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4 reasons women over 50 should avoid most exercise machines at the gym

CoachBecky's avatar Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 by CoachBecky With over 25 years of experience teaching fitness and exercise, Becky Williamson is a fitness industry veteran--but her most important credential as a fitness professional focusing on Boomer women is that she is one herself. Learn more about Becky's work on her website.
Our bodies today aren't the same as when we were 25 years old. We've had kids, we run businesses, we run our households, we volunteer. We juggle a lot of roles daily and we battle menopausal or pre-menopausal issues that can sabotage efforts to stay in shape. But with all this, women in our generation aren't the dowdy matrons of yesteryear. Through smart eating and smart exercise, most Boomer women are staying fit and fabulous!

When I coach my clients about smart exercise after age 50, I share these four little-known reasons why we should avoid most exercise machines at the gym. Keeping these facts in mind will help you design the best workout for your body now.
  1. Machines control your range of motion.
    Sounds like a good thing, right? Not really. Machines often eliminate a lot of work on your part. This is great for beginners and frail individuals, but once you’re past the beginner stage—get off the machines! You need to be in control of your movement and range of motion.

  2. Many machines put you in a seated position.
    I recommend that women perform their exercises in a standing position whenever possible. (Of course, there are exceptions here--like push ups!) Standing while working with weights, pulleys or bands loads your skeleton (good for bone health), requires you to engage your core muscles, and challenges your balance.

  3. Some machines don't put your body through motions that mimic normal human motions/movements.
    How often do you lie on your belly and bring your heels to your rear end? Not too often, I imagine! We certainly need to strengthen the back of our thighs, but there's a much more functional way to do it (without a machine) that engages more muscle and strengthens the rear end and the low back as well.

  4. Many machines isolate one muscle group.
    Our muscles rarely work in isolation. Although there's nothing wrong with supplementing a good workout with exercises that isolate a muscle group, I encourage my busy Boomer clients to perform exercises that use several joints at once and mimic real-life movements, such as squats, lunges, and assisted pull-ups. Performing exercises that involve several joints does three positive things for Boomer women: it develops more muscle mass (muscle burns calories all day long), improves core strength, and shortens workout time.

responses (17)

barb lewis's avatar barb lewi…
barb lewis said to CoachBecky
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I walk, bike, swim, take tai chi and aqua-fit. Your brain should control your movements, not a machine. The exception is medical re-hab. BL, RN
HelToPae's avatar HelToPae
HelToPae said to CoachBecky
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I agree and disagree :-) Machines are fine, if used in conjunction with other modalities like pilates, hiking, tai chi, yoga, swimming, free weights, etc. Limiting yourself to just machines certainly does your body a disservice, but you don't have to avoid them altogether. Hpae, CPT, Group Instructor, fitness fanatic
CoachBecky's avatar CoachBeck…
CoachBecky said to CoachBecky
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Hi HPae, Thanks for the reply. I actually think we agree more than disagree! I myself use an exercise machine at the gym every once in awhile. My main point with this list was to illustrate a few reasons why women over 50 should venture over to the free weights area and the exercise devices that use a cable or pulley system for the bulk of their exercises. I think a lot of Boomer women feel safer on machines (and machines do offer some safety for new exercisers by controlling range of motion), so they create a full exercise program around them. My hope with this list was to encourage women to try some new multi-joint exercises that use their whole body! Becky :-)
Carol Orsborn - VN Strategist's avatar Carol Ors…
Carol Orsborn - VN Strategist said to CoachBecky
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Thanks so much for your advice, Coach Becky. I joined a circuit gym and it just didn't "feel right"...and in fact, I do think that for all the benefits of the machine regimen, as much was taken away. Now I walk hills, do t'ai chi, Feldenkreiss and swim--and I feel the best I've felt in years!
CoachBecky's avatar CoachBeck…
CoachBecky said to CoachBecky
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I love the variety you're doing. Simply terrific. Thanks for sharing! Becky
HelToPae's avatar HelToPae
HelToPae said to CoachBecky
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You're spot on Coach!
Sandra4's avatar Sandra4
Sandra4 said to CoachBecky
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I think what Coach Becky is saying makes a lot of sense. Right now I'm using a combination of Wii Fitness and Kettlenetics.
Marilynne's avatar Marilynne
Marilynne said to CoachBecky
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I've joined a circuit gym and it's done a lot for me, but I can tell I still need to do things like walking, hiking, and common things like gardening. However, working out in the circuit gym helped me get to the point where I could do the other things.
Selene's avatar Selene
Selene said to CoachBecky
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I gave up on most health club machines a long time ago, for all the reasons you state. But I've been really impressed by the FreeMotion and Keiser machines at my health club. I've been doing a class there twice a week that circuits through about 20 exercises using those in ways that engage the whole body, plus a few bodyweight and dumbbell exercises (with a couple of them on the PowerPlate vibrating machine!), alternating 2 circuits of those with 2 segments of intervals on treadmill, or versaclimber, or stairmaster, or just sprinting. I'm so pleased our health club has caught up to current thinking on all of this!

CoachBecky's avatar CoachBeck…
CoachBecky said to Selene
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Excellent, Selene!  The Free Motion machines are great and I highly recommend them.  For readers who aren't familiar with them: They're machines that use flexible cables with handles on them.  The cables can be positioned at various angles, from high to low. This allows for a broader range of motion.  In addition, , many FreeMotion machines allow you to stand as you work with the pulleys.  Just the stuff I'm recommending!  I've heard good things about the PowerPlate, but haven't experienced exercising on one myself yet.  I think we'll be hearing more about exercising on vibrating platforms in the near future (I think/hope there may be positive implications w/regard to maintaining bone density). 


Sounds like you've got an excellent workout program going, Selene.  Thanks so much for commenting on the machines we should leave IN our program!

 

Coach Becky :-)

shulamit's avatar shulamit
shulamit said to CoachBecky
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in that case, what do you think of curves. they are also machines but it seems that it does all muscle groups. I have long passed the baby boomer stage. i am in the 80,s.  i added the curve routine to yoga and pilates plus zumba once a week.

CoachBecky's avatar CoachBeck…
CoachBecky said to shulamit
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Hi Shulamit,

I prefer to have my clients standing up for the majority of their exercises for the reasons I stated in my article. When we sit on a machine in some cases, our core muscles and balance mechanisms don't have to work as much.  However, there are always exceptions in which machine based exercises make sense (balance and coordination issues, frailty, etc).

I have not been to a Curves, so I can't comment on it specifically. However, if Curves is working for you, you should keep it in your program.

 

Coach Becky

shulamit's avatar shulamit
shulamit said to CoachBecky
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\i guess if it is an addition to what \i was doing before \i added it, and i added it because our insurance is paying for it. they want their older members to be healthy  my favorite is still swimming laps

shulamit's avatar shulamit
shulamit said to CoachBecky
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i just want your opinion..there is a new yoga that is done for an hour and a half in a room that is very heated so that you would sweat a lot. of course it,s not for me, i am too old but i was just curious if you had heard of it.

CoachBecky's avatar CoachBeck…
CoachBecky said to shulamit
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Hi Shulamit,

yes, I've heard of it.  It's called Bikram yoga.

shulamit's avatar shulamit
shulamit said to CoachBecky
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what do you think about it..my daughter started it. do you think the heat adds to the exercise

CoachBecky's avatar CoachBeck…
CoachBecky said to shulamit
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I haven't experienced it personally, nor have I read any research on it.  The extreme heat will elevate the exerciser's heart rate, making them feel as if they're working harder.  I'm not sure what you mean when you ask if the heat "adds to the exercise"?  I doubt that it will increase calorie consumption by much, if that's what you're asking.  It will lead to more water loss, though, so Bikram practitioners should make sure to re-hydrate well after a session.

 

Coach Becky

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