Modern Exercise Gear

[SkinnyDevil]

KD got me thinking.....

What do YOU think is the best modern apparatus for working out?

Off the top of my head, I like a pull-up bar, maybe some parallel bard for dips & such, rowing machine, & either treadmill/climber of some sort or a bike.

[KD]

I've always found anything with bands (even just the giant rubber bands) or cables (attached to pulley systems and plates) to be a major asset to working out in gyms. You just can't get that combination of stretch + tension/force with free weighted or body-weight exercise. Similar in technique I guess would be tieing weights to ropes for body-weight or like specific muscle work like forearms.

basic things for me that seem to be key developments would be medicine ball, jump rope and rebounder. Maybe a hula hoop . I guess one could say kettlebells but I don't find these to be that superior to regular weights. I think some of the ab machines or free-equipment are probably more efficient than sit-ups in terms of isolating the muscles. There are some useful benches for back extensions and other complex movements that would be hard to do in nature - the yoga swing too...

as for heavy duty stuff, it would be similar in anything that had a simple/machine type pull system that involves a full range of motion. While there might be powerlifts or other weighted exercises that would work these muscle groups better, often these machines would be better than choosing some more natural type exercises that perhaps do not focus well on such specific things.

of course I love my soft-ball grips for pull-ups. thats a relatively new concept. Pretty soon we'll have the full on sparring robots!

[Josh]

I love using a bar for squats and deadlifts. For things like bench press and overhead press I like dumbells because they don't lock in the posture so much.

I think squats, deadlifts and overheads are very ergonomic. I'm still not sold on bench press as not sure about lying down and lifting. I'm doing it for now, but might switch it for dips.

[Predator]

Even better then a bar would be some gymnastic rings.  You can do some extreme workouts with just those.

Other then that I'd recommend a bar and some weights to do squats, deadlifts, cleans, overhead squats, shoulder press... 

With just those two things you can get a whole body workout and you'd be maximizing your workouts by doing compound exercises. 

[HIT_it_RAW]

barbell + 300 lbs weights
squat rack
pull up bar
Parralel dipstation
rig to suspent weights from the waste for doing weighted dips/chins

That is a minimal setup which can, if used properly, produce huge results. A very simple, but very hard, 8-10 exercise full body workout should be done with this equipment.

For even better results a good pullover machine, leg extension, leg press should be added.

For optimal results several other machines are nessecary.

But most people don't even know how, nor have the motivation to, use a barbell properly. So additional equipment would be a waste for most.

[Predator]

One can get a much better workout without machines.  All you have to do is look at gymnasts, power lifters and crossfiters.  Sticking to compound exercises gives far better results as it stimulates more nerves to fire and more stabilization muscle.  Also some machines are dangerous, such as leg extensions as when one adds heavy weight to an extended food that is not planted to something, it can cause shearing at the knee.

[HIT_it_RAW]

One can get a much better workout without machines.  All you have to do is look at gymnasts, power lifters and crossfiters.  Sticking to compound exercises gives far better results as it stimulates more nerves to fire and more stabilization muscle.  Also some machines are dangerous, such as leg extensions as when one adds heavy weight to an extended food that is not planted to something, it can cause shearing at the knee.

I'm not gonna have this dicussion again. Just look at the todays workout thread I had this discussion with KD before.

I must say however that the leg extension is absolutely not a dangerous machine. Since it provides resistance in a rotary form there are no dangerous forces in the knee. It is the most valuable machine when it comes to rehabilitating an injured knee. Explosive squats and especially explosive lunges are very dangerous to the knees.

If you are familiar with basic mechanics you should know that a leg extension provides torque. This torque is generated araound the same axes as the knee rotates (or at least it should be if the machine is properly desinged/used) therefore there are no linear forces in the knee just torque. The knee bein a rotary joint is desinged to witstand rotary forces (torques) it is however poor equipped to witstand linear forces. Thats why we bent our knees to absorb linear impacts (jumping down something for example) that way we transform the linear forces into a torque round the axis of the knee. Try jumping down something and landing with straight knees.

[Predator]

I've worked in rehabilitation for a long time with some top physiotherapists and we do leg extensions with some patients however only with low weight.  With heavy weights it can cause some wear on the knee joint over time.  It's simple physics: when your foot is not planted to something and in an extended position (parallel to the ground), when a force is then applied downwards it pushes the entire leg down causing a slight shearing at the knee.  Your knee is not a hinge joint, it is held together with tendons and ligaments, thus it will have some motion in various directions.  The leg extension is not a movement that is naturally designed for high weights in our daily lives; things like jumping, running, walking... on the other hand are and these apply compression forces on the knee joint.

http://www.pfetraining.co.uk/pages/articles--research/leg-extensions--are-they-safe.html

[HIT_it_RAW]

no offence but my experience with physiotherapist has learned me that they know as much about proper exercise as does the avarage nutritionist now about healthy food. That is none.

Using low weight leg extensions to rehabilitate a knee is utterly useless. If the weight is not heavy enough to stimulate physiological changes the exercise is useles for any purpose especially rehabilitation. The purpose of rehab is to stimulate growth of active tissues (muscle, ligaments, tendons, connective tissue etc) heavy leg extensions will do just that for the knee.

Heavy leg extensions will not cause wear of the knee if done properly. any exercise that is done to often with to little rest will cause wear. Exercise will wear out active tissues and because of that a growth cycle follows reparing the minor damage done in exercise and building the tissue larger and stronger for the next challenge. The body fully regenerates all damage and makes it stronger that why exercise is so important, especially in rehab. However most people exercise far to much not allowing the recovery and growth cycle to be completed. Such overtraining will cause wear and is not restricted to any specific type of exercise it happens with all training.

The leg extension is a very safe and very productive tool for both strenght training and rehab. In the fully extended position (not nececary paralel to the ground, machinedesing depended) there is no shearing force there is a bending force. This force is redirected by the rotary nature of the knee joint into a pulling force on the quadriceps muscle. Both the knee(joint) an the quadriceps(muscle) do what they are desinged for. The joint rotates and witstands torque and the muscle generates linear force to compensates for the resistance provided by the machine. No danger to either, given off course that  the machine is properly desinged and used (it is often not).

[achillezzz]

I've worked in rehabilitation for a long time with some top physiotherapists and we do leg extensions with some patients however only with low weight.

Start with low and finish with high!
Progressive overload

[Predator]

Well HIT_it_RAW I guess it's obvious then that you haven't studied any bio-mechanics of the body. 

If an education in exercise does not increase ones knowledge of how they body functions and reacts, then why is it that kinesiologists and physiotherapists are the ones who work with professional athletes (Olympians, body builders, NHL players...)?  Why don't these top athletes just go to the average Joe trainer then?

[HIT_it_RAW]

Actually I have, for the past 8 years, done very intensive study on biomechanics and exercise physiology. The average Joe knows probably nothing about proper exercise and most thing professionals are taught nowadays is plain wrong.

There are off course exceptions to this situation but damned few. All physiotherapist and trainers I’ve ever talked to are still under the impression that one should train more and more as one get stronger. The opposite is true off course. None of them had the slightest idea about body leverage factors, neuromuscular efficiency, fibre type specific training or even basic functions of most muscular structure in the body.

I've seen professional trainer’s advice their underage trainees to do jump squats, explosive leg presses, lunges etc. See their trainees do squats an deadlifts with clearly bend backs, rueing their back in the progress, with their trainers looking at it in total ignorance.

I'm a mechanical engineer so I know a thing or two about mechanics and the basic science behind it. Without this knowledge it is simply impossible to understand biomechanics. The mechanics and physical laws are universal and apply to all things, human body’s are no exception to any of those laws.

Most physical therapist (and trainers) don't even understand, nor are aware of, the most basic physical principles things like friction, moment arm factors, momentum, impact forces, potential energy, kinetic energy, heat production etc. Without this knowledge it is impossible to understand the body let alone exercise.

[The King of Currumpaw]

Kettlebell.

[wodgina]

Kettlebell.

kettlebells aren't that modern

[HIT_it_RAW]

kettlebells aren't that modern

nor that effective.

[The King of Currumpaw]

I want this: http://www.amazon.com/Powerline-PAB21X-Ab-Bench/dp/B000F9YZ84

[HIT_it_RAW]

I want this: http://www.amazon.com/Powerline-PAB21X-Ab-Bench/dp/B000F9YZ84

waste of money imo

[Josh]

I hate any form of crunches or working abs sitting down. I find using a sledgehammer as in shovelglove.com much more ergonomic.

I have a pile of used tires and like to beat the shit out of them with the sledgehammer.

[The King of Currumpaw]

Do you have a sixpack?

[Josh]

Yeh, I'm sure there's one under there somewhere