4 Underrated Gym Machines You Should Definitely Be Using

Ditch the free weights to target your muscles even more

August 10, 2017

It's a free-weight, functional-training world these days, but that doesn't mean you should neglect all those machines in the corner of your local gym.

The fitness world is increasingly focused on barbells and kettlebells, but machines can still find a place in your regular workout. As trainer Sean Garner explains, machines offer a perfect way to train safely if you're dealing with an injury, and veteran gym-goers can get a lot of mileage out of machine training, too, isolating and focusing in on certain muscles.

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The key to using machines is to maintain a tight body position and a tight core, even though you're often sitting down. It's easy to slouch on a seated machine, just like you might slouch in a chair, but you should work to keep your core tight and maintain good posture, keeping your shoulder blades tight.

In the video above, Garner demonstrates a full-body circuit with the seated chest press, seated chest row, lying hamstring curl, and leg press. Give them a try during your next workout.

(And you don't have time to hit the gym, you can do workouts from Metashred Extreme by Men's Health right in your own home.)