n l PERSONAL BEST

BY JOHN VELANDRA
PHOTO BY RACHAEL SANTILLAN

Q. I’m a 53-year-old woman, and one of the floor trainers at my gym keeps telling me to ONLY use the weight machines because the machines will force me to learn good form, perform the correct motions and protect my joints. But, in your columns, I read that you train your clients using free weights. Why? Which method is right?

— Debbie A., Fayetteville

A. I prefer a mix. There are some machines that do things better, and free weights are better for a lot of exercises. First off, machines don’t allow you to only do the correct motion — they allow you to do the machines’ motion. More often than not, these are not the same thing.

This fixed guided resistance can cause — or worsen — immediate or long-term injury because it does not allow the body to perform the exercise in the anatomically or biomechanically correct position. Straight up and down is not the natural groove for our bodies when performing most exercises, including shoulder or chest presses, even if it seems so at first glance.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some great machines — just not most of them and not for every exercise. The pulldown machines are fantastic, and as you may have noticed, they also allow a freer range of motion.

Ultimately, what to do first depends on a number of factors. I teach a machine movement first because it is quick and easy to explain and make corrections on. After that, I try and get to the free weights as quickly as possible because these are the movements that mimic real life, improving our ability to perform everyday activities and feel better. And isn’t that what we really want to do? n

E-mail your questions to John Velandra at: designsinfitness@att.net. Or call John at (910) 306-3142. John is a certified personal trainer and the owner of Designs In Fitness in Fayetteville, www.designsinfitness.net