Evils of Machine Article?

[stl rick]

I've just meet a woman who weightlifts that uses a machine for a couple of her lifts. She is willing to move to free weights, but I was wondering if anyone had a link to an article why machines suck. (Now that I think about it, isn't that somewhere in SST or Practical Programming??)

The other question is there a reliable method to convert from squats on a machine to free weight squats? She knows she can do 215 in a machine. I looking to give her a ballpark to start doing squats correctly.

[RobCor]

I've just meet a woman who weightlifts that uses a machine for a couple of her lifts. She is willing to move to free weights, but I was wondering if anyone had a link to an article why machines suck. (Now that I think about it, isn't that somewhere in SST or Practical Programming??)

The other question is there a reliable method to convert from squats on a machine to free weight squats? She knows she can do 215 in a machine. I looking to give her a ballpark to start doing squats correctly.

The foreword in SS is pretty good.

[thefinalsql]

Warm up.
Load squat bar to 215.
Have her try to squat it.
Help her back up from the hole and rack the weight.
Then she will know.

[Greg C]

Warm up.
Load squat bar to 215.
Have her try to squat it.
Help her back up from the hole and rack the weight.
Then she will know.

This seems like a bad plan to me - likelihood of her being able to lift this seems minimal at best, assuming the machine you are talking about is a Smith.

Assuming you have read SS, why not just lead her through an introductory session as described in the squat section. It will ensure some education in squat mechanics as well as finding the appropriate starting weight without nearly as much risk of injury to the trainee.

[Shion]

Warm up.
Load squat bar to 215.
Have her try to squat it.
Help her back up from the hole and rack the weight.
Then she will know.

Yes, she will know never to trust him again :P

[LudwigVan]

I've just meet a woman who weightlifts that uses a machine for a couple of her lifts. She is willing to move to free weights, but I was wondering if anyone had a link to an article why machines suck. (Now that I think about it, isn't that somewhere in SST or Practical Programming??)

Machines don't suck. They are however machines, and are therefore not barbells or dumbbells, and they cannot accomplish many of the things that barbells and dumbbells can accomplish. But this fact cannot be boiled down to a simple "machines bad, barbells good."

The other question is there a reliable method to convert from squats on a machine to free weight squats? She knows she can do 215 in a machine. I looking to give her a ballpark to start doing squats correctly.

There's no converting necessary, just follow the procedure in the book for determining starting weights.

[stl rick]

Thanks for pointing me to the information I needed. I also seem to remember a chapter about lifting and women in the back of Practical Program that she would probably like to read. (Did I mention she loves to drive motorcycles?)

[Reggie]

Thanks for pointing me to the information I needed. I also seem to remember a chapter about lifting and women in the back of Practical Program that she would probably like to read. (Did I mention she loves to drive motorcycles?)

She sounds like a keeper to me! :-)