A common topic in strength training circles that always leads to the same answer.
We all know free weights are better, right? You get more muscle recruitment, more stabilizer muscles working and you end up stronger.
Well…maybe not. It turns out that, beyond specificity (those who use free weights get more gains when testing with free weights, those who use machines get more gains when testing with machines) the actual strength gain differences are essentially nothing. While there may be different benefits between each, the pure strength gains are basically the same.
Your best bet? Either do what you prefer or mix it up to get some of the side benefits of each.
Marathon recovery: Some of you are probably recovering from a marathon right now so this seems like good timing. What can some recent science tell us about marathon recovery? Well, it’s complicated. That’s basically it. There’s a lot going on during recovery and targeting any one thing may or may not help.
How much benefit do you get from short runs? When it comes to performance, the answer is probably “it depends”. When it comes to health benefits? Well, a little can go a long way. More is almost certainly better but it doesn’t take much to get a significant amount of benefit.
Pain and performance: How much does pain play into performance? Probably a lot, right? I mean, if you’re hurting, you’re probably going to slow down, whether you make a conscious decision to or not. Well, maybe not. Some interesting research shows that maybe pain isn’t quite the trigger we would think it is.