Which kind of strength-training equipment makes the most of your time: fixed machines or free-form gear?
Go for the free-form gear, like dumbbells or cable-and-pulley machines that allow freedom of motion. They can give you double the strength gains that fixed equipment offers.
Strength in Numbers
Fixed machines -- like a leg-press machine, where you load up a plate with weights and have a fixed plane of motion to push through -- don’t tap as many balance and control muscles as free-form equipment does. So you don’t get as buff, a recent study showed. People in the study who used free-form equipment boosted their strength by a whopping 115 percent -- versus just 57 percent for the fixed-machine users. Free-form gear boosts balance better, too. (Think you’re steady on your feet? Try this 8-step balance test.)
More Ways to Muscle Up
Whether you use free-form or fixed machines, regular strength-training is a key element in your age-reduction plan. Ready to get stronger and younger? Try one of these body-building workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home: How much weight should you start with when you strength train? Find out here.
RealAge Benefit: Lifting weights for 10 minutes just 3 times per week can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.
Take the RealAge Test
Go for the free-form gear, like dumbbells or cable-and-pulley machines that allow freedom of motion. They can give you double the strength gains that fixed equipment offers.
Strength in Numbers
Fixed machines -- like a leg-press machine, where you load up a plate with weights and have a fixed plane of motion to push through -- don’t tap as many balance and control muscles as free-form equipment does. So you don’t get as buff, a recent study showed. People in the study who used free-form equipment boosted their strength by a whopping 115 percent -- versus just 57 percent for the fixed-machine users. Free-form gear boosts balance better, too. (Think you’re steady on your feet? Try this 8-step balance test.)
More Ways to Muscle Up
Whether you use free-form or fixed machines, regular strength-training is a key element in your age-reduction plan. Ready to get stronger and younger? Try one of these body-building workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home: How much weight should you start with when you strength train? Find out here.
RealAge Benefit: Lifting weights for 10 minutes just 3 times per week can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.
Take the RealAge Test
