Skip to main content

Gym Equipment

Old School Equipment vs Modern day equipment....whats your opinion?

TimeIsMuscle
TimeIsMuscle p Jason Lakkiss
70 Post(s)
70 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2015
Posted

Whats up gym world?

 

 

 

Recently I have trained in a few different gyms on my travels. ATM I am in Spain, Madrid and I am using a local gym here. The gym has what some may consider as outdated equipment, but to me I think its vintage and I love it!

 

Here's a low pulley row machine I used yesterday;

 

 

Notice the mechanism used to transfer the weight up and down is similar material/look to a car seat belt. When using this machine I felt the transition through the movement was smoother and I got a wicked pump! FYI No doubt I'll be writing an article/video on this topic in the coming weeks @Scott_Herman ....but before I do I wanted to get the MS community opinion.

 

What do you guys think? do you feel old school equipment has its place in some gyms? or do you believe modern day cable machines trumps every other machine design?

 

Discuss

 

:)

Jason Lakkiss facebook: Time is Muscle twitter:@timeismuscle instagram: TIME_IS_MUSCLE youtube: timeismuscle
jcgadfly
jcgadfly g Jeff Craft
192 Post(s)
192 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: May 5, 2015
Posted

How did Pavel Tsatsouline put it? "If you walk into a gym and there are more machines than free weights and you are not in the snack bar, find another gym."

 

Apologies for the paraphrasing but I think I'm close. Machines have their place and their purpose but as I have an old-school body the old school equipment is better for me :)

Old enough to know better, young enough not to care. I'm an eternal rookie - As soon as I stop learning I start dying.
TimeIsMuscle
TimeIsMuscle p Jason Lakkiss
70 Post(s)
70 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2015
Posted

@jcgadfly I hear ya! Tbh I love the old school equipment I am currently using to train back & legs in particular!

Jason Lakkiss facebook: Time is Muscle twitter:@timeismuscle instagram: TIME_IS_MUSCLE youtube: timeismuscle
jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: TimeIsMuscle

Whats up gym world?

 

 

 

Recently I have trained in a few different gyms on my travels. ATM I am in Spain, Madrid and I am using a local gym here. The gym has what some may consider as outdated equipment, but to me I think its vintage and I love it!

 

Here's a low pulley row machine I used yesterday;

 

 

Notice the mechanism used to transfer the weight up and down is similar material/look to a car seat belt. When using this machine I felt the transition through the movement was smoother and I got a wicked pump! FYI No doubt I'll be writing an article/video on this topic in the coming weeks @Scott_Herman ....but before I do I wanted to get the MS community opinion.

 

What do you guys think? do you feel old school equipment has its place in some gyms? or do you believe modern day cable machines trumps every other machine design?

 

Discuss

 

:)

I remember one time way back in 1989, my best friend and I were down at Daytona Beach Forida for Spring Break and we found an old hole-in-the-wall gym to train at. It was something out of a "Pumping Iron" movie. It had some of the oldest equipment I have ever seen but we got the best workouts there and still talk about it to this day.

 

Many of the machines today are designed for the average lifter versus the hardcore bodybuilder. Case-in-point, Smith Machines should NEVER use counterweights and cables. When Jack LaLanne invented the device in the 1950s, this what not part of his design. This got added later on to make it feel "easier" for lifters - this is total bullshit and one reason I don't use the Smith Machines at my gym as much anymore. My original Gold's Gym I started training at back in 1987 had a vintage Ram Fitness Smith Machine that was just a bar, collars, and rails. The bar and collars weighed 70Lbs and that thing was hard to lift with weight on it unlike the sissy Smith Machines today with 20Lb bars and counter-balance weights and cables.

 

The only exception is the Hammer Strength plate loading machines. I like how they are made and they are very effective. However like all machine-based movements, they eliminate the stabilizer muscles and don't stimulate the most muscle fibers collectively like free weights do. I do 90% of my workouts using just DBs and BBs. The remaining 10% uses cable or plate loading machines.

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
TimeIsMuscle
TimeIsMuscle p Jason Lakkiss
70 Post(s)
70 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2015
Posted

Thanks for sharing John! It's great to hear of your experiences. Im a big fan of the vintage equipment!

Jason Lakkiss facebook: Time is Muscle twitter:@timeismuscle instagram: TIME_IS_MUSCLE youtube: timeismuscle
Adawg38
Adawg38 g Aaron Henry
563 Post(s)
563 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2013
Posted
Posted By: TimeIsMuscle

Whats up gym world?

 

 

 

Recently I have trained in a few different gyms on my travels. ATM I am in Spain, Madrid and I am using a local gym here. The gym has what some may consider as outdated equipment, but to me I think its vintage and I love it!

 

Here's a low pulley row machine I used yesterday;

 

 

Notice the mechanism used to transfer the weight up and down is similar material/look to a car seat belt. When using this machine I felt the transition through the movement was smoother and I got a wicked pump! FYI No doubt I'll be writing an article/video on this topic in the coming weeks @Scott_Herman ....but before I do I wanted to get the MS community opinion.

 

What do you guys think? do you feel old school equipment has its place in some gyms? or do you believe modern day cable machines trumps every other machine design?

 

Discuss

 

:)

This would be an awesome Article! Can't say that I am too familiar with old gym equipment since I have only been training for a little over 5 years. I prefer BB and DB myself overall but if I use a machine I use the cable machines. My dad is an old school Bodybuilder and even though he went to the gym a lot I was too young to really remember much of it when he did take me there. I DO remember his home gym and equipment setup. He had coffee cans with concrete filled on each side of a short bar for dumbbells, old wheels with adjusting arms welded to it for his benching and squating, he had the old sand filled weights, tractor wheel weights or wheels of some kind I believe. I just remember they were 153lbs each and the first time he shoulder pressed them he broke his left shoulder but that never stopped him.

I have been training coming up on 6 years and have made some great gainz. I've done a lot of trial and error on myself as well as learned from others and through research online. I've come along way in strength and size since I've started. I will continue to learn and make myself better each day. MS Athlete/Super Hermanite BEING CHALLENGED IN LIFE IS INEVITABLE, BEING DEFEATED IS OPTIONAL.
heyhay5212
heyhay5212 g Haley Conant
37 Post(s)
37 Post(s) Gender: Female Goal: Lose Fat Date Joined: January 1, 2015
Posted

Gravity doesn't discriminate. Weights are the same whether they are old or new.

 

I do feel like the new machines are geared toward general population people and 20+ year old machines were designed by and made for bodybuilders.

Owner of Onyx Athletic Performance, LLC Certified Athletic Trainer Licensed Athletic Trainer Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
TimeIsMuscle
TimeIsMuscle p Jason Lakkiss
70 Post(s)
70 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2015
Posted

Thanks for this great insight into your dad's old school equipment @Adawg38 :)

Jason Lakkiss facebook: Time is Muscle twitter:@timeismuscle instagram: TIME_IS_MUSCLE youtube: timeismuscle
TimeIsMuscle
TimeIsMuscle p Jason Lakkiss
70 Post(s)
70 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2015
Posted

I agree with you @heyhay512 in relation to the modern day machines cateriing to the general population. The feel of some old school equipment for certain muscle groups such as legs and back are different. I have experienced way more time under tension from some of the machines that I am currently using. I look forward to building a contrast between old vs new :)

Jason Lakkiss facebook: Time is Muscle twitter:@timeismuscle instagram: TIME_IS_MUSCLE youtube: timeismuscle
muscular strength
 You must be a Member to view or reply this tread. Please Log In or become a Member .