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Exercise Machine Alternatives
By Elizabeth Quinn Elizabeth Quinn Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. Learn about our editorial process Updated on August 24, 2021 Reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research.
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Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Tara Laferrara, CPT Reviewed by
Tara Laferrara, CPT Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach.
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She also created her own online training program, the TL Method. Learn about our Review Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Leg Press Machine Alternative Seated Leg Extension Machine Alternative Chest Press Machine Alternative Hip Abductor/Adductor Machine Alternative If you want to get the same workout at home as you do at the gym (or an even better one), you can substitute a few dumbbells or kettlebells, some floor space, and some creativity for the big, bulky exercise equipment at your local fitness center. Skipping the gym can mean getting a more convenient and less expensive workout.
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And you can build muscles that you might use in daily life by using body weight and dumbbell workouts. The exercise machines at the gym are generally easier and safer to use—it’s unlikely that you’ll drop a weight on your toe while using the overhead press machine.
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But you sacrifice function by skipping the small muscles that act as stabilizers. Plus, you generally don’t use most of those moves in real life.
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Leg Press Machine Alternative Squats Like most exercise machines, the leg press machine doesn't work any stabilizers in the ankles, knees, hips, glutes, shoulders, or lower back. And because you are sitting with your back supported, this type of movement pattern is unlike most of the real lifting you might actually encounter in life or sports.
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Instead, perform a squat using a barbell. If you don't have a barbell at home, you can modify by holding two dumbbells or a kettlebell. Leg Extension Machine Alternative Walking Lunges The seated leg extension is one of the most useless exercises you can do in the gym.
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In addition to the fact that you will never do this type of movement in real life or sports, it can stress the knee joint. You may think that if you play a sport that requires kicking a ball (soccer, football), the leg extension machine is a good way to build quad strength for kicking.
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The problem is, athletes don’t kick with both legs. One foot is generally planted firmly on the ground as you propel yourself forward and kick through the ball. This movement requires a lot of balance, stabilization, and torque that you can’t simulate while sitting on a machine and simultaneously contracting both quads (and nothing else).
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Try the weighted walking lunge instead. This move will help you build leg strength (the glutes, quads, and calves) and improves balance and stability, one leg at a time. Chest Press Machine Alternative Push-Ups Pushing away from your chest while sitting in the chest press machine not only favors the stronger side, but it ignores the posterior chain (the muscles that stabilize the back of the body from head to toes). A better bet is the good old-fashioned push-up.
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Add a dumbbell row and get both a back and chest workout in one move. Grab two moderate-weight dumbbells and alternate push-ups and lat rows. Hip Abductor Adductor Machine Alternative Side Lunges Although it’s designed to work the abductors and adductors, this machine doesn’t do a good job of strengthening them, especially for how you might need them to function in real life or sports.
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To make this a functional exercise that mimics a move you might use during sports, you’ll need to stand up (at minimum). The hip muscles help provide strength and stability for the lower body. So, their strength is beneficial when playing sports, running, or doing anything active.
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The sliding side-to-side lunge helps keep these muscles strong and balanced naturally. 7 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Martin-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano J, Muyor J. Evaluation of the lower limb muscles' electromyographic activity during the leg press exercise and its variants: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res.
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2020;17(13):4626. doi:10.3390/ijerph17134626 National Academy of Sports Medicine..
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Front squat or back squat—Which should you choose?. Perspectives for patients.
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Knee pain: safely strengthening your thigh muscles. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther.
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2014;44(5):328. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.0503 Dewar M. 5 benefits of walking lunges.
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Team USA. Patterson J, Vigotsky A, Oppenheimer N, Feser E. Differences in unilateral chest press muscle activation and kinematics on a stable versus unstable surface while holding one versus two dumbbells.
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PeerJ. 2015;3:e1365.
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doi:10.7717/peerj.1365 Brandt M, Jakobsen M, Thorborg K, Sundstrup E, Jay K, Andersen L. Perceived loading and muscle activity during hip strengthening exercises: comparison of elastic resistance and machine exercises.
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Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(6):811-19.
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Ambegaonkar J, Mettinger L, Caswell S, Burtt A, Cortes N. Relationships between core endurance, hip strength, and balance in collegiate female athletes. Int J Sports Phys Ther.
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2014;9(5):604-16. By Elizabeth Quinn
Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics.
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Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles Effective 20-Minute, Strength Workout You Can Do at Home 10 Great Leg Exercises for More Strength and Power Weight Training Exercises and Workout Basics Effective 20-Minute, Full-Body Workout You Can Do at Home 7 Strength-Building Workouts to Do at the Gym The Best Pull Exercises for Targeting Different Areas of the Body How to Do a Leg Extension: Techniques, Benefits, Variations Vary Your Routine With Different Types of Squats The Best Weight Training Machines at the Gym and How to Use Them How to Do a Dumbbell Overhead Press: Techniques, Benefits, Variations Why You Need to Add These 5 Free Weight Exercises to Your Workout 9 Hamstring Exercises for Stronger Legs 10 Quad Exercises For Stronger Legs Function of the Rectus Femoris Muscle How to Incline Dumbbell Press: Techniques, Benefits, Variations The 8 Most Effective Exercises for Your Triceps When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests.
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