The Forgotten Cable Machine
By John Piper
As the weeks pass, we edge ourselves closer to what we once knew as typical day to day living.
COVID restrictions are being eased every week; before we know it, gyms will be back to full capacity, and life will seem so much more normal once more. All of these recent steps towards a more familiar lifestyle got me thinking about the last time I stepped inside a gym. What was the layout? Where was each piece of equipment located? What equipment was being used, and, what equipment was not being used?
All the cardio equipment is usually grouped together, all the strength equipment arranged together; there are multiples of every piece of everything you could think of, yet over by itself stands one Cable Machine. Think about it, and I bet you'll know what I am talking about. It makes me wonder, why only one cable machine? The simple answer most would reply with? "We only need one."
Well, this only made me delve deeper into the issue, why do gyms feel they only need one? Of course, that very question provoked me to start my research into the benefits of cable machines, so see just how beneficial they are in achieving our fitness goals. Here's what I learned:
• Benefit 1 – Cable machines allow your body to mimic natural movements you implement on a regular day-to-day basis such as bending, twisting, lifting, pushing, and pulling. Purposefully performing these movements will not only improve your fitness but improve your movement efficiency to help prevent injury throughout life.
• Benefit 2 - Cable machines allow the freedom to isolate one muscle group at a time, giving a more focused workout each specific area of your body.
• Benefit 3 - Cable machines offer constant tension, not only when lifting but also lowering the weight, which helps increase muscle growth and strength. Using a Cable machine will fatigue your muscles faster, granting more significant strength gains.
• Benefit 4 – Cable machines offer the ability to go from doing bicep curls to tricep extensions to lat pulldowns without resting in between making a Cable Machine useful and time-efficient.
Having researched and listed just a few of the many benefits cable machines have to offer, I know which piece of gym equipment I'll be heading to once I walk through the door!
To finish let me provide you with a quick link to my Cable Machine wish list (Yes that's right I'd be happy to have one if not all of these in my own personal gym).
