Ideal Muscle Building Routine on Machines Only?

by Steven
(UK England)

Hi, I don't have access to free weights at the moment only machines at my gym. Can anyone suggest a good routine for building muscle using machines only? I have been training circa 12 months.

Cheers guys

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by: Lee

Hi Steven,

Some might argue you need free weights to build muscle most effectively. Are they right? Not at all, as you can get a fantastic workout using exercise machines and build all the muscle you could possibly desire.

So which exercises should you choose?

A routine tailored for exercise machines could include the leg press machine for thighs and hips; the lat pull-down machine for back and biceps; and the bench press machine for shoulders and chest. These three compound movements combined will target all the major muscle groups and build functional, genuine strength.

If your recovery abilities are good, you can perform all three exercises together in the same workout. Such an ultra abbreviated full-body routine not only strengthens and builds your body efficiently, but allows plenty of recovery time between sessions.

Train each exercise for one set to failure for 5-10 reps, and watch your poundage increases closely. Why is this important? If you are unable to consistently add more weight to your exercises each workout you will need to consider adding more rest days between your visits to the gym.

Good luck, Steven. We look forward to hearing how you get on.

Lee

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