Lean-Body Fitness Secrets e-Zine: Bogus Exercise Machines, Fat Loss Recipe
As a professional fitness trainer, I come across a lot of people that ask for my advice on the best way to train certain body parts. Whenever someone asks me the best exercises to do for their legs, I will obviously start to mention all of the various versions of squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. that they can use to build legs of steel that are both strong and functional.
Many times they respond by saying something like "Oh, those are too hard. I use the leg press, leg extension, and leg curl machines, because I think they are safer".
Safer! HELL NO!
Now if you've been a subscriber of mine for some time, you know that not only do I think machines in general are a total waste of time, but they also can lead you on the path to injury...they are basically a disaster waiting to happen in my book.
To prove my point, I've decided I'm going to start periodically sending out emails as to why each individual machine is both ineffective and an injury waiting to happen.
To start today, I wanted to look at the leg press. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I found this great excerpt on the leg press in Beyond Bodybuilding by Pavel:
"Q: What is wrong with the leg press machine?
A: Where do I start? The leg press puts you in an unnatural position where your knees extend but your hips do not (your legs do line up with your body). In a study by Canadian researcher Digby Sale, strength gains on the leg press had no meaningful carryover to the squat, read a functional movement.
The sled can be dangerous, especially if you bring your knees too close towards your chest as is typical among muscleheads. Your tail comes off the pad and your rounded lower back has to bear the brunt of the unrealistic poundage. This type of flexion is the number one cause of disc herniations.
Last but not least, the sled and most other machines do not challenge your stabilizing muscles. With very few exceptions, exercise machines belong on the junk pile of history next to Communism."
As always, Pavel tells it like it is. Beyond Bodybuilding has a ton more tips like this in it's 318 pages of solid gold. He knows what he's talking about too...the former Soviet is currently an expert consultant to the US Marine Corps, the US Secret Service, and federal nuclear security teams.
So please, do yourself a favor and stay away from the leg press machine. Squats, deads, and other full body movements will do your body a world of good when done correctly, stripping off fat and carving out a rock solid physique!
All of these fat stripping exercises, plugged into my sure fire training & nutrition system for reducing body fat, are featured in my internationally popular book, The Truth about Six Pack Abs . If you haven't picked up a copy yet, get started today on the body that you've always wanted!
Alright, I know I've been slacking lately on giving you more of my secret lean-body recipes, so here's a quick meal idea that I've been using for my delicious lunches this week:
- Turkey sandwich on whole sprouted grain bread with 1/2 of a sliced avocado, red leaf lettuce, thin slice of muenster cheese, and a touch of wasabi mayonaise
- A small bowl of butternut squash soup with nutmeg
- one ripe kiwi
- a small square of extra dark (74%) chocolate for dessert
See, once again I smash the idea that healthy eating has to be boring! This meal is loaded with so many vitamins, minerals, quality protein, low GI carbs, healthy fats, and antioxidants, your body will be getting healthier by the minute.
I'll be in touch soon with more valuable training tips and more of my secret hard-body recipes. I'm out.
Stay lean,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
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