Calisthenics Vs Weights Vs Machines - Which Should You Do?

Summary

The video script discusses the advantages of using machines in strength training, particularly for calisthenics athletes. It highlights how machines can isolate specific muscles without causing fatigue or joint pain, allowing for targeted strength and size increases. The speaker emphasizes the importance of supplementing calisthenics with machine exercises to address weaknesses, prevent injuries, and enhance overall performance. The script also touches on the broader philosophy of training, advocating for a flexible approach that combines various methods to achieve peak physical capabilities.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ Machines offer the advantage of isolating specific muscles without involving or fatiguing others, reducing the strain on joints.
• 🔑 Isolation training can be particularly beneficial for targeting muscle groups that need more work without exacerbating existing injuries.
• 🤸‍♂️ In calisthenics, using machines can help improve performance in moves like pull-ups by focusing on specific muscle groups like the lats.
• 💪 To build stronger muscles for calisthenics, such as biceps for pull-ups, incorporating machine exercises like cable curls can be effective.
• 🎯 The use of machines doesn't negate the importance of free weights and bodyweight exercises; they should be part of a balanced training regimen.
• 🤔 The decision to use machines should be based on the goal of improving calisthenics performance, not on aesthetics or the opinions of others.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Machines provide stability, allowing for more effective muscle exhaustion, which can be useful after initial bodyweight or weight training.
• 🛑 Incorporating machine exercises can help address muscle imbalances and potential injury risks by targeting muscles that may be underworked in compound movements.
• 🚀 Advanced training techniques, including the use of machines, can be part of a progression for serious calisthenics athletes looking to optimize their performance.
• 🥗 Nutrition also plays a crucial role in the success of calisthenics athletes, and like training, it should be tailored to individual goals and needs.
• 🧠 The mindset of a serious athlete involves being open to various training methods, including machines, to achieve the best results, regardless of traditional views.

Q & A

What is the primary advantage of using machines for training according to the transcript?

The primary advantage of using machines for training is that they can isolate specific muscles or muscle groups without involving or fatiguing others, which is beneficial for increasing the strength or size of targeted muscles without putting stress on joints.

How can machine training complement pull-up abilities?

Machine training can complement pull-up abilities by isolating and strengthening specific muscles like the lats, which are crucial for pull-ups. This can be done using a cable machine to perform exercises like lat pulldowns, which can help increase the strength and size of the lats without stressing the elbows.

What is the suggested approach if someone is having elbow problems but wants to continue training their back muscles?

The suggested approach for someone with elbow problems is to use a machine like a cable machine to perform exercises such as lat pulldowns with straight elbows, which allows the back muscles to be trained without involving the elbows.

How can biceps strength contribute to pull-up performance?

Stronger biceps can contribute to pull-up performance by allowing for more repetitions or increased strength in the pull-up motion. Training biceps specifically with exercises like cable curls can help in achieving this.

What is the importance of not limiting oneself to just free weights or calisthenics moves?

Not limiting oneself to just free weights or calisthenics moves is important because it allows for a more comprehensive training approach. Using machines can target specific muscle groups that may need more work without causing fatigue or injury to other parts of the body.

Why is it beneficial to combine calisthenics with machine training?

Combining calisthenics with machine training is beneficial because it allows for a more targeted approach to strengthening specific muscles. This can lead to improved performance in calisthenics movements and potentially reduce the risk of injury.

How can machine training be used to improve the strength component of pull-ups?

Machine training can be used to improve the strength component of pull-ups by performing weighted pull-ups at the start of a session and following up with isolation exercises like lat pulldowns to exhaust the back muscles properly.

What is the role of supplementary training in calisthenics?

Supplementary training in calisthenics, such as using machines, plays a role in addressing specific weaknesses or imbalances that may not be adequately targeted by bodyweight exercises alone. It helps in achieving a more balanced and comprehensive training program.

Why is it suggested to use machines for isolation exercises towards the middle to latter part of a session?

Using machines for isolation exercises towards the middle to latter part of a session is suggested because it allows for the targeted muscles to be trained to failure in a stable environment, which can help fill in any gaps in training and potentially improve performance and longevity.

How can the philosophy of doing anything it takes to get better at calisthenics be applied in a gym setting?

The philosophy of doing anything it takes to get better at calisthenics can be applied in a gym setting by incorporating machine training to isolate and strengthen specific muscles that may be limiting performance in calisthenics movements.

What is the perspective on the use of machines in modern sports and how does it relate to calisthenics?

The perspective is that there is no modern sport that doesn't utilize weight rooms and machines. This relates to calisthenics in that athletes should not be limited to just bodyweight exercises but should also consider machine training to enhance their performance and prevent injuries.

Outlines

00:00

💪 The Benefits of Isolating Muscles with Machines

The first paragraph discusses the advantages of using machines in strength training. It emphasizes how machines allow for the isolation of specific muscle groups without involving or exhausting others, which is beneficial for increasing the strength or size of targeted muscles. The speaker uses the example of improving pull-up abilities by isolating and training the lats and back muscles without stressing the problematic elbows. The paragraph also highlights the importance of using machines to complement calisthenics and free weights, suggesting that a balanced approach to training can lead to better overall performance and reduced risk of injury.

05:00

🏋️‍♂️ Integrating Machines for Optimal Training and Injury Prevention

The second paragraph continues the discussion on the role of machines in a comprehensive training regimen. It suggests that machines can be particularly useful for targeting muscles that may be underdeveloped or for addressing specific issues like tendon-related problems in the elbows. The speaker advocates for a strategic use of machines, particularly towards the end of a workout session, to ensure that all muscle groups are adequately trained and to prevent overuse injuries. The paragraph also touches on the importance of not limiting oneself to a single training philosophy and being open to various methods to achieve peak performance in calisthenics.

Keywords

💡Machines

Machines in the context of the video refer to exercise equipment designed to target specific muscle groups with precision. They are highlighted as advantageous for their ability to isolate muscles without involving or exhausting others, which is beneficial for increasing strength or size of a specific muscle group. For example, the script mentions using a cable machine to do lat pulldowns to target the lats without stressing the elbows.

💡Isolation

Isolation, in the context of fitness, is the practice of focusing on a single muscle or muscle group during an exercise. The video emphasizes the importance of isolation for increasing the strength or size of a specific muscle, such as when using a machine to work on lats without involving the elbows, which can be particularly useful when dealing with joint issues.

💡Pull-ups

Pull-ups are a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the back muscles, particularly the lats. The script uses pull-ups as an example of an exercise where additional strength or size can be achieved by isolating and targeting the pulling muscles using machines, especially when dealing with limitations such as elbow problems.

💡Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)

The latissimus dorsi, often abbreviated as 'lats,' is a large muscle group in the back that plays a crucial role in pull-up exercises. The video discusses the benefits of specifically targeting the lats using machines like lat pulldowns to increase their size and strength, which in turn can enhance pull-up performance.

💡Cable Machine

A cable machine is a versatile piece of gym equipment that uses cables and weights to provide resistance for a variety of exercises. The video script mentions the cable machine as a tool for performing lat pulldowns with straight elbows, allowing for the isolation of the lats and avoiding stress on the elbows.

💡Biceps

Biceps refer to the front muscles of the upper arm that are involved in various exercises, including pull-ups. The script suggests that using machines like a curl bar or cable curl can help in developing stronger biceps, which can indirectly improve pull-up abilities by increasing the strength of the pulling muscles.

💡Leg Press

The leg press is a machine exercise that targets the muscles of the lower body, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The video mentions the leg press as an example of how machines can be used to train specific muscle groups, like the legs, without overtaxing other areas such as the lower back.

💡Calisthenics

Calisthenics are exercises that use the body's weight for resistance, often performed without equipment. The video discusses the importance of calisthenics for overall fitness and how machines can complement calisthenics training by allowing for targeted muscle development.

💡Bodybuilder

A bodybuilder is an individual who engages in weight training to develop their muscles for aesthetic and competitive purposes. The video uses the term to illustrate that even those focused on calisthenics might need to incorporate bodybuilding techniques, such as using machines, to achieve their fitness goals.

💡Supplementary Training

Supplementary training refers to additional exercises or training methods that complement the main training regimen. The script explains that while calisthenics and free weights are important, incorporating supplementary training with machines can help address specific weaknesses or imbalances in muscle development.

💡Periodization

Periodization is a training concept where exercises and training loads are systematically varied over time to optimize performance and recovery. The video touches on periodization as a more advanced training approach that serious athletes might adopt to formalize and enhance their training routines.

💡Nutrition

Nutrition in the context of fitness refers to the dietary practices that support athletic performance and muscle development. The script implies that good nutrition is a critical component of a comprehensive fitness regimen, even for calisthenics athletes, and can contribute to achieving higher levels of performance.

Highlights

Machines can isolate specific muscles without involving others, reducing fatigue and joint pain.

Isolation allows for increased strength or size of specific muscles, enhancing overall performance.

Example given of using cable machines for lat exercises to avoid elbow strain while increasing pull-up strength.

Training biceps separately can improve pull-up abilities by targeting muscle growth without overuse.

Machines are beneficial for isolating and training muscles that need more work without tiring the whole body.

The importance of using machines in conjunction with free weights and calisthenics for a well-rounded workout.

Bodybuilders use machines to target specific muscle groups beyond what free weights can achieve.

Leg press as an alternative to squats to train legs without straining the back.

Machines provide stability for muscle training to failure, which is not always possible with free weights.

The value of supplementary training in weight rooms for calisthenics athletes to improve performance.

The need for calisthenics athletes to consider machine training to address muscle imbalances and prevent injuries.

Using machines to train muscles to failure can be more effective than compound movements for certain goals.

The concept of making training as simple as possible, but no simpler, in the pursuit of calisthenics mastery.

The misconception that calisthenics should only be performed with body weight and not include machine training.

The importance of considering nutritional principles for calisthenics athletes to achieve peak performance.

The idea that serious calisthenics athletes may need to adopt practices similar to bodybuilders for optimal results.

The role of coaching in calisthenics and the benefits of formalizing training beyond playground workouts.

The potential for calisthenics athletes to improve by incorporating machine training and advanced periodization.

Transcripts

Frey whites versus machines the machines their big  Advantage is they can isolate a specific muscle or  

muscle group in a way that oftentimes doesn't  involve a lot of the others it doesn't fatigue  

you a ton it doesn't hurt your joints and then  that isolation is what allows you to increase  

the strength or size of that specific muscle  and that plugs back in to your overall plan so  

for example if you let's say are in a situation  where you're working on increasing your pullup  

abilities be it for repetitions or for strength  and you have a situation where you know that your  

lats and your pulling muscles and your back  can take more they can for sure take more and  

they'll benefit from more but you also know that  your elbows are giving you some problems and you  

just you can't this motion it just if you could  somehow train your back and still but not really  

use your elbows that would be great well what can  you do that without you know a machine like yeah  

it's limited it's tough all right get a cable  machine and do lat prayers you can keep your  

elbows completely straight or just not involved  you don't have to bend and underload and your  

lats get torched up and all of a sudden they get  bigger they get stronger you get back into doing  

more pull-ups when your elbows heal and all of  a sudden you're like holy [ __ ] I'm the best  

I've ever been at this because I found a way  to specifically Target the lats and it's it's  

definitely good to do tons of pull-ups but maybe  as many pull-ups as you could do is limited by  

your elbow but your lats could still use the  work so you do as many pull-ups as you can in  

your training until your elbows feel a little  weird then you go over to the cable station and  

you do lat prayers until your lats feel a little  weird then you're done for the day or for the week  

or whatever and that gives each part of your  body more of what you need here's another one  

if you have uh Stronger biceps can you do more  pull-ups yeah hell yeah you can look how are  

you supposed to get your strongest biceps if all  you have is a pull-up bar what's to stop you from  

picking up a curl bar or U doing a curl machine  or a cable curl and hitting up just your biceps  

in a low fatigue State you get them shits bigger  and then all of a sudden all comes together and  

you're training every part of your body exactly  like you need that's really big advantage of  

machines it's like if B if a bodybuilder sort  of discovered this could they get big legs with  

squats yes but at some point squats are limited by  your lower back strength and your glutes and your  

recovery it's just your spin's doing this and  you're like ah [ __ ] is there a way for me to  

train my legs without using my back well the leg  press and you're like holy crap this is great that  

doesn't mean squats are bad so we say machines  are good that doesn't mean it stop free weights  

stop your calisthenics moves only machines no way  we want to do as much calisthenics as possible as  

much free weights if we have to train with weights  as possible because the transfer of training from  

free weights that you have to move with your own  body is better to calisthenics than as machines  

but if there's a good reason to use machines  specifically to isolate a particular muscle  

that could use more work in a way that doesn't  really make the rest of your body tired or leaves  

alone potentially slightly hurt parts of you then  that's the right answer and that's where machines  

are great and again the philosophy is I'll do  anything it takes to get better at calisthetics  

and if that means I have to go do machines and  that means my calisthetics buddies see me doing it  

and they laugh at me hey I'm laughing too I know  this looks lame fellas [ __ ] these machines am  

I right but then you finish your curls and then  the next competition or next time you're at the  

park together showing off you just dunk on all of  them and they're like oh [ __ ] what are you doing  

over there you taking steroids and you're like no  [ __ ] I'm in the gym godd damn it there's this  

place called gym where they have these things they  can stimulate your muscles they're called machines  

and weights you that's what we do here so that's  uh you know there's not a sport anymore there's  

no modern sport that doesn't utilize weight  rooms and machines can you imagine coming up  

to a hockey player or Aussie rules football player  and be like why are you in the weight room you're  

supposed to be playing Aussie Rules Football like  you're supposed to be on the pitch and he's like  

what are you stupid or something I'm in here to  my hamstring so they don't get hurt out on the  

field get out of here so with calisthenics athlete  the playground the calisthenics equipment that's  

your Arena of showing off and it's a great  place to train but there are other places to  

train supplementary training there's the weight  room Etc and uh you know that's where really  

good stuff happens a great example I can give  here for people to actually apply when they're  

doing the calisthenic stuff is with the strength  component of say trying to improve your way to  

pull up you're primarily going to improve that by  doing weighted pull-ups sweet if you're doing that  

with a strength rep dosage go for it do that  at the start of your session but then after  

you've done that just say okay I've got what  I needed out of this as according to my plan  

but I want to exhaust my back muscles what the  average calisthenics person would do would be to  

take the weight off maybe do some type of reduced  load drop set for moderate rep ranges so they can  

stimulate in a more efficient way for hypertrophy  but that's probably not the best approach because  

with a pullup you've got a lot of coordination  technique there's so much instability with the  

swinging if you just did a lat pull down so much  more Superior as an exercise to come afterwards  

cuz you've got the stability of the machine and  then it can actually exhaust the muscles properly  

as opposed to being tired from just trying to  coordinate your body with a pull-up so that's  

one example that the CIS people can take as  an upper body approach and from a longevity  

and injury prevention standpoint just say you  started noticing that you're having issues with  

your elbows like tendon related stuff and all  you ever do is compound movements you're doing  

tons of pull-ups tons of rows chances are there  might be some missing pieces in your elbow so like  

the muscle surrounding that maybe you never fully  exhaust your biceps maybe you never fully exhaust  

your triceps so adding in isolation towards the  middle to latter part of your session is going  

to fill in those gaps in your body and potentially  improve performance potentially improve longevity  

so there's there's value in using weights and  machines in particular um as your example there  

of being able to have stability to genuinely train  muscles to failure brilliantly put you know you  

want to make everything that you can as simple as  it as it can be but no simpler and I think some  

folks in calisthenics are stuck in the you I'm  just going to use body weight and it's almost like  

a religion it's like do you actually want to get  good at calisthetics or do you want to just only  

do it with using just the calisthenic implements  there's the same thing in weightlifting as the  

same thing in in in in uh powerlifting where  they're like yep just Train The Big Three squat  

bench and deadlift you're like why why that you  could get better doing supplementary things and  

no one's saying supplementary things are better  than the core stuff you do the core stuff as much  

as you can but there may be other smarter ways of  adding things in taking things out that on the net  

balance just make you better at stuff and is the  question at the end of the day is always the same  

do you want to get as good as you can and if you  have to get as good as you can you're going to do  

some stuff that is going to end up making you look  more like a bodybuilder you like if calisthetics  

athletes take their their [ __ ] seriously all  of a sudden they start following good nutritional  

principles and like you know your friends will  make fun of you CU they're like what are you  

doing like there's always that calisan guy that  eats like macas every day and he's got abs and and  

he's great and and all of a sudden you're like why  am I doing good nutrition because if that guy with  

his genetics did great nutrition he'd be going to  like World exhibitions on calisthetics but he's  

just really good locally because he doesn't want  to take that next step so it's all about deciding  

if you're a not if you're a serious athlete  or if you're just a recreational person but  

understanding there's a spectrum of how advanced  you want to make your training how intricate how  

intricate you want to make your diet and if you  are unsatisfied with being very recreational how  

can you formalize your training you first you do  free weights then later you do some machines then  

later you do Advanced periodization then later you  get you actually hire a coach to help you because  

you somebody like you coach in in calisthenics  how many people get coached in calisthenics most  

people at calisthenics is just I go in the  playground and do stuff with my friends I  

maybe watch a Hannibal For King YouTube video and  that's about I'm impressed Mike I like that that's  

great so right and like you know uh because you  that's the perfect example of like yeah well he  

just got that Jack being in playgrounds it's  like yeah but you don't look like that idiot  

and if you want to be as as jacked as hatable  for King you may have to do other things and  

who even knows maybe he goes to the wait  room in a spare time the camera's only on  

when he's in the playground who knows what he  does in his off hours right conspiracy black  

it's all if you enjoyed that click here  for the full fitness faq's video peace