7 terrible gym machines ruining your workout

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Here’s what we have today:

• The 7 gym machines that are hurting your training

• 8 bench press variations to check out

• Finding your ideal body fat percentage for muscle growth

Training Tips

Rage Against These Machines

The gym is a wonderland of muscle-building toys and gadgets designed to help all the good little boys and girls of the world get swole. However, hidden among the many treasures are also giant heaps of trash.

The seven gym machines we detail below should be avoided in your epic journey toward a better workout.

Most of these machines force your body into a restricted range of motion that is not suitable for human consumption. You may notice a few old favorites hidden in the pile, and you’ll need to remember the old saying: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It’s just better not to rely on garbage too often.

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Exercise Selection

By Varying Degrees

The right to bench press was originally going to be the 11th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but somebody decided the elastic clause covered things well enough and omitted it from the final draft.

Before you vote, exercise your right to engage in the ultimate American exercise by using these eight sweet bench press variations during your pre-election chest day workout.

If you’ve never branched out from your favorite grip or barbell, you will be pleased to discover there is a wide new world of bench pressing still available to you. Mixing up tempos will unlock even more doors in the House That Bench Built. Your bench press freedoms have never been more important; go out and horizontal press the hell out of the country.

Hypertrophy

Fat-to-Muscle Calibration

There are two extreme mindsets when it comes to bulking: be like the venerable sumo wrestlers in Japan and try to take up as much mass as possible, or be like fitness influencers and try to keep your spicy abs while doing a bulk.

Both may have value, but Dr. Mike Israetel thinks there might be an optimal sweet spot for your body fat percentage to sit at if you are in a muscular bulking phase.

While the optimal range is typically a pretty broad 10%-25%, Dr. Israetel thinks there are some specific benefits, both physical and psychological, to staying on the leaner side of that spectrum (sumo competition notwithstanding). So, do you need to get in shape before you go on your planned winter bulk? Find out before you waste a gaining season.

Everything Else

Crush Some Skulls

• The skull crusher isn’t just something Conan does in his free time; it’s a classic triceps builder that can be performed with whatever bar or equipment you have handy.

• Reports of Chris Bumstead’s retirement seem to have been exaggerated. The best to ever compete in Classic Physique is taking aim at a new division.

• Pre-workouts can do a lot of things. For focus and mental acuity, these are the best offerings on the market.