Training in the gym two to three times a week does not guarantee results. There are several factors that will affect the outcome of each session you perform. The most important ingredient to a successful workout is good technique, the first thing we forget when we get tired or bored.

If you are not performing exercises with good technique you might as well not do them altogether. People who lift heavy weights and compensate by using muscles that shouldn't be used or people sitting on exercise bikes and reading books and magazines are reducing the benefits of their exercise plans and increasing the risk of injury. Also, people who are coming into the gym and performing the same routine they have done forever will only see minimal (if any) fitness gains.

The main culprits I see are people who use exercise machines instead of performing free-weight exercises. The problem with machine-based resistance training is that each movement you take your body through is exactly the same. The machine guides you through the movement and you apply the effort. Don't get me wrong, weight machines can be beneficial, maybe to someone who is new to exercise or recovering from injury. Machines will help control movements.

Each machine exercise you see in a gym can be recreated using a free-weight exercise. Machines like the abdominal crunch machines load your body in a way in which you have to use the hip flexor muscles to perform the movement, so therefore placing unnecessary strain on your lower back. You can achieve a six-pack quicker with fitball or floor based stomach exercises.

Using a machine over a free weight for bicep curls and tricep extension exercises means you can lift more weight but increases the strain around the elbow joint, particularly the tendons. By using dumbbells or barbells instead, you will be able to feel the point in which you reach maximum exertion without straining.

Also, opting for the reclined cycle over the upright one may appeal to those with bad backs but without using the lower back and postural muscles you are not strengthening the area that needs work.


Christian Fox is a personal trainer, sports massage therapist and nutritional advisor. He can be phoned on 07711871170