The one thing I have noticed is that about 80-90 percent of the time I go to use a weight machine its adjustments are all out of whack. The seat will be set for someone seven feet tall while the arms and legs will be set at a position closer to someone around the height of five feet. Working at a fitness facility, I have seen people use machines in some pretty strange ways, which brings me to my point. People seem to think that just because they are doing an exercise on a machine that they are less likely to injure themselves compared to free weights. The truth is that if the machine isn’t properly adjusted to your body type, you run just as high a risk, if not higher, of injury.

When you are using a machine that isn’t adjusted properly to your body type, you put your body in a compromising position. When your body is in an unnatural position, it instinctively want to compensates for this. When it does this, it puts excessive pressure on the compensating muscles and joints which will results in pain, discomfort, and injury. If you can’t feel the muscle the machine was intended for working, or you feel it in an awkward spot, then you are most likely doing something wrong.

Now I would like to tell you that if you are unsure of how to use a machine properly to watch someone else use it, but you will most likely watch them do it improperly as well. Most machines have a description and adjustment chart on them, but I found that those aren’t always good to go by either. The best way to ensure you are using a machine right is to ask an employee at your fitness facility for help. Hopefully they are knowledgeable enough to answer your questions correctly.

If all else fails, use the following as a guide to help you out. When you are setting the machine up for your body type, try to line your joints up with the corresponding pivot point on the machine. As an example, if you are performing a leg extension or leg curl, your knee should be in line with the pivot point on the machine. While you are performing the exercise, do it in a slow and controlled motion while avoiding locking out any of your joints.

-Scott