Stay Away From Gym Machines

For a school assignment on fitness equipment, I interviewed four people that know a thing or two about working out. Two of them are fitness co-ordinators at Sheridan college’s gyms at the Oakville and at the Brampton locations, and the other two are Crossfit trainers.

Tom Hipsz, the recreation & fitness co-ordinator at Sheridan’s Oakville campus gym, doesn’t personally agree with gym machines, such as the smith. However, the reason so many of them are still around is because they’re popular.

Tahir Khan, the co-ordinator at Sheridan’s Brampton campus gym, agrees. He said that sometimes there simply isn’t enough money to replace the machines. Khan has either replaced or simply removed most gym machines at that gym because they aren’t functional or safe.

These machines I’m talking about are any that have a fixed, predetermined movement pattern, or require the use of only one muscle (isolated workouts). They also balance the weight for you so that it’s easier - and if it’s easier, it’s probably not efficient at getting you those abs.

Virginia Ki, a Crossfit trainer, says that you’ll never find your true strength or true max if you use the fixed machines. As for isolated-muscle machines, she adds that you’ll never use just one muscle in real life, making the machine absolutely pointless.

Kyle Kelland, another Crossfit trainer, says that movements should be functional, everyday things that build strength and endurance.