cable over free weight movements

[RussAnderson]

rarely touch a dumbbell or barbell now in favour of a cable machine for constant tension on the muscle throughout the movement. Also the quick changeover is a big bonus esp for drop sets,i cant see any harm in this as im still getting results anyone feel the same way here?also seem to get a great pump doing cable shoulder press and inc cable press again speedy changeover is a huge advantage.

[XADO]

Pretty true....

If you still get some awesome gains (even a pound a week or a month :P) ....it's good and all....

Though the love i give some compound movements with the bar cannot be exchanged with the cables ....

It might be good, it might be not, see what suits you most....

About change-over, it' more important for pumps and pre-contest definition IMO, than for mass gaining ...

[Tyciol]

rarely touch a dumbbell or barbell now in favour of a cable machine for constant tension on the muscle throughout the movement.

You don't necessarily get that in all cable moves, nor do freeweight exercises lose tension. This depends completely on the angle of the movement compared to the angle of the resistance.

Also the quick changeover is a big bonus esp for drop sets

True that.

[tweedbrah]

Some people say resistance is resistance, other people say that free weight is superior because of balancing the weight (whatever the science on that is).

I'm somewhere in the middle, however I think cables or machines are optimal in any program, except for maybe Starting Strength where it's 3x barbell movements.

But I would have the cables after I have done perhaps 3 or 4 intense dumbbell exercises, when my co-ordination is beginning to flag but the muscles are still good to go, I doubt for most people it is efficient to start off with cable exercises but hey each to his own.

[Tyciol]

Some people say resistance is resistance, other people say that free weight is superior because of balancing the weight (whatever the science on that is).

Balancing the weight IS a factor... in pressing movements. Some people generalize and think that because balancing is an issue and skill peopel develope in pressing that it must apply to all freeweight movements, but it doesn't.

The thing about cable movements is they also require some degree of balance too, in pressing movements. Just slightly less because if you deviate from a straight line, the angle of the resistance isn't as dramatically messed up as gravity tends to make it, so it requires less work by stabilizers to correct it.

[tweedbrah]

Balancing the weight IS a factor... in pressing movements.

That's a good point, the whole dynamic of drawing weight towards the body, away from gravity, away from the artifical gravity provided by the cable, rather than pushing it away.

[Xuaxace]

Can someone enlighten me on tables and constant tension? Do free weights avoid the laws of gravity?

[kenethleclair]

sounds like ur onto a good thing....keep it strong n healthy

rarely touch a dumbbell or barbell now in favour of a cable machine for constant tension on the muscle throughout the movement. Also the quick changeover is a big bonus esp for drop sets,i cant see any harm in this as im still getting results anyone feel the same way here?also seem to get a great pump doing cable shoulder press and inc cable press again speedy changeover is a huge advantage.

[chinesemuscle]

Can someone enlighten me on tables and constant tension? Do free weights avoid the laws of gravity?

You didn't know????? Haha I think what he meant is that on machines you can focus more on negative and contracting your muscles throughout your movements because people tend to use momentum when it comes with free weights. Also most machines have safety feature built in so you don't kill yourself, which is also a plus if you're going to failure without spotters.