Thread 76522839

>zero injury risk
>targets the muscle more efficiently
>much faster setup (no need to re-rack plates)

It took me years to unbrainwash myself from boomer tier SS advice of "AVOID THE MACHINES AND ONLY DO COMPOUND LIFTS SON" Holy fuck. No advice has been more harmful than that.
I've literally stopped bench pressing and my chest blew up by only doing flyes at the pec deck. No more barbell row, I just do cable seated rows.
The only free weights I still do is dumbbell OHP and nothing else.

If your gym has machines in it just use them. Free weights are for the poors and the home gym havers.

>>76522839 (OP)
Nobody said to only do compound lifts

Every good program is built AROUND the big compound lifts, but you obviously need shoulder and arm isolations

The only reason you weren't making gains on a compound-centric routine is because, like most retards here, you're not eat enough real food
Compound movements tax the CNS which is necessary for maximum testosterone output over time, but that requires more calories

I assume you're also over consuming protein leading to not getting enough carbs and fats as well

At my peak, I needed 3500 calories on rest days and 4500+ on lifting days just to maintain my mass

Doing real lifts and then eating like some retarded fitness influencer is the fast track to staying small

>>76522839 (OP)
The most time succinct approach is some combination of compounds and accessories still. Just know what a lift is failing on, and work what it isn't failing on to get them as close to the same par as possible. You'll probably never get there because leverages are what produce these deficiencies but the endeavor usually leads to a well rounded and functional physique without gratuitous amounts of gym time. Squat and Deadlift being notable exceptions in that almost everything you can work with them strictly grows better in isolation because their failure are just distant from muscles you want it to work and the cost of doing the exercise is so high.

>>76522839 (OP)
how did she ruin her eyes like that?
her face kinda looks ok and then her eyes are baggy like a 40 year old smoker

Machines are not superior to free weights. That is demonstrably false.

That said, machines are highly effective for making gains and you should be using most of the machines in your gym as part of your routine.

But you should always start your session with a heavy freeweight compound lift, then go do whatever else you want. Its literally common sense.

>>76522900
>>76522871
You could reach your genetic potential with only isolations. It's about taking a muscle to close proximity to failure and progressive overload. There's nothing magical about le compounds. If all I did was curls for years my biceps would get as big as they possibly could. Same with every other muscle. You both look like shit btw

>>76522932
You can reach your genetic potential with isolations, yes

But you wont have any strength or performance to go with the body, which is cringe

>>76522938
Nice cope, again you look like shit

>>76522954
The only one copeing here is you kek

>>76522839 (OP)
I just use what works best for me. Some people claim that they had a better time building chest with pec deck like you did rather than bench press but I've heard the opposite too.

>>76522839 (OP)
you can still fuck yourself up with machines

>>76522839 (OP)
you could have done db flies and your chest would also blow up (more, actually, because its not a machine).

Exercise dogmatism is retarded, no matter the form. Just experiment with every option and stick to what works better for you.

dbs and machines for me, and it suits me to a t.

>>76522839 (OP)
Congratulations OP for seeing the light and getting a bunch of seething replies from gymcels. WAGMI.

>>76522875
Thanks Lyle

>>76522839 (OP)
I am in the same boat. Fell for the /fit/ propaganda, trained for years with no gains. This year I finally switched to machines and I progressively increase my weights from week to week.

>>76522871
>Nobody said to only do compound lifts
That's literally what /fit/ being saying for years

>>76522938
>But you wont have any strength or performance to go with the body
What a bullshit argument. Compound lifts are very specific type of movement that do not translate well into everyday tasks.

>>76522871
>4500+ calories
Noob here, I can barely reach maintenance TDEE let alone a caloric surplus. How do you do it?

>>76522839 (OP)
Everything you said is true in bodybuilding.

Is the point to get big or strong ? machine will give the muscle volume but no functional strength probably

>>76524932
>Compound lifts are very specific type of movement that do not translate well into everyday tasks
it helps to have entered a gym at least once (1) in your life before posting strong opinions on a fitness board

>>76525038
name one (1) real life application for bench press

>>76522839 (OP)
Nah, I like free weights. That’s where true strength is.
>risk of injury
Skill issue btw

Machines are great for accessories. Except the smith machine which is exclusively for girls, dyels and the elderly.

>>76522938
>But you wont have any strength or performance to go with the body

I don't give a fuck I just lift to look good

>>76525052
I agree with you on that one. Bench press is the compound that translates the least to lifting odd objects (including other humans) in real life. But big bench is fun and there's probably a holistic benefit to training the muscles involved to withstand high resistances.

>>76525053
>true strength
Bet you look like shit and are a weak dyel

>>76525058
Someone let mr bird chest out of his cage to flap around again

>>76525053
Fatty
>>76525071
Lel

>>76522839 (OP)
I stopped fucking with free weights for the same reasons. I have exactly an hour to workout and I can't waste time loading up barbells, risking getting injured from bad form, not being able to go as hard because I have no spotter, etc.

Barbell lifts are mostly an ego thing. Sure it's cool and yeah maybe it's marginally better than machines but both achieve the same result (bigger muscles). Unless you're an actual athlete training to compete there's no point

>>76525034
>no functional strength probably
bullshit, you're using your muscle to apply force. If you have to apply force to something irl most likely it's not free to move in every direction

>>76525071
Just like me, you have been brainwashed into doing compound lifts. Discussing with you is a waste of time, as you cannot be convinced by rational arguments. Doing that would mean admitting that you have wasted years doing useless and dangerous exercises. So to protect yourself from this painful realisation, you will come up with rationalisations and simply move the goalpost (compound exercises has no real life application -> well, at least it is fun).
I wish you well on your journey and hope that one day, you will have the emotional strength to see the light.

>>76525165
I have directly experienced the direct effect of my squat, DL and weighted chins reaching decent numbers in real life multiple times.
You picked one (1) out of six (6) compounds and bagged on it, you are the one moving goal posts my retarded contrarian friend

>>76525185
Let's see what years of squats and deadlifts have built

>>76524933
Cautiously track your caloric intake and eat more. If you are not gaining weight you are not eating enough nor getting bigger. Take about 300 to 500 surplus with proper high intensity training, with enough rest.

>>76525165
So you don't do any presses,pulls, or squats on machines? That's still a compound movement

>>76522839 (OP)
>Machines are unironically superior to free weights
This is cope that only someone who's weak would say.
When you get strong you will find that over 80% of machines at commercial gyms suck cock and are immeasurably inferior to free weights.
The good machines out there cost thousands of dollars and only have a select function or two at most unlike free weights which you can use to train every muscle in your body.

Any stack loaded machine sucks cock. Have fun spending money on gym pins and eventually bricking the equipment while it rattles and shakes every single rep.
Even plate loaded machine sucks cock, the decent ones require you to load 10 plates just to get a working set in.

>>76522839 (OP)
Someone has been watching Solomon and Lyle.

>>76522839 (OP)
I can max 90% of machines in my gym(gold's). What now?

>>76522938
Funny because things like machines are used without controversy by actual pro athletes or people who need real performance like the military. It's only lifters who don't play any sports but for some reason talk about 'performance and strength' that bang on about free weights or the big 3 because they give you strength and performance. It's a macho larp by people who don't play sports or do any real activity like military who want to convince themselves they would be some kind of explosive athletic killer just because they do a few freeweight compounds.

All facts. Why would you do squats and push yourself and potentially close to failure given the risk of injury and accidents when you can just do it perfectly safely and confidently on a smith machine? It'll enable you to actually lift as hard as possible without having to set aside some portion of concentration for caution and form.

>>76522871
>At my peak, I needed 3500 calories on rest days and 4500+ on lifting days just to maintain my mass
are you also 300lbs?

>>76522839 (OP)
>>zero injury risk
heh

>>76525052
>Punching someone in a fight
>Something falls on your back like a bookcase and you need to push yourself up
>You're laying in bed holding something up
>You're using your chest, triceps, or shoulders in isolation

>>76522839 (OP)
>>76524932
>>76525052
>>76525165
Lots of strong opinions here, yet not a single body posted.
Do not bother trying to "no u" or reverse psychology, all of your baseless arguments are useless unless you back them up by posting your body.
Protip: You won't, because you never lifted in your life.

Does it matter if I switch between barbell and machine exercises every few months? E.g. do bench for a couple months then switch to chest press when I get bored, maybe a few months later switch to DB bench?

>>76522875
>accessories
No such thing as an accessory movement. Either you curl or you don't get big biceps. Either you isolate the muscle or you won't maximize its size.

>>76522871
Crazy how I can tell you’re 85 IQ at most from this post. Next time you think about giving advice: don’t.

>>76522839 (OP)
>>zero injury risk
Not true. It is possible to be retarded enough to injure yourself on a machine.
>>76522871
>compound lifts
A compound motion is any motion that actively uses two or more joints. That includes many machine motions like a machine press or machine rows.

>>76527291
>do squats and push yourself and potentially close to failure given the risk of injury and accidents when you can just do it perfectly safely and confidently on a smith machine? It'll enable you to actually lift as hard as possible without having to set aside some portion of concentration for caution and form.
How are smith machine squats safer than barbell squats? You are still loading your back.

>>76524933
You don't need to fall for memes. Maintenance + 300 to 500 is the most you need.

I do free weights because they're fun and feel cool.
Machines look boring and gay

>>76527701
Yuppppp. When you start treating your preacher curls or whatever as seriously as a powerlifter takes the big 3 you'll get big arms. Calf raises are just as important as any other lift. Based anon.

>>76527676
No, the second you switch from free weights to machines you have to start over from scratch and all your gains disappear. If you then progress on the machines and switch back to free weights POOF all your gains disappear again.

>>76522938
>strength or performance
Bigger muscle = stronger muscle
Leaner and stronger muscles = better performance

>>76527650
>Lots of strong opinions here, yet not a single body posted.
>all of your baseless arguments are useless unless you back them up by posting your body.
>Protip: You won't, because you never lifted in your life.
Here's a smart anon. Props to you sir.
I wanted to see good bodies backing up all those claims, but I can only look down at myself and say: good enough, for now. Is there a better way? Very likely, but I haven't discovered it yet and certainly not ITT.

>>76522839 (OP)
>>much faster setup (no need to re-rack plates)
Only legit point. I'll still do compounds.

>>76527758
This. You look gay as hell doing one machine per body part

>>76528060
Hello SARR just fyi a compound movement is one that uses 2 or more joints. Plenty of machines are compound movements. What you mean is you still do powerlifting. Your welcome

>>76527104
This happened to me after years I got a gym membership the only useful machines have been the leg curl and leg extension because obviously with at home stuff I can't do hamstring ankle flexion till I can Nordic curl. Other than that the gym has some glute kick back machine that I like because me going hip thrusts just hurt my hips I'm not a fat ass with padding. I hate the Smith machine I'll give it a try again maybe for lunges with a belt or some like sissie squat or incline bench burn out. I can max out all the machines the only useful one is the T bar row lat pull down but I have a cable and pull up bar at home. Besides I can't be like intense at the gym I feel, the only big people at the gym are clearly on steroids or live there life around this gym, diet life style with no fun. I'm talking people like 30+ years old or just steroid users are the only impressive guys there but it's all just shoulder and lats. No legs or that hip hinge look because my piece of shit gym doesn't have free bar bells. I believe you can isolate muscles on machines but you won't like be big and wide like a football player, do you think the NFL players just use machines call it a day. I feel the big bar bell and dumbbells work my stabilizers more which will lead to the thickness and width from balancing

>>76528205
>>76527104
Coping and obese

>>76528233
Wimp

as someone said yesterday: any half decent routine will net you very similar gains that will be dependent on your 1. genetics 2. diet (in that order) at least in terms of muscle building

>>76522839 (OP)
Uh yeah? That's why machines were invented.
Of course they're inferior for sports specific training but if your goal is bodybuilding, sure, go machines all the way.

>>76528268
Markus Rühl used machines almost exclusively.