Machines Suck!! AMP It Up!

At Active Movement and Performance, the ability to move freely is key.  We are all about developing correct movement patterns and re-teaching your body its natural mechanics.  We use tools like the ViPR, TRX, kettlebell, and the Cross-Core along with body-weight exercises to develop a well rounded workout that focuses on movement and gets you to increase your performance.  The better and more efficient your body moves, the better you feel and the better you'll perform.

With that said, we have no machines.  Nothing is in a fixed point.  Being tied down to a machine hinders our ability to move properly through space.  Want proof?  The constant use of machines can affect strength and balance as this study shows.  In this study, results show balance and strength are severely decreased when using a fixed machine as opposed to a free form exercise.  Why hinder your strength gains by going from machine to machine when you can work in three planes of motion all the time.

More Movement = More Calories Burned!

Why sit at a machine when you can teach your body to move properly.  Not only do fixed machines force you into a sitting position(AGAIN), they do not take into account your bodies natural range of motion.  No one person is made the same way, and many people lack the range of motion for such machines.  Take the shoulder press machine at your local gym.  Fixed range of motion, and if you are like most of the public, you sit all day, hunched at a computer, decreasing your shoulders ability to go overhead.  Then you hit this machine, that you clearly have no business being on, and all of the sudden you kill your shoulder.

Inefficient!!

Back to that sitting thing.  Why would you go to work all day, SIT at a desk, only to get into your car, SIT at the wheel and SIT in traffic, to drive to the gym where you SIT at a stationary bike, or SIT and go from machine to machine. 

In a previous post, we highlighted a study that showed that sitting for long periods of time leads to an increase in health risks.  It actually became a top story on Yahoo! and Good Morning America(Stand Up!) at one point.  You have the ability to limit how much you sit.  The gym is the one place you can avoid sitting if you just focus on movement.  Or better yet, since summer is here, just go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Isn't it a strange concept to drive to the gym, walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike, and then just leave. 

Guess what? 

You could walk outside( talk about a daily dose of Vitamin D) or ride a bike outside.  There are plenty of parks especially in the Massapequa area.  Hit up the Preserve!!

Better yet, come to Active Movement and Performance, test out our new program called "Strengthio" to maximize your training efforts.  We don't do cardio, we just lift weights faster. 
We'll also combine mobility, strength training, conditioning, and flexibility into a structured fun, yet challenging training session.