Which weight machines suck the least?

[Nymeria]

I normally get my strength training through rock climbing, bodyweight stuff, and DB stuff. Right now, though, for medical reasons I'm not permitted to do any strength training that involves the knees. I'm not even allowed to carry DBs or weight plates. My physical therapist is totally cool with any upper body and core work, providing that my legs don't do anything at all.

Do any of you have any advice for programming with this restriction? I can do most seated weight machines, but I'm not sure which ones restrict normal movements or isolate muscles too much to actually be useful, and which ones are better with that.

For core, I've just been sticking with hollow holds and boat pose. Do any of you have any other suggestions for core exercises that don't really use the legs?

[smftexas86]

could you do seated dumb bell exercises?

[Nymeria]

I can do seated DB stuff when I have my husband there to fetch the weights for me. But I mostly need programming for times when I'm at the gym by myself.

[Knightwatch]

Cable-based stuff tends to be a little better.  Pulldowns, rows, cable curls and tricep work, that work is thing tends to be a bit better than their "universal" style machine equivalents.

 

Even band stuff is doable, for presses and the like by pinning it under the bench you're sitting on.  Not perfect, but it's certainly possible to work this sort of stuff in.

 

Good luck!

[lebe frei]

Agreed on cables. My wife was too afraid to use weights for a while and wanted to use the machines; finally, when I convinced her to switch over, she had to go down 20+ lbs in EVERYTHING she was doing.

 

The reason for this is that machines use a very fixed motion, which ignores all the other tiny little angles and balancers involved in your musculature. So when you push up a barbell you actually have to balance it, but if you're on a press machine it just glides forward easily.

 

Cables help avoid that problem, because you pull it out and it doesn't just head in a fixed direction. You still have to stabilize them.

 

For a core exercise you can do a pallof press while seated.

This video shows how the exercise is done, and then just take that and sit. Once you're allowed to use your legs some I would suggest switching your fixed seat to an exercise ball so that more stabilizers are engaged. Then stand when you can.

[Nymeria]

Conveniently, my gym has a lot of seated cable machines, so I've been able to work vertical and horizontal push and pull motions. It's kind of nice to be forced to use weights a bit, since it's helping me realize just how much the rock climbing has caused imbalances in my push vs pull strength.

For core, I've just been doing hollow body holds and one legged planks. I have no idea how long my legs will be unavailable. Rehab from knee reconstruction is incredibly slow.