There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
What Is The Best Strength Training Mode?
Ever wondered why some traditional exercises persist despite their potential drawbacks? Join me as I unravel the intricacies of exercise mode selection and strength training equipment preferences. Get ready to challenge common myths about exercises like the barbell squat, as I discuss their risks, such as spinal compression, and propose safer alternatives. With a personal story about an injury while doing barbell rows, I highlight the critical importance of making informed exercise choices to prevent harm. This episode promises to equip you with the knowledge to enhance your workout regimen thoughtfully and effectively.
Explore the wide world of resistance training, where no single method reigns supreme. Whether you're a fan of bodyweight exercises, free weights, or machines, this episode offers an engaging discussion on the pros and cons of each. Discover why bodyweight exercises are an excellent option for travelers, yet may not suit everyone, and how selectorized machines and dumbbells provide consistent resistance that drives progress. Learn the universal truth that muscles respond to stimulation, regardless of the tool, and understand the significance of progressive muscle stimulation. Tune in to ensure your strength training journey is both safe and productive.
Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I'm the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name. There is a method to the madness. Today I'm going to continue talking about these variables of programming and I'm going to talk about exercise selection or mode.
Speaker 1:Came up at the gym this morning. I think it needs a lot of explanation. Before I get to that, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a call? Figure out what your house is worth? 386-451-2412. All right.
Speaker 1:So exercise selection or the mode what's best? So we got free weights, and free weights can be broken down into barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells. We have selectorized machines, we have body weight, we have elastic tubing or bands. Those are like the main modes of resistance training. So let me cut to the very end of this and say there is no best mode. There might be a best for you, but there is definitely not a best mode, but I want you to listen to this whole thing so you know why they all have pros and cons.
Speaker 1:Now, this came up because one of our clients was talking this morning about how a kid they know and I mean kid, I mean like teenager, college age you know that somewhere in that age group, I'm not completely sure, somewhere in that age group, and it's just common within this age group they were doing a lot of, say, barbell squats at the gym, which can be fine and they're you know. So the client was kind of wondering so is that kind of better? I mean, in so many words, and this comes up a lot when it comes to, say, some barbell exercises like squats and bench presses and things like that. And they were a little surprised to, you know, hear the answer which is well, not really. And in many cases, the answer which is well, not really. And in many cases, especially with the barbell squat and, by the way, I'm not hating on it, it can be a good exercise. But we just have to understand what we're really trying to do when we do squats.
Speaker 1:But the barbell squat can cause a lot of compression on that spine right, so the spinal column is holding up your torso and if you're like a college-aged athlete or, yeah, college age, you don't necessarily have to be an athlete in college or high school, but at that age and you're at the gym working out and look, I did this. I did this a lot in my late teens and early twenties. I was one of those guys in the gym that squatted and benched a lot of weight. I mean, I would squat over 400 pounds with that on my back with the barbell. Now then, before I get educated, either formally or informally, I wouldn't say my form was outstanding, but you know, it is what it is now. But that makes it even worse, right, If you're squatting with heavy weight with not great form. So I did it and I get it. I really do.
Speaker 1:But, as I pointed out to the client, you know, well, we've evolved. It's one of those things it's like you look at and you go well, why do we still do that? You know, when you think that there's a leg press where you can put the load on your quads, hamstrings, hips, you know your gluteal muscles and you're not compressing the spine, or when you can hold dumbbells at your side, or when you can hold a single dumbbell out in front of you where it's not compression on the spine, or when you can hold cables and do squats, and there's just all different ways to do squats. I mean the objective is to put the load on your quads, your hips and your hamstrings Right. I mean that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to perform a squat exercise which, in my opinion, might be the granddaddy of them all. I mean it is such an important exercise. So, yeah, we're trying to put the weight load where it can be most beneficial. But it's going to be kind of like not good if we're doing that and compressing the spine at the same time, and it's just unnecessary in many cases. Now, look, there's a lot of reasons why it hasn't like completely evolved. I mean part of it's financial. I mean, if you're opening up a gym for a bunch of high school, college age athletes, I mean it's going to be a lot cheaper to have squat racks and barbells everywhere than it is a bunch of, you know, selectorized machines, and you know that's part of the reason. The other reason is we just don't always sit down and think about it.
Speaker 1:You know, I could tell you a funny story where I kind of ran into it myself and this is after I was educated. So I was working with Mike Fulton, you know, I guess I mean he's kind of famous. I mean he's a very well-known orthopedic surgeon who doesn't do surgery and he's done all his rehabilitation through strength training, Very well-known in the area of Volusia County, Florida and probably everywhere. So I mean he was the medical director for Nautilus for a long time and then Med-X, so he really knows his stuff. And I was working with him early on. I was renting one of his small gyms so I can do personal training out of it and I would see him probably two, three times a day and I remember I was doing some bent over rows with the barbell Good exercise, right, I mean it's fine.
Speaker 1:It's just, you know it was funny and I tweaked my back, my lower back, doing something. I run into him and I'm, you know, probably trying to get a cortisone shot or whatever, who the heck knows, trying to get a simple quick fix and I pass him. I said, hey, you know I did this. And he just looks at me and he goes. He points at one of the Nautilus compound row machines. You know the kind you sit on. You put your chest on the pad. He points at and he goes you know, Rob, we have that really good exercise over there that does the same thing. And he kind of smiled and winked. You know it's like yeah, I mean, that's so true. Like what are we doing if we have better options? Right, If we don't have better options, sometimes we have to use the non-evolved ways to do things and again, it can be absolutely a fine exercise, but it can also cause compression.
Speaker 1:So there really is no reason for it for a lot of people, and we can actually get our lower back to fail or fatigue at the very least, way before our quads and hamstrings do. On a barbell squat, that used to happen to me, like when I was squatting heavy with a barbell when I was in my 20s I would have to stop the set because my lower back was so fatigued Not hurt, but fatigued. So that's telling me I'm not even loading in the right spot anyway. So you know, that's kind of like. You know there's better ways, all right. So free weights can be great, but I just want you to understand they are not the cream of the crop, they are just an option. And when I say free weights, I mean barbells that you load plates. I mean they're good for certain things, but again they're not great for everything.
Speaker 1:Then we have dumbbells, and dumbbells are outstanding for many reasons. Dumbbells can be done anywhere. Dumbbells allow for a great range of motion because you can train isolaterally, which is one side at a time. So that allows you to go down into a fuller range of motion Like, let's think, chest press, where you might be limited on a machine to go back, depending on the setting of the machine. My new Precourt one allows you to get full. Some of them don't. Barbell absolutely doesn't right, because the bar stops at your chest. So with dumbbells and yes, you would have to train a little lighter, but you're going you can get through a full range of motion and you can train one side at a time. So if you have any like muscle weaknesses on one side to the other because you've injured your shoulder or you've injured your elbow, you're going to be able to train each side independently. Very mobile, as I said, you can take them anywhere. So they're really a great mode.
Speaker 1:All right Now, selectorized machines. So many people don't understand there's so much more to them than just a fancy looking machine with a big old stack and a pin that you put in the stack. There is so much more to it. Most of them have strength curves built in. That really was made famous by Arthur Jones of Nautilus and then his son, Gary Jones, actually developed the hammer strength machines and I've gotten to know him through the years. He's a such an interesting person to speak to.
Speaker 1:So what this strength curve does is the muscles, as you're going through their full range of motion, have different points of strength. They have weaker points and they have stronger points, Like, let's take the biceps as you're down, at full extension okay, when they're fully extended, that's when they're at their very weakest. When they're near the top of contraction, that's where they are at their strongest. So the early selectorized machines invented a strength curve with the cam. So the chain back then and now the belt went around a cam to keep the strength curve equal, meaning that at the weakest point the load was slightly less and at the strongest point the load was slightly more. So there's such an advantage to using selectorized machines if they have the cam. Most modern ones do Not all do, but most do.
Speaker 1:You can tell if it's harder to hold it at the top on a machine, like on a curl machine, it's got a cam, All right, so that allows for an even strength curve. Plus you can isolate better. Like, how are you going to isolate your quads very well without a leg extension machine? I mean it's going to be pretty darn hard right To kind of simulate an extension type motion with a ankle weight or try to put a dumbbell on your foot. And yes, I've seen boots like that where people make them. I mean that's great if that's all you have.
Speaker 1:But if you have the availability of a leg extension machine, why wouldn't you use it? It's the only way to isolate your quads. So there is that advantage to them. Plus, you just don't have to set up a lot. So as a trainer, they're great, because if you're training a person in a session you're trying to make the most efficient use of their time. So if you're constantly setting up weights somewhere, I mean you know you're getting in the way of precious time. And in personal training people are paying by the minute, essentially right. So that becomes an important issue as well and they're harder to get wrong.
Speaker 1:I mean I have seen it. I have seen people get on the seated dip machine and try to push the handles up, and if that's you, you're. Yeah, I guess I'm laughing at you a little bit. It's okay. You know we've all done silly things. Yes, we've all done silly things. You know, I've seen people get on the chest, press backwards. I mean, yes, there are things we can do wrong, of course, but for the most part they're pretty self-explanatory. Compared to put a pair of dumbbells on the floor and say, do this, People might look at you funny. So there is a less of a learning curve with them and that's good.
Speaker 1:Bands and tubes are great. It's more of what we would call isokinetic resistance, meaning that the resistance is also dependent on your speed of motion and there comes a point where you really can't maximize it much anymore. And there's a little bit of a safety issue with some of them. Like I've seen them pop and they snap and hit your leg. I mean, I've done that numerous times. But tubes and bands can be really good when you travel to get some more resistance, and they're very good for things like tube walks, which we do to work the adductor muscles for people who have knee or hip issues. They are great for that. You can simulate any body weight exercise with them. So that is great too. So they're a good option. I think they're more of a travel option and a here or there option versus an everyday option. And then, finally, there's body weight and you can train with your own body weight.
Speaker 1:I just finished with one of my remote clients, Sydney, and she's super fit. She's a mama, she has three little ones now and so, because of her work and because of her moving, we've moved her workouts to remote and she's got very little time and our workouts are probably between 20 and 25 minutes on the phone. But like she is like, super fit and agile, so we can use body weight for her, Not, you know, it's funny. This is one of those things like machines and barbells, where people don't understand and they have it all wrong. I've heard so many people say well, I'm going to start with like body weight exercises, Cause that's easier. It's like, oh man, like yeah, if you're just curling up your arm with no weight. Of course it's easier, but you know, body weight squats are not easy.
Speaker 1:Compared to, say, putting 30 pounds on a leg press Pushups are not easy. Compared to putting 20 pounds on a chest press Pull-ups are certainly not easy compared to put 30 pounds in a pull-down. Lunges are not easy and it drives me crazy when I see parents suggesting that their kids do lunges. When I mean kids, I mean under 13 or so, under the age of maturation, because they can't do them right. Their knees are going all over the place, they're wobbling. Lunges are hard for people. Body weight is not easy.
Speaker 1:I would argue it's one of the hardest ways to train. If you're doing real squats, if you're doing lunges, if you're doing pull-ups, if you're doing push-ups, it's hard. So it works for her remotely, because she can do the moves that I want her to do and it's definitely an option. And no, it doesn't have to be either. Or like it sounds. It's like well, aren't crunches? Lung, Body weight Well, yes. So, of course, not all body weight exercise is extremely difficult, but to do a full body workout, I would say that it is, and it's not for everybody, but it is a great option. If you're traveling, it's a great option to work up to things.
Speaker 1:I still love when people who, male or female, are unable to do a pull-up and tell me that's going to be one of their goals. I love it because I think it's a challenging goal. I think it's a great goal and you know, like I said, it's very difficult. I think it should be incorporated when you can do different bodyweight exercises. We have the majority of our clients do some forms of bodyweight squats at home. That's great, so it's definitely something we can all do.
Speaker 1:Look, if you're going to pin me to an answer, for me, I believe the best tools plural to use for 99% of the population is going to be selectorized machines and dumbbells. I love them both. I think they are the best, and I think barbells can work for some people and I think body weight can work for some people, and tubes and bands are great for travel, as I said. But man, it is hard to beat selectorized machines and dumbbells, which is why when you go to most places like condo gyms or hotel gyms, I mean that's what they're going to have, because there's resistance that you can use and that's the key.
Speaker 1:You know the fancy name for resistance training is D, C, E, R or dynamic, constant external resistance. That means that in order to get a strength stimulus, you need an external resistance that moves or movable. That's what you need. So if you can supply that, whether it be with a dumbbell, a weight, a barbell, whatever, then you've done it and so whatever it takes to stimulate your muscles appropriately, progressively, is the best resistance for you. I've said for years your muscles are not prejudiced.
Speaker 1:It's funny how I said once to somebody do you really well? I say it all the time, but this one time I said do you really think your biceps can tell what's stimulating it right now, A dumbbell versus that machine? Over there they looked at me like they heard that for the first time. I'm like really, so you really think your bicep is going to like go, oh, man, that's a dumbbell. I'm going to grow more. Oh, that's a free weight barbell. I mean, it doesn't know. Man, Like, if you've ever had physical therapy, you know that they utilize e-stem electrical stimulation to stimulate the muscle so it doesn't atrophy. That's all it needs is stimulation.
Speaker 1:Whatever does it best and doesn't cause problems in other areas, like barbell, squats can potentially, Potentially Not all the time, and, yes, form matters. All right, the best garage door company in the state of Florida is Overhead Door of Daytona Beach and they are owned by Jeff and Zach Hopp. Good friends, Great sponsors. Give them a shout at Overhead Door of Daytona Beach and they are owned by Jeff and Zach Hawk, Good friends, great sponsors. Give them a shout at Overhead Door Daytona.
