How To Stay Consistent With Your Exercise sejal ghanate the lazy gal

How Gyms With Old Equipment Can Ruin Your Gains!

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It’s not snobby to avoid joining a gym because it’s old and full of old equipment. From a financial perspective, it makes total sense to spend money on a gym membership for a relatively new gym. If your money gets poured into a gym with decades-old gear, then it’s a bit of a waste. 

That’s not even the main issue with old equipment in gyms – did you know it could ruin your fitness gains?! This isn’t a superstition or a myth; there’s genuine truth behind it, and you’ll see how in just a moment. 

Old Equipment Loses Its Tension

Have you been using equipment at the gym and wondering why it’s not generating results? It could be because the equipment is incredibly old, which means it’s lost a lot of its tension. You see, gym machines tend to use some sort of tension system. Weights are attached to wires or flat bands with tension between them. As the machine gets older, the wires lose their tension, so they don’t work as they should. 

This means the exercises tend to feel a lot easier. You still lift the weight, but the lack of tension means you don’t feel it as much. This happens with cable machines all the time, which is why some machines feel so much heavier or harder than others. If your gym is full of old equipment, it can slow your gains as your muscles simply aren’t being challenged as much as they should be! 

Old Equipment Can Cause Injuries

Old equipment can be highly dangerous. It’s potentially one rep away from breaking and causing a serious injury. This applies to machines as well as equipment like squat racks and benches. You could be minding your own business when BAM. Something breaks, a weight falls on you, and you’re pretty badly injured. 

An accident like this can put you out of action for weeks, maybe months. Yes, accidents can happen in new gyms, but the chances increase in an old one – especially if you see loads of machines with “out of order” signs. It makes you wonder if the machine you’re using could be next! Getting injured in the gym is serious beyond your fitness goals, too. You could be entitled to compensation from the gym, so be sure you know your rights by speaking to an injury law firm or checking out their blog content. If you’re going to be away from the gym, you should at least get some compensation for the injury! 

Old Equipment Is Poorly Designed

Gym equipment from 10 or 15 years ago can so easily be badly designed. Mainly, the machines are not designed in the most ergonomic or anatomically beneficial fashion. Leg curl and chest press machines are prime examples of this. Many of the older versions don’t give you a good stretch of your muscles. 

Why is this bad? Because muscles need to be moved through their full range of motion. Getting a good stretch will help you break down the fibers so they grow back bigger and stronger. If the equipment doesn’t let you get a good stretch, you’re basically doing half-reps every time. It’s much harder to see gains, which is why newer equipment is far more anatomically optimal. 

See! Old equipment can harm your gains, largely because it’s poorly designed and getting to the end of its life. You’ll see better gains with newer equipment, so don’t be afraid to spend a bit more on your monthly gym membership if it gives you access to better stuff. 

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