Build Muscle With Shawn Lebrun Muscle Building Blog

What are variable resistance machines and are they any good when it comes to building muscle mass? Think Nautilus® or Bowflex®. Both are variable resistance machines that provide an alternative to free weight training.

They will help you build muscle mass, but probably not as good as free weights like dumbbells and barbells. That’s because free weights offer more overload to the muscles. And more overload means more muscle stimulation, which means you’ll build more muscle.

You see, when you use a machine, a lot of the work is done for you. The machine balances the weight for you, so all you have to do is lift it. But with free weights, you have to do more of the work. You do all the balancing AND lifting, so they overload the muscles more and will help you build muscle mass faster.

Now, machines do have some benefits when it comes to weight training and building muscle mass.

The primary advantage is the constant resistance in the range of movement for the muscle group you are training. Another huge advantage over traditional weight training is that by working with constant resistance, you make the joints and ligaments stronger and you do it much faster than the traditional method.

This type of training also lets you deliver exactly the amount of exercise you desire to whatever specific muscle group you are working. There is the benefit of working that resistance through a greater range of movement as you can reduce your training time.

Variable resistance can be added to your weight training routines to gain muscle mass.  Stick with the basic, proven free weight exercises like squats, bench press, deadlifts, and others like them. Then use some of the variable resistance machines towards the end of your workouts.

After all, there will be times, in a busy gym, where all you have available is machines. So instead of just waiting around for the free weights to become available, use a machine.

Believe me, resistance is resistance and you’ll still build muscle when using machines.

Portability can be another advantage. These pieces of equipment tend to take up less space and many can be easily broken down in just one or two steps for storage convenience when not in use.

So if you’re going to make your own home gym, you could use a combination of free weights like barbells and dumbells, as well as some machines.

As far as which is better, free weights or variable resistance, it all depends on what your personal preferences might be. If you have established your budget and your goals, throwing variable resistance machines into the mix might be an option.

Regardless of which options you choose, let me remind you to shop around before spending too much money. There’s a good chance you can find used equipment that is just right for your purposes.

But if you want a good, old fashioned gym you can use at home to build muscle, go down to your local store and get a barbell, some dumbells, a utility bench, and enough free weights where you’ll have some difficulty using them all.

Total cost will only run you a couple hundred bucks, which is a lot less than what most machines cost.

No matter which you use to work out and build muscle, just take action and do something.

If you need a plan to get you going, check out my Simple Steps To Get Huge And Shredded program…

http://www.shawnlebrunfitness.com/shred2.html

It shows you everything you need to know in order to build the most muscle possible in the least amount of time. I reveal which exercises are best for building muscle, how many reps and sets to do, how to eat to gain muscle and lose fat, and more.

For more information on this proven muscle building program, check out Simple Steps To Get Huge And Shredded here…

http://www.shawnlebrunfitness.com/shred2.html