Post: #1

I have to work in Milano and will spend the next 2 Months there. Nice city, beautiful girls, but one thing sucks: I've not found a proper gym. All the gyms are almost strickly machine based and since I usually do compound lifts, this sucks big time.
I signed for the one which offered me the best ROI and now I have access to a big pool, sauna and the gym. They have some benches, some dumbells and a pull-up thing. The rest is cables and machines (not even a fucking dip station).

What would a good machine based routine look like? Body-part-split kinda shit with 3x10 reps? I've been doing 5x5/ SS for the last couple of years so I need some guidance on how to approach this situation.

I know that around here its either squat or fuck you, but I'm sure some of you here is secretly using the smith machine. Help me out.

Post: #2

I have been in this predicament a few times. For upper body, I found no big issues. Arms are easy with dumbbells and machines. For chest, I stuck with push ups, clap push ups, dumbbell bench, dumbbell incline, and machine lifts. For back, I used pull ups, chin ups, and machines.

The main issue is trying to train legs without the ability to do squats or deadlifts. There is no perfect way to combat this in my opinion. But there are possible ways to maintain. First, walking lunges with dumbbells is your best leg lift. Vary weight and number of reps on different leg days. Another thing is to do a lot of sprints, as they have a similar effect on testosterone as squatting. Lastly, these two lifts below are great for working legs and full body.

Dumbbell Complex 1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olhu0n01Oio

Squat Push Press- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcR7E5cQB_w

I also would do leg press if you have access to a leg press machine.

Post: #3

Bulgarian split squats with heavy dbs.

Is there a leg press machine?

Post: #4

For legs do calisthenics. Ever tried doing a pistol squat? Exactly.

Post: #5

Post: #6

Since you can do still do pull-ups (best upper back exercise IMO), I would take the next 2 months to specialize in the movement and become a 'pull-up machine'.

Do them weighted and unweighted with various sets/reps. Do them often. Put all your energy into becoming really good at pull-ups and put the other stuff on maintenance for now, since the conditions for improvement aren't optimal.

A typical workout could be, pull-ups at the beginning of the workout, followed by 5x10 on dumbell bench and leg press. Done 3 times per week.

Post: #7

I'm not a huge fan of machines. There are many other options out there, to the point that nobody need resort to them. This might be a good time to pick up "Never Gymless" by Ross Enamait or "You Are Your Own Gym". "Convict Conditioning" is pretty good too.

If you want to go very simple, you could just hit up "The Naked Warrior" by Pavel and spend months doing nothing but one armed pushups and pistol squats.

It also sucks that your gym has no dip station, the dip is one of the best upper body lifts and a worthy complement to all pressing movements.

That being said, if I had access to machines and wanted to try them out for a few months (why not? Casey Viator had no trouble making gains on nautilus equipment), I would just pick five or six "big lift" machines like the leg press, some kind of seated shoulder press or military press, lat pulldown, machine bench, seated row, and maybe some cable type machines and pick two or three of them to slay every day.

A lot of people talk shit on machines, and maybe with good reason, but there is carryover to everything. If you're making gains on machines, strength increases are happening.

Warm up with a set of something easy and then go into four or five sets of five reps. Maybe finish with twenty reps on the leg press or smith machine every day, then go for some donkey calf raises. It's not rocket science. Go as hard as you want.

Then you can go to the pullup station and do four or five easy sets.

Taz mentioned that you could just specialize in the pullup. This is a pretty good idea and worth considering. Few people can do chinups with proficiency and if you can get to the point where you can rep out twenty without any big issues you'd probably make some great strength gains.

Post: #8

(12-22-2013 08:09 PM)BoiBoi Wrote:  I have to work in Milano and will spend the next 2 Months there. Nice city, beautiful girls, but one thing sucks: I've not found a proper gym. All the gyms are almost strickly machine based and since I usually do compound lifts, this sucks big time.
I signed for the one which offered me the best ROI and now I have access to a big pool, sauna and the gym. They have some benches, some dumbells and a pull-up thing. The rest is cables and machines (not even a fucking dip station).

What would a good machine based routine look like? Body-part-split kinda shit with 3x10 reps? I've been doing 5x5/ SS for the last couple of years so I need some guidance on how to approach this situation.

I know that around here its either squat or fuck you, but I'm sure some of you here is secretly using the smith machine. Help me out.

Hey man as long as you are working to exhaustion then your body won't know the difference. use this as an opportunity to cut up a little.

you can do l shaped dips using 2 chairs. last time I was in Italy they had chairs as I recall. jajaja.

I make no apology for using the smith press. Either because the squat rack is being uses, to train me for the next biggest move I'm trying to do or because before moving to Spain I spent the last 10 years at sea and having 275 lbs fall on your chest because the ship took a port turn isn't a good look.

You'll be fine. Smash that pool too it's the best cardio known.

Post: #9

(12-23-2013 05:50 AM)birdrussell Wrote:  

(12-22-2013 08:09 PM)BoiBoi Wrote:  I have to work in Milano and will spend the next 2 Months there. Nice city, beautiful girls, but one thing sucks: I've not found a proper gym. All the gyms are almost strickly machine based and since I usually do compound lifts, this sucks big time.
I signed for the one which offered me the best ROI and now I have access to a big pool, sauna and the gym. They have some benches, some dumbells and a pull-up thing. The rest is cables and machines (not even a fucking dip station).

What would a good machine based routine look like? Body-part-split kinda shit with 3x10 reps? I've been doing 5x5/ SS for the last couple of years so I need some guidance on how to approach this situation.

I know that around here its either squat or fuck you, but I'm sure some of you here is secretly using the smith machine. Help me out.

Hey man as long as you are working to exhaustion then your body won't know the difference. use this as an opportunity to cut up a little.

I concur. Try circuit training with very brief rest intervals between sets and less weight. It is quite different and places you in an anabolic state. I did it to prepare for martial arts training, because I knew that I would be run ragged. It was a trip. Something different.

If you Google "circuit weight training" you should find a machine routine. Turn lemons into lemonade while you are there.

Post: #10

Thx for the input. They do have a leg press and I like Hades' approach.

I still dont understand how anyone can open a gym without a power rack, though. Training with machines just feels...wrong.

Post: #11

In this situation I would save money on gym and use bodyweight exercises at home.

Post: #12

Just joined Planet Fitness myself (Hey it's cheap!) so the video was very helpful.