Comments on: How Accurate are Gym Weights?

By: Warren

Warren — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 18:40:59 +0000

I don’t agree, except that I agree that there is no way to covert ALL machines the same way with the same converting factor. However, I have already proven that it can be done on a machine-by-machine basis, and if I can do this myself, the manufacturer certainly can. Let me repeat, each plate has a label, which is most likely the weight of the plate. All you have to do is correct the LABEL to show the correct resistance. Now, it can get complicated, and I don’t intend to go into all of the complications; for instance, let’s say that a 10-pund plate only comes out to 6.5 pounds of resistance on the user’s end. In other words, when the machine says you’re lifting 10 pounds, you’re only lifting 6.5 pounds Well, 6.5 is not a convenient figure to use, although it is HONEST, unlike the machine. Anyway, we want multiples of 5 or 10. One way to do this would be to make plates or weight slabs for that machine that give you you the correct rounded off numbers (10, 20, 20, etc). In other words, the plate would actually weigh, say, 15.7 pounds, but it would yield 10 pounds of RESISTANCE in the user’s hands. Thus, the labels would show the actual RESISTANCE.

I could say more, but I have already reached what I think is the permissible maxim for E-mail postings. I’ll just add that free weights may have some advantages, even though I think that their advocates greatly distort those advantages, but those advantages pale into insignificance if you don’t like and are unwilling to use free weights. To me, they’re very inconvenient and troublesome to use, so much so that I will continue refusing to use them unless and until I can find someone at the gym willing to change plates for a fee. Think about it, if you want to use 500 pounds on a leg press machine without weight stacks, you have to move twenty 25-pound plates to and from the machine. That’s just too damned much work for me, and I refuse to do it. Then, there is safety. It’s much easier to get injured while using free weights.

There is a solution, the only question is, why won’t the manufacturers do the right thing?

By: David Kiesling

David Kiesling — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 18:05:25 +0000

In reply to Warren.

I hear people using machines frequently ask about what the numbers convert to for a freeweight barbell movement. It’s not really possible to convert them. With a barbell exercise, stabilizer muscles and balance are involved, turning it into a different movement. The same is true even for a pulling exercise, like a lat pulldown machine vs a pullup. People find that they can lat pull their bodyweight, as evidenced by the fact that they are lifted up off the floor, but they can’t do nearly as many pullups. The solution to all this is for most purposes you should be doing primarily barbell/freeweight exercises anyway.

By: Warren

Warren — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:03:58 +0000

I should have also included friction and anything else that affects the final outcome. Users of weight stack machines shouldn’t have to be bothered with such things. All they want to know, all they need to know, is the actual resistance they experience. The labels on the machines should show this, not the weights of the plates. That may be of interest to some, but it’s the RESISTANCE for the end-user that’s important. I really get angry when I think of how proud I was at my “achievements” when I was naive enough to think that was really hoisting 300 pounds overhead. Sure, it would have been possible when I was younger, given enough time–I’m now 80–but I now know that those markings were just LIES. I wish I could sue for misrepresentation.

By: Warren

Warren — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 12:45:25 +0000

M.A, is mechanical advantage.

By: David Kiesling

David Kiesling — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 19:27:43 +0000

In reply to Warren.

Thanks for sharing your insight! I don’t know what M.A. is, but yes, it would be nice if the weights were the same from machine to machine.

By: Warren

Warren — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 04:25:35 +0000

No way to tell? Baloney. Here’s what I’ve said about the accuracy of the readings on weight stack machines.
Accuracy of weight measurement for weight machines
I’ve never used this site before, so I might be doing things wrong. I couldn’t figure out where or how to post my reply, so I deleted the question and typed in the blank space left. Here’s my reply. Coincidentally, I just typed it for another site, but I couldn’t send it for some reason. Here it is.

It’s my contention that M.A. has NOTHING to do with the unreliability/dishonesty of weight stack machines. Sure, we all know about levers, pulleys and such, but we should never even have to think about M.A. All we need is for the dial/meter/gauge, etc. to reflect the real resistance. Think about it. If you knew the actual resistance at a particular setting, you could simply scratch out the lie and write in the correct weight with fingernail polish. Agreed? Well, since this could obviously be easily done, it’s insulting to be told that the manufacturers couldn’t etch/paint/label the CORRECT numbers when their machines are made. Damn them. This really makes me angry.