Should you use fixed weight machines?

Machine-based weight training often gets bashed by fitness professionals. Usually, touting they are not “functional” and don't replicate day to day life.
I want to push back really hard on this idea. Simply strengthening the muscles around a joint will have some carry-over to other tasks. And there are lots of reasons that machines can be useful.
Here are 6️⃣reasons that machine training is great
1️⃣ Anyone new to exercise - the gym can be intimidating, and machines are an easy place to start your strength training journey.
2️⃣ Returning to exercise after an injury - machines can be a great way to train a muscle with little need for skill or stability as part of a rehab program
3️⃣ To keep training while injured - let’s say you have a back or shoulder injury, and doing big compounds like squats and deadlifts could cause a major issues. This is where machines are great, they are easy to set up, and you can often work around injured areas.
4️⃣ To focus entirely on a specific muscle - like it or not deadlifts aren't a great exercise to target any particular muscle because the movement is so big and complex that it’s hard to know what muscle is being overloaded. Whereas a hamstring curl or leg extension is a simple way to directly target the muscle, especially if your goal is hypertrophy.
5️⃣ When you get tired towards the end of a session - I often program machines at the end of my client’s session. After 30-45 mins, your energy and quality of work will naturally start to drop off. Machines are a great, low-skill way to get a few more quality sets in before you go home.
6️⃣ Easy to set up - you can get two, maybe even three machine exercises completed in the time it takes to set up, complete and strip the bar off for three sets of squats.
Note: I'm not saying only to do machines. You should, of course, incorporate other free weight-based exercises into your training. But don't be put off by this sort of nonsense. Machines are a great tool to use.
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Andy Vincent has been a coach for over 20 years and working as a trainer in London, Miami, New York and LA, I am currently based in Ibiza and work as an online coach. Over the span of his career, he has amassed a vast level of education working with some of the leading authorities in their field from UKSCA, Poliquin Group, AiM, FRC, EXOS, Precision Nutrition and more. Andy has also been lucky to have worked alongside some of the world's best strength & conditioning coaches, performance coaches, bodybuilders and biomechanics specialists. In an industry where there is a lot of confusion and conflicting information, Andy likes to keep my methodology simple, using methods that have stood the test of time and bringing in only the very best of current science while ignoring all the fads and trends.
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