this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2024
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Fitness

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Hello guys,

I have a machine like this at home currently is not working but I was thinking on getting it fixed, would it be enough to get fit at home or would you suggest something else I should get?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Personally I eschewed a machine for a set of good adjustable dumbbells and a bench and I don’t regret it at all. I don’t like machines because they allow you to cheat with bad form and that leads to joint injuries. I found that I can use significantly less weight with free weights as compared to a machine, and while that’s not as good for the ego, it’s better for my joints. Lifting weights has turned into a more yoga like mindful execution of movement rather than a grunty maximum exertion of force since I switched, and I really like it. It’s challenging to do legs, but I’ve got a bad knee and I can still do enough with my two 5-80 dumbbells to feel it the next day.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

With a set up to 80 (assuming lbs) you can go a long way. 160lb in dumbbells is a fair bit and can go quite a bit of the way. For the rest of the way single leg focused exercises such as lunges, Bulgarian squats, SL Romanian deadlift, staggered stances, dragon squat etc will do the trick.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Of course it is. A single dumbbell can help you get fit at home. This has a pretty wide range of capabilities, so you're good in that regard. You're probably going to want some help developing a program that works for you.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Hey thanks for your response, should I find program catered directly to be used with these type of machines? I'm a complete noob I've never gone to the gym.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I couldn't speak to this specific machine and machines aren't really my wheelhouse but a couple of great guys to follow on YouTube are Mike Israetel of Renaissance Periodization and Jeff Nippard. Both are really knowledgeable and speak in language that a layman can understand. Jeff is all about natural growth through "science-based exercise". Ignore Mike's nonsense or enjoy it, it's mostly put on. He is extremely knowledgeable and cuts through a lot of the bullshit and mysticism around hypertrophy based lifting and physical fitness. From there you could probably find a basic 3 day program centered around machines.

Edit: I should also say, beyond being safe, the most important thing is consistency. Pick a schedule that actually works for you, at least 2 but ideally 3 days per week, and do that every week and in 6 months you'll see noticeable results. The individual lifts matter much less for beginners.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

In that case, maybe check if a nearby gym has free trials or affordable sessions with a coach.

Sometimes exercises are a bit unintuitive and need attention to specific movements.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Looks like it doesn't have any way to train legs so you should probably get something extra for that. Legs are hard to train with just bodyweight because the muscles are too strong and don't get exhausted from just the weight of your body.

Can you pull the handles in the middle towards you in a rowing motion, or is it just for pushing? If not, you need some way to train your back also. Maybe back extension would work as a bodyweight exercise.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hey I couldn't find a picture of the things you can do with that I shared particularly but I found one that's similar and these are the type of stuff you seem to be able to do.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Great, you have both back and leg exercises there then, with leg raise and chest flies. I'm wondering if it also allows leg curl, so you can train the other side of the thigh also.

You might want to add in bodyweight exercises in your routine to get a full body exercise. Like plank or situps for core, which I don't see any way to train with the machine.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Pic shows a pretty clear leg raise and lat pulldown as you find standard on these types of machines