn lessens the involvement
of stabilizer muscles that are
otherwise called into action
when doing a similar barbell
or dumbbell exercise.
For instance, when doing
a barbell or dumbbell bench
press, your pecs take on their
fair share of the load, along
with your front delts and
triceps, but also your lats,
core, and even your lower
body will tense to brace
your body during a rep.
With a typical machine press,
that’s not the case. Your pecs,
delts, and tri’s will still engage,
but since the machine’s path
is set, you don’t have to worry
about balancing the load.
“Machines dictate the path of
motion in a rep, which may be
good for beginners or people
who are really looking to isolate
a certain muscle group,” Liles
explains. “The downside to
machines is that they eliminate
other areas of the body that
could be engaged to develop
balance and stability.
“Most machines require
you to sit, or involve a track
that the load moves through,”
he continues. “So muscles
that help with stabilization—
like your legs and core—are
sometimes not fully utilized.
This can prove detrimental
when these movements are
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