The lower back extension machine

The lower back extension machine is an effective gym device for the isolation of the muscles of the lower back.

The lower back muscles are too frequently ignored in a workout routine, and this can result in ill proportion, and even pain.

Many people experience intermittent or even chronic lower back pain. The most often prescribed treatment for these conditions are exercises that will strengthen the muscles of the lower back. Lower back strengthening will reduce the occurrence of back pain, and will decrease the suffering of chronic back pain patients.

The lower back extension machine is designed to safely and effectively isolate and target the muscles of the lower back, and will be a very beneficial station at any gym.

The exercise performed on the lower back extension machine can be quickly learned, and correct form is enforced by the structure of the machine. Novice users will quickly master the techniques needed, but the machine will remain challenging enough for even the most experienced weight trainer.

The machine is composed of heavy gauge steel and quality mechanisms, and is designed for years of durable use in a demanding professional gym environment.

Muscles worked by the lower back extension machine

The machine is designed to isolate the muscles of the lower back, and is a specific, not compound muscle movement. The key muscles worked are the muscles of the lower back, although the abdominal muscles will act as stabilizers during the movement, and will receive secondary benefit.

It is vital that weight trainers not neglect the muscles of the lower back. As they are not visible in a mirror, many people will tend to overlook them. Your lower back muscles are key torso muscles of your mid power section. Developing the lower back muscles will allow a weight trainer to perform with greater weights on a number of other compound exercises, such as the deadlift, and are vital for correct body proportion. Insufficient building of the lower back muscles is the number one preventable cause of very common lower back pain.

Appearance and dimensions of the lower back extension machine

The machine is comprised of heavy gauge steel tubing in white, and thick black padding. The user sits on the padded bench and places their feet on the metal non slip foot rest platform. The lifter leans forward, so that the padded movable bar is behind their mid back, and their buttocks are tight with the back of the bench at the rounded buttocks pad.

The weight stack is located to the right of the seated user, and the weights are adjustable through the use of an adjustable pinioning system. All cables and pulleys are safely hidden from view.

The machine is a professional caliber gym device, and is designed to meet the rigorous usage demands of a professional gym. All of the apparatus’ and mechanisms of the machine are durable and will be reliable for years of maintenance free usage.

The dimensions of the back extension machine are 110 cm x 120 cm x 170 cm, and the weight of the machine is 90 kg.

How to use the lower back extension machine

The lower back extension machine is very user friendly, and the technique can be quickly learned and mastered by even novice users.

The first step is to select and adjust the desired weight to be moved. Insert the steel pin into the slot below the desired number of weight plates to be lifted.

If needed, adjust the height of the foot platform, so that your feet are comfortably flat against the platform as you perform the exercise.

Sit on the bench, with the back of your buttocks securely against the rounded upper buttock pad at the back of the bench, and lean forward so that you mid back is positioned in front of the movable lifting apparatus. Place your feet comfortably at shoulder width apart on the non slip foot platform.

Clench the muscles of your lower back and abdominals, and lean your back backwards, as far as you can comfortably go. Exhale as you push the weight backwards. At the end of the range of motion, pause for a count of two, and make a concerted clench of the lower back muscles. Inhale as you smoothly lean forward to the starting position again. At the starting position, do not allow the weights to rest on the weight stack, as this will remove the weight off of the lower back, and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. Additionally, do not swing or jerk in either direction. This will also take the strain off of the lower back, and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.

You should keep your back straight and erect throughout the range of motion, and avoid unnecessary upper or lower body movements. Any extraneous movement will reduce the isolation on the lower back, and lessen the benefit of the exercise. If you cannot complete the exercise motionless, you should consider reducing the amount of weight. Proper form moving less weight will always produce greater results than heavier weight moved incorrectly.

For best results, you should select an amount of weight that brings you close to muscle failure by the end of a set of repetitions; and for best results, you should perform three sets of repetitions, with a break between each set.

Incorrect form can lead to injury

This machine is very safe, and can be used without the need for a spotter or assistant. The lower back extension machine enforces proper form, and thereby also reduces the risk of injury.

As with any strenuous exercise, you should ensure that you take the time to warm up well and stretch before using the machine. If you approach the muscle movement “cold” you could strain or even tear a muscle in the lower back. A lower back strain or tear will be very painful, and will severely reduce your mobility; and thus it should be avoided by a thorough warm up session. Many experienced trainers will warm up by doing an initial set on the machine with a very light weight, before moving onto heavier weights.

If you experience pain while doing this exercise you should immediately desist, and find a different way to strengthen the muscles of the lower back.

Variable techniques for the lower back extension machine

The lower back extension machine is designed specifically for the isolation and development of the muscles of the lower back. The machine enforces good form during the back extension, and gets good results because of this. There are no variations in the exercise possible.

Most people will vary the exercise through the use of different weights, depending on the results sought. If you are looking to develop size and strength, you should use heavier weights and fewer repetitions per set. If you are looking to tone and shape, you should perform more repetitions with less weight.

You can vary the routine, by quickly alternating between an exercise that focuses on the lower back, with an exercise that focuses on the abdominal muscles, like the abdominal crunch. This technique raises the aerobic benefit of a work out, as well as allows for a more efficient work out in a limited time frame.

The lower back extension machine performs an excellent platform for an exercise that isolates and strengthens the lower back. The lower back is too often overlooked in a gym routine, and any comprehensive gym needs to have an effective machine for the promotion and development of the muscles of the lower back.

Developing the lower back muscles will alleviate a lot of commonly experienced back pain, and many people will be sent to a gym specifically to train these lower back muscles.

The machine is designed for professional use, and will offer years of reliable and maintenance free usage. The lower back extension machine is user friendly, and easy enough for novices to quickly master, but remains challenging enough for the most experienced weight trainer at any gym.

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The adductor machine

This adductor machine is a machine that isolates the strain of a muscle movement onto the inner thighs or adductor muscles. The adductors can be very difficult to isolate, and most leg exercises will be compound leg muscle exercises, with varying degrees of benefit to the adductors.

To really benefit and tone the muscles of the upper thigh, you need a way to isolate and specifically strain these muscles, and the adductor machine is a very effective way to do this.

Many weight trainers will be very concerned with achieving tight and toned upper thighs, and for this reason the adductor machine is always a very popular station, and a must for any comprehensive gym.

The exercise on the adductor machine is not technically difficult, and can be performed correctly by even novice users. The adductor machine has a range of possible weights that makes it easy enough for beginners, and challenging enough for the most serious of body builders.

The adductor machine is designed for professional usage, and is composed of heavy gauge steel, and quality mechanisms. It will perform well in a professional gym, offering years of maintenance free, reliable and effective service

Muscles worked by the adductor machine

The adductor machine is a machine that isolates the strain of an exercise onto the adductor muscles of the upper things. In this exercise, the abdominals and lower back muscles act as stabilizers, and will also benefit.

Stereotypically popular with women trainers concerned with shapely and tight upper thighs, the adductor machine is also widely used by serious body builders, who strive to build the size and shape of their inner thighs.

Building the strength of the inner thighs with the use of the adductor machine will also help power trainers perform with more weight on other compound exercises, such as the leg squat, or deadlift.

The adductor exercise is truly beneficial for all weight trainers at a professional gym.

Dimensions and appearance of the leg adductor machine

The leg adductor machine is composed of heavy gauge steel tubing in white, with a thick black padded seat and back support. The exercise is performed with two laterally moving bars located in front of the seated user. Each bar has a padded knee rest position, and the user will place the inside of the knees against the outside of the knee rests, as they power the movable bars towards the middle. There are steel foot pegs for resting the feet on the movable bars during the exercise

The weight stack is located to the right of the seated user, and the weight is adjustable through the use of a movable steel pinning system.

All cables and pulleys are hidden safely from view. This machine is designed with the strength and durability required by a professional gym in mind.

The dimensions of the machine are 110 cm x 120 cm x 170 cm, and the weight of the unit is 80 kg.

How to use the adductor machine

Firstly, select the quantity of weight to be lifted by moving the steel pin into the correct weight slot below the desired weight plate.

Seat yourself comfortably on the bench, with your back pressed against the back of the slightly reclined back bench. Place you feet on the outside of each movable metal leg bar, and secure the inside of your knees against the outsides of the knee pads. Grip the hand bars for support, and with a concerted clench of the inner thigh, power the leg bars towards the center, until your knees are nearly touching in front of your body. You should exhale as you bring your legs together.

Inhale as you smoothly and slowly open your thighs, and extend the range of motion as far as is comfortable. Do not let the weight plates rest on the supports at the end of the range of motion, as this will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. Keep the strain on the inner thighs, and immediately begin another repetition.

You should not bend forward as you complete this exercise. A good way to ensure that you maintain correct form as you perform the exercise, is to make a concentrated effort to tighten both your abs and lower back, and keep your back relaxed, but firmly against the reclined back pad.

You never swing or bounce the weight, as this also reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. If you notice that you are swinging the weight, make an effort to slow the motion down, until it is under control again. Keeping the motion slow will increase the benefit on the targeted muscles.

If you notice that you need to raise your lower back or hips to perform the exercise as you tire, you should consider reducing the amount of weight. Less weight used on an exercise executed with good form, will always result in greater muscle development than more weight and incorrect form.

Incorrect form can lead to injury

The adductor machine is very safe, and can be used safely without the need for a spotter or other assistant.

You should always endeavor to warm up completely before trying to move heavy weights. You should stretch thoroughly, and it can be helpful to perform a warm up exercise using the adductor machine, but with a greatly reduced weight.

Approaching this exercise with “cold” muscles, could result in an inner leg strain, or even muscle tear.

Straining the muscle of the inner thigh will be painful, and hamper your mobility, so you should ensure that you reduce the likelihood of any injury by warming up properly.

The adductor exercise is a lateral hip movement, and if you experience any pain in the hip joint, you should not continue with the exercise.

Keeping proper form, with an erect posture and a tightened mid section will both increase the benefits of the exercise, and as well reduce the likelihood of injury.

Variable techniques for the adductor machine

The adductor machine is inner thighs specific, and most of the variability will have more to do with altered weight, than with altered technique.

One common variable technique is to lift the feet off of the feet platforms as you perform the adductor exercise. This will intensify the difficulty of the exercise, and increase the strain on the lower back and abdominals. If you perform this variation, you will likely need to reduce the amount of weight moved, in comparison with the standard adductor technique.

As with any muscle building exercises, if your goal is to build muscle size and strength, you should perform fewer repetitions with more weight, and if your goal is to shape and tone your thighs, then you should perform more repetitions with less weight.

You should choose a quantity of weight that will stress the adductor muscle almost to failure, over the course of the desired number of repetition.

For best results, perform three sets of repetitions.

Why you should consider the adductor machine

The inner thighs are not easy to effectively isolate, and the adductor machine is one of the few machines that does isolate this muscle well.

Building or toning the muscles of the inner thigh will be a common goal for many gym users, and so any comprehensive gym should provide a machine that effectively isolates these muscles.

The adductor machine is easy to use, and can be correctly used by beginner trainers; and the machine can be set with enough weight to make it challenging enough for the most experienced body or power builder.

The adductor machine is designed for professional usage, and offers durability, and many years of low maintenance usage.

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The deadlift platform

If the squat is the king of muscle building, the deadlift has got to be a close second. The deadlift is one of the best whole body explosive power exercises out there. The back is the particularly targeted muscle group, and the lower mid and upper back will all lift the weight as you heave it up to a standing position; but in addition to the back muscles, the deadlift also maxes out the abs, hamstrings and glutes, as you stabilize all this weight with these muscles.

This is considered a power lifting exercise, but it is actually a versatile and effective exercise and should be considered by anyone who wants to develop deep musculature and power with only a few repetitions.

Technique is very important for this exercise, and to perform it correctly, and to maximum efficiency, you will need to lift off of a deadlift platform. Without a deadlift platform, the weights will prop the bar up too high, and you will not get the true full range of motion that you should.

While this exercise was once considered to be only the domain of the power lifter, it has recently become a very popular exercise, and no comprehensive gym can afford to be without a deadlift platform.

Muscles worked during a deadlift

The dead lift is a whole body muscle building exercise. The low, middle and upper back musculature are all worked on the pull upwards, and these are considered to be the targeted muscles. The thighs, hips, buttocks, lats, traps and forearms, are all considered to be secondary muscles that also benefit during the performance of the deadlift.

The deadlift is also considered to be one of the most functional muscle building exercises, as it mimics a muscle movement commonly used in real life. You will often need to lift something from the floor, and this is the range of motion lift that is mimicked by the deadlift.

Appearance and dimensions of the deadlift platform

The deadlift platform consists of a raised platform with a non slip grip and adjustable rails on either side of the platform that can serve as weight rests. These weight rails can alter the range of motion during the exercise. A true deadlift will not use any of the rails, and will have the weight on the floor up to the level of the platform supported by the weight plates.

The dimensions of the deadlift platform are 120 cm x 120 cm x 100 cm. This piece of gym equipment is not large, but is vital for those who wish to correctly train with the deadlift. This is a very simple piece of equipment, but is made of very heavy gauge steel for maximum strength and durability. The deadlift platform will last a lifetime.

How to use the deadlift platform to perform a deadlift

There are two primary types of deadlift; the conventional deadlift, and the sumo deadlift. The difference between the two is the distance between the legs. The conventional deadlift has the legs spread at shoulder width, while the sumo deadlift has the legs spread wider than shoulder width. The technique used for the two deadlifts is the same.

You can use the variable rail settings on the deadlift platform to vary the difficulty of the exercise. The higher the rails are set, the less the range of motion, and the easier the deadlift is to perform.

The ideal deadlift is performed with the bar at just inches above the deadlift platform. This gives the maximum range of motion for the exercise, and will give the greatest benefit.

Bend your knees, and bring yourself down to the level of the bar. Grab the bar with any grip that you feel comfortable with. Many people like an alternating grip with each hand facing a different way. It doesn’t matter too much, as your hands and arms are only used to carry the weight, and will not be doing any of the lifting. Pro’s say to consider that your hands are just like hooks at the end of a chain, and keeping this in mind as you perform the exercise help to keep proper form.

Concentrate on keeping your back straight, and keep your eyes focused on the wall in front of you (this will help you to maintain a good straight back). Lift the weight with a driving upwards motion. The beginning of the lift will be using your legs to power the weight up, and you can help keep the focus on your legs by concentrating on driving the power up through the heels of your feet.

Get the barbell to a point just above your knee, and then use your back muscles to pull yourself up into an erect position. Exhale as you perform the upwards lift and inhale as you go down again, keeping the same form and muscle emphasis in reverse.

Incorrect form can lead to injury

The deadlift is one of the best lower body and back power and muscle building exercises; but if you have a history of back problems, or an injured back, then you should approach the deadlift with caution, and make sure you don’t attempt too heavy a weight.

It is vital that you are well warmed up and limber prior to attempting a deadlift. You can easily strain or tear a muscle if you attempt this strenuous exercise while not yet limber and warm.

Most injuries from the deadlift occur as a result of a rounded back. If you round your back as you begin the deadlift, all of the weight and strain is on the lower back. The tendons, ligaments and vertebrae of the lower back, will bear the brunt of the weight. It is a sure way to injure yourself, as your back is not designed to carry weight like this. Keep your back straight, and drive with your legs to get the weight off the floor to avoid injury.

Variable techniques for the deadlift

The two most common variable techniques for the deadlift involve the positioning of the legs. There is the conventional style, which has the legs at shoulder width apart, and the sumo style, which spreads the legs out wider. These are both effective, and you should do which ever type is more comfortable for your body type.

The exercise can be varied by using the rails on the sides of the deadlift platform to alter the height of the barbell; the higher the rails, the less the range of motion, and the easier the exercise.

There is also something called a stiff legged deadlift. In this exercise, your legs remain almost entirely straight as you perform the deadlift. There is much more bend, and a much greater work out on the hamstrings and glutes. Again, it is very important to keep your back straight and your head up, to avoid injury. The stiff legged deadlift should not be attempted with very heavy weights, and you should not go all the way to failure with this variant of the exercise.

You can further vary the exercise by performing the deadlift with a pair of dumbbells instead of the traditional barbell.

Why you should consider a deadlift platform

The deadlift platform allows for maximum effectiveness of one of the most efficient muscle building exercises possible. The deadlift used to be popular only amongst power lifters, but today is recognized by most weight lifters as an essential part of a training program.

The dead lift platform is an inexpensive and simple piece of equipment, but is essential for correct dead lifting. Most serious lifters will not consider a gym unless it boasts a good power lifting platform.

Gym Equipment

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