Ask a Trainer
Two elite 24 Hour Fitness Trainers tackle your most burning in-the-gym questions.
What's the big deal about dumbells? Are they the only way to isolate certain muscle groups, or can I achieve the same thing through Nautilus or barbells?
-- Andrea Saberi, Miami
There's absolutely no way to truly isolate any muscle, because the body is a symphony of muscles that work in concert in all times. So no barbell or dumbbell is going to isolate a muscle. You can't get an a cappella going.
But when you use a machine, your strong side will always dominate.
Yeah, that's true, but I think of dumbells as just an additional tool to keep your workouts fresh. And in a bigger perspective, you can use dumbells in a lot of different settings—you can use them at home, where most people can't do that with Nautilus.
I think the biggest thing with any workout is what goes on between our ears. If we always do the same workout, we go, "Oh, gosh-the same thing again." That's why we experiment, that's why there's Pilates, and Yoga, and barbells, and kettle balls. These things can get you past that mental barrier. But to really answer the question, yes, you can achieve the same results through Nautilus or barbells.
Meet the Experts
Two trainers, both with impeccable credentials but very different styles.
Brandy Bachmeyer, 28, a former Olympic weightlifter, is a rare amalgam of brains, brawn, and perkiness. Sort of like a cross between MacGyver and a local TV weatherperson. In a good way. An elite trainer at San Ramon Supersport Club in California, Brandy regularly puts in 12-hour days, sometimes joining them as they train for half-marathons—even surveying the contents of their sub-Zeros.
Scott Nunes, a trainer at the 24 Hour Fitness in Escondido, California knows firsthand that getting fit doesn’t just happen. “I used to be a bona fide couch potato,” Nunes avows. When Nunes was in his mid 20s, he had back surgery, developed arthritis, and found himself weighing in at 260 pounds: “When my one-and-a-half-year-old son raced me to the top of the stairs and beat me, I started doing pushups and sit ups that day,” he recalls. Nunes, 37, got in great shape, which helped him raise his son, who’s now 14.
COMBINED WISDOM Pick up the dumbells for a fresh take on weight training.
