Training Advice please

[Robola]

Indeed. I'd like those who preach the superiority of free and body weights to show me an exercise that will work the calf muscles harder than a calf raise machine; or an exercise that works the quads harder than a leg extension machine. And so on......

Then there is the safety factor. Those who don't have the assistance of spotters never push themselves hard enough with free weights in some exercises. Look at the bench press. People stop far short of fatigue in that exercise because they don't want a big weight stuck on their chests. No such problem with a good quality bench press machine.

My two-penneth worth.

Agree that the calf raise machine is excellent for a straight leg calf raise.

Completely disagree on the safety of free weights. You can very safely push yourself (without a spotter) with free weights if you use correct technique and the intended safety equipment - mainly a power cage. If you are unsure what this is or how to use it then ask an instructor to show you, or take a look at stronglifts.com.

In my opinion the leg extension machine should be avoided or used with extreme caution. There are a number of problems with it; any machine with a hinge is unlikely to line up precisely with your own joints (think of the implications of that when using heavy loads to the point of failure), even when perfectly aligned it places shear forces on the knee joint, it is an isolation exercise (generally not brilliant for functional strength and can create muscle imbalances) and can put the back into an unnatural position.

If you follow a proper strength training routine built around the free weight squat I can guarantee you won't be worrying about not pushing yourself to failure on isolation exercises!