Cybex® machines

Yesterday (Monday, March 9, 2009) I had an interesting discussion with a YMCA exercise coach about use of the machines in the Cybex® circuit. There are 14 machines in the circuit.
Amazon-Lady was the YMCA employee that showed me how to use ‘em some time ago, but we didn’t discuss the philosophy of ‘em.
What I’ve been doing is 100+ reps per each machine in sets of 10 reps per set.
What’s called “multiple sets.”
Exercise-coach was doing “the circuit;” one set per machine of 12-15 reps, enough to tire out his muscles. Although he was pulling much more weight than I do.
“So how many are you doing anyway?” he asked.
“Oh, 10 sets of 10 reps each, usually totaling 100+ reps.”
“And your philosophy behind this is......”
“No ‘philosophy,’ just what I can do,” I answered.
“That many reps is endurance-training,” he said; “not strength-training, the whole idea behind these machines.
These machines are much better than weight-training. They target a specific muscle-group, and work that,” he said.
“The way to build strength is one set of 12-15 reps at a weight that tires ya out at the end.”
“So what you’re saying is pull more weight, which is what I was thinking of doing anyway,” I said.
I thereafter doubled the weight on the chest-press machine, and started maxxing out at 12+ reps.
“That’s also making maximum use of your time,” he added.
“Sure,” I said. “100 reps per machine is about 15 minutes per machine. Your way is 2-3 minutes per machine, making the full circuit possible.
15 minutes per machine is one-third the circuit per session.”
The only ones I’m not inclined to listen to are blowhards.

The “Cybex® machines” are a circuit of 14 weight-training machines, that use pulleys and cams to lift weight. They are more precise than lifting free-weights.

I work out at the Canandaigua YMCA.

Amazon-Lady is a YMCA-employee. We (my wife and I) call her that because she is extremely muscle-bound. (Actually she’s a nice person.)

RE: “The only ones I’m not inclined to listen to are blowhards......” —Like my all-knowing, blowhard brother-from-Boston, the macho ad-hominem king, who noisily badmouths everything I do or say. —His idea of exercise is to flap his jaw.