When being evaluated an athlete stands tall to obtain the true measure of his or her height if not, measurements could vary in accuracy. To account for the wide range of heights, strength training machines seat adjustments are made so that a subject can change their setting based not only on their stature, but also on their lever lengths.
The Pendulum Hip Press
Because of the complexity of our skeletal system, something as simple as setting a seat height requires more than one session. There are several factors that must be considered:
-
When setting a seat height for the first time an athlete, even though properly instructed, may assume a posture that changes the next workout.
-
A simple direction, such as sit up straight may vary between sessions based on things like emotion and fatigue.
-
An athlete may have good posture, but may be sitting incorrectly on the seat of the machine, too far back or forward.
-
Foot and/or hand positioning may vary workout to workout.
-
Often range of motion changes over time due to increased flexibility from training, which inturn may change the seat position.
-
High School and College athletes grow and there must be an awareness as this also translates into how the equipment is being used.
The Pendulum 4-Way Neck Machine
-
The neck presents the greatest challenge as studies indicate that in the same sitting position, even when positioned correctly range of motion can vary 10-30 degrees between sets much of which has to do with the upper cervical spine.
All aspects of training whether using free weights or machines, technique is required. Not only is it important to have solid rules of how an individual interacts with the device they are lifting with, but their form must be periodically reviewed. --- This is the nature of coaching to Get Strong.