Lie #2: The Lifting “Machine Myth”

This lie is downright dangerous and it’s actually one of the reasons I became a personal trainer myself.

After he was told to work out for 8+ hours a week (when research proves it just takes 20 minutes a day with the right exercises), Don’s new trainer showed him to the lifting machines.

You’ve seen them, right?

There’s the leg press, bicep curl, the crunch machine, a smith squat rack—the names and specific exercises don’t matter too much.

What matters is that machines limit your range of motion.

And that limit doesn’t just make using lifting machines a waste of time, it also increases your chance of getting injured.

First, the last thing you want to do is limit your workout to single muscle groups.

For faster results, strength gains, and more calories burned per minute of exercise, you want to activate as many muscles as possible.

Second, only exercising a single muscle group creates imbalances and makes you more likely to get injured. And if you get injured, you can’t keep working out.

Still, when it comes to the time it takes to SEE results, using machines aren’t nearly as bad as the third lie he was told.