Anyone train pretty much machine only

[TheOtherOne55]

"Young lifters need to learn the basics! Stick to the bread and butter"
But also
"Young lifters need to train hard...they need to understand where failure is..."

VERY hard to do both of these. I was a football player and powerlifter and lived on the basic barbell movements, and i was strong as fuck at them. BUT, i needed someone around me to make sure i wasnt going to fucking kill myself. I would go up to random 50-year-old men in the gym at 5AM asking them to spot me on bench as I need to hit a triple with 455....like whattt...asking for a problem there lol

Yes, young lifters need to know/learn/understand the basic movement, but you dont NEED those specific movements to build a quality foundation and physique. I havent squatted, benched or DLed in years. Im allll machines now as i train to failure. Its ALOT easier for me to bail out of 5pps on Hammer Incline then it is to get out of 405 on Barbell Incline Bench.

 

[Beachwood]

I’m kinda 50/50 on it now was mainly a free weight guy but a lot of the machines isolate the muscle better for me so adding those in a lot more now

 

[buck]

I haven't touched a straight bar in years. Machines, cables and some dumbbells are what i use. The joints aren't as stable as they once were. Machines and especially cables allow me to move within the range that hurts the least these days.

 

[Golden]

pretty much all machine now. Moved to a gym that has a massive selection of prime, panatta, Atlantis,etc. machine options are great nowadays. Not like years ago where you just had the very basics and had to use free weights otherwise you’d be limited in training

 

[alfresco]

I remember when Arthur Jones introduced the Nautilus exercise machines.

All the bodybuilders and barbell and equipment manufacturers came out against him. It was ugly. I was there.

Most everybody said they would not fly let alone make it to the runway.

Can’t build a physique with any ‘machine’ they said.

Sure.

(Variable resistance was beyond anybody’s ability to comprehend the messing of the term. But that is another story.)
And now look how far we have come.

 

[275bills]

So i pretty much only bench press, deadlift and squat when im in the mood to do those lifts and want the adrenaline rush that comes with it

I maybe squat twice a month, deadlift once or twice a month and bench press once a week.

None of these exercises are necessities for me anymore

 

[kastro]

I’m basically 95% machine these days. And by “machine” I mean traditional pin loaded machines, plate loaded and smith.

Same here I am 50.The only free weight I use is tbar row in the corner.Now my son is 14 I have him doing basically free weights and dumbbells.But as we get older things change.

 

[alfresco]

I have nothing against machines. There are some really good, innovative ones out there but not at my gym

I primarily use free weights.

I can’t do squats anymore , arthritis, not from lifting, so machines are the only game in town and I am good with that.

I use a few machines for my upper body but that is mainly for variety; lateral raises and curls come to mind. And movements that cannot be duplicated effectively with free weights, think pullovers.

FYI . . . Isolation exercises. My opinion is that you need to be very careful that your joints are perfectly aligned with the machines axis of rotation. Failing that puts undue stress on your joints and long term not good.

The great things about machines is that they allow you to exercise and stress and isolate muscles in a way that would be impossible otherwise. Again, think pullovers.

I am 68.

 

[comedycentral]

i have an old Polaris fitness lateral raise from the mid 80s in my shed and it hits my delts better than anything else I’ve used. My power rack now is used for nothing more than dips and chins. I do still like dumbbell pressing buts that’s about it now.

 

[pins]

I’m basically 95% machine these days. And by “machine” I mean traditional pin loaded machines, plate loaded and smith.

This...

 

[juggy38]

I still barbell bench, barbell row, and Romanian deadlift. Once a week on all of them. But it’s because those are my favorite lifts, and my build gets decent stimulation from them. My chest just fucking grows with bench, and RDLs blow up my erectors and hams. Rows…ehh….I just like them.

But for growth? A chest row or even smith row I feel in the back more (and they are in my rotations.

Dumbbells…..slight incline dumbbell press, side and rear laterals, and different curls.

The rest is machines. So maybe like 60/40 machine/free weights

 

[Mufasa123]

pretty much all machine now. Moved to a gym that has a massive selection of prime, panatta, Atlantis,etc. machine options are great nowadays. Not like years ago where you just had the very basics and had to use free weights otherwise you’d be limited in training

Sounds like a great gym. Not many can boast names like those. I bought one of the pieces in my gym from the son of the founder of Strive Fitness (preceded Prime and responsible for most of their designs). Good guy and piece was in his personal collection for years. I almost bought the Prime functional trainer a few years ago. Amazing piece. Never got a chance to try any Panatta pieces but have heard great things. Atlantis is of course also amazing.

 

[TheRoid]

Never got a chance to try any Panatta pieces but have heard great things.

Inexplicably overrated and hyped.
Used several of their lines over the years.
Weak sauce.
Ok it's made in Italy but this ain't Armani nor Lamborghini.

 

[Muay Thai]

ever since accumulating a whole list of tears and breaks since mid 20s, since then I have been doing mostly machines and cables. I gave up the iron iron in early 20s. my friend started with me, he's 35 and still does mostly dumbells. no issue for him. he's been doing it since highschool football.

slow-motion sets, rest pause, forced contractions, till failure. never fails

 

[slesh]

Inexplicably overrated and hyped.
Used several of their lines over the years.
Weak sauce.
Ok it's made in Italy but this ain't Armani nor Lamborghini.

Haha yeah I would agree that of all the “new” machine plate loaded brands out there they are def the worst. At first appear super fancy but the movements aren’t great. But man, between Prime, Arsenal, Atlantis, etc there is some sick fucking equipment out there right now.

As most of you know I fall into that multiple injury box as well and the idea of trying to throw 100lb dumbbells above my head to military press honestly makes me cringe…

 

[juggy38]

Haha yeah I would agree that of all the “new” machine plate loaded brands out there they are def the worst. At first appear super fancy but the movements aren’t great. But man, between Prime, Arsenal, Atlantis, etc there is some sick fucking equipment out there right now.

As most of you know I fall into that multiple injury box as well and the idea of trying to throw 100lb dumbbells above my head to military press honestly makes me cringe…

My only disagreement……when inCOULD OH BB press…..there was no bigger dick wagging day other than when I was OHP more than most gym rats could bench.

But yea. A life of football and MMA, I’m fucking around with 30lb dumbbells for 20 reps with 30 second breaks now lol

 

[hawkmoon]

I use 95%+ machines. Safer and IME more effective, as I can push harder and do rest pause sets.

The only exercises where I grip a free bar are SDLs, hammer curls, shrugs, and the occasional side laterals.

 

[Mufasa123]

Inexplicably overrated and hyped.
Used several of their lines over the years.
Weak sauce.
Ok it's made in Italy but this ain't Armani nor Lamborghini.

Never even put eyes on one myself but a few people I've known who are really into machines put a few of their pieces as best in class (ie in class with Nautilus Pullover - if I had room I'd have one of these as I've used them, also old Body Masters leg press). Their enthusiasm and the cool look has made me want to try them though I don't use much machine work. Interesting to hear otherwise but makes me a bit more skeptical of them now as it sounds like you've sampled a good amount and more than enough to form a decent opinion too.

 

[VaginaBoob89]

I feel like the only muscle groups where I "need" free weights are back and chest. And i could probably do chest using machines only if i just had more machines at my gym. Free weights do feel like they're essential for back training but basically nothing else. Something about heavy db/bb rows, deadlifts, and SLDLs just can't be replicated by machines.

But beyond that yeah machines are pretty much better if your goal is non-funtional aesthetic hypertrophy.

Andrei Deui trains machines only. Even though he's a men's physique/soon to be classic guy he has a better physique than 99.x% of this board and has been training probably 90% machines for most of his career (which is fairly short).

 

[juggy38]

I feel like the only muscle groups where I "need" free weights are back and chest. And i could probably do chest using machines only if i just had more machines at my gym. Free weights do feel like they're essential for back training but basically nothing else. Something about heavy db/bb rows, deadlifts, and SLDLs just can't be replicated by machines.

But beyond that yeah machines are pretty much better if your goal is non-funtional aesthetic hypertrophy.

Andrei Deui trains machines only. Even though he's a men's physique/soon to be classic guy he has a better physique than 99.x% of this board and has been training probably 90% machines for most of his career (which is fairly short).

Agreed on the back…..many powerlifters and strongman have BB caliber backs from dead’s and Carries.

The back does respond well to sheer loading