WHEN YOU'RE LOST, the common sense solution is to ask for directions. It's the same thing when you're working out — trainers are there to help disoriented exercisers get to their destination (in this case, that'd be hotness and healthiness) in one piece. The problem?

"They're too embarrassed to ask for help. Or some people never think to ask," laments John Workman, the lead trainer at downtown's Results Gym (Resultsthegym.com).

Instead, they hop on machines, even ones they've never laid eyes on before, and just get going. The fact that what they're doing might be stressing a joint, overloading a muscle or may just be ineffective doesn't seem to weigh on them at all.

So, in case you still can't muster the courage to get help at your gym, here's a cheat sheet to get the most out of the equipment at your disposal.

» Lat Pull-Down: If there's one machine misuse that drives Elaina Enjetti, of the Glover Park Washington Sports Club (Mysportsclubs.com), up the wall, it's when people take the bar and pull it behind their heads instead of pulling it down to their chests. "They think they're working their backs and neck muscles, but instead, they're reinforcing the muscles that will push their heads forward," she says. It's bad for their posture and their health.

» Cardio Wave: If your gym doesn't have one of these heart-rate raising wonders, it probably will soon. But Workman says most people don't get the elliptical variant at first — even he didn't the first time he tried one. The idea is that you push your legs out to the side like you're inline skating, but it's easy to shift your weight from side to side instead of actively pushing your body. And that does nothing for you.

"The trick is to keep weight on both feet at all times," Workman says. He also encourages you to think about your position: "Being upright hits your quads and glutes, coming forward slightly gets the back of the thigh, too, and coming all the way forward uses more and more glutes. Take your hands off and do a torso rotation and that's great for the abs."

» Power Plate: At first, the vibrating platform looked like a futuristic scale, or maybe a scooter, to Karen White, the fitness manager at the Tysons Corner Equinox (Equinoxfitness.com). And for the first few weeks they had it, "most of the trainers weren't sure what to do with it, so we stretched on it," she says. But while it's handy for a warm-up — the waves of energy rushing through your body get the muscles ready to stretch further faster — the Power Plate is even better for resistance training. "If I want to work out my whole body, I can do it all on that machine," White adds. "Take tricep dips, for example. Put your hands on it, and it's an intensity you've never felt before." She also digs using it for squats and lunges, because it works the muscles while presenting a balance challenge for the core.

» Leg Press: Problem No. 1 is that people tend to use too much weight. "You can see if their legs are shaking, and they're holding their breath," Enjetti explains. That second symptom is also a problem. When they push off, they lock their knees — a total no-no. "And then they come back too fast and hurt their hips," she adds.

BODY TALK: Welcome to the Neighborhood
There's usually a right way to do things and a wrong way. But short of getting on the Precor AMT upside down, you can't mess up. That's because the idea behind the new contraption is that it adapts to you. "It's more than an elliptical. It's a perceptive running machine that can think at the speed you're moving," raves Kevin McManus, the manager of XSport Fitness in Merrifield (8190 Strawberry Lane, 703-204-0064, Xsportfitness.com), one of the first local gyms to have the AMT.

He points to a guy comfortably in a light jog on one machine, and then jumps on another to show how he can turn it into a stair climber by keeping his stride short. He instantly segues into a sprint, and just as quickly takes it backward. For first-timers, it's not as easy as McManus makes it look — mainly because it feels so alien to have a machine react to your movements. Because the stride isn't locked in, it's up to the user to pick one, and until you do, your limbs are all over the place.

That can turn people off initially, which is why McManus recommends folks try it out for at least 15 minutes and give it a second chance if their first time didn't blow them away. He expects everyone from champion triathletes to gym rookies to see the light.

Photo courtesy of Power Plate

Posted by Vicky Hallett at 12:00 AM on May 6, 2008
Tagged in Fit , Lifestyles , The District , Top Stories