First off let me say since finding these forums i have learned a tremendous amount about weight training and nutrition that I am doing my best to incorporate to my daily routine. There is really some great information here.
I started a pretty serious diet about 4 months ago and about a month ago I started adding in cardio work on a stationary bike. Now I have started using my home gym in an attempt to add a little bit of strength while continuing to lose body fat. Curently I am alternating days between my full body workout on my home gym and my cardio on the bike. My goal is not to become a body builder by any means, but simply to keep my body fat as low as possible and gain a little strength along the way. My question revolves around the use of machines, which from reading many of the posts here I have come to understand are not very popular due to the restricted range of motion they offer. Are using machines as bad as what many of these posts here seem to indicate, or is there in fact a place for their use? I would really prefer not to go invest in free weights at the moment if I don't really need to. Any responses appreciated.
I started a pretty serious diet about 4 months ago and about a month ago I started adding in cardio work on a stationary bike. Now I have started using my home gym in an attempt to add a little bit of strength while continuing to lose body fat. Curently I am alternating days between my full body workout on my home gym and my cardio on the bike. My goal is not to become a body builder by any means, but simply to keep my body fat as low as possible and gain a little strength along the way. My question revolves around the use of machines, which from reading many of the posts here I have come to understand are not very popular due to the restricted range of motion they offer. Are using machines as bad as what many of these posts here seem to indicate, or is there in fact a place for their use? I would really prefer not to go invest in free weights at the moment if I don't really need to. Any responses appreciated.