Day 2: Work Out Like a Machine

Beginner WorkoutsMachine workouts

Mar 3

Written By Adam Broughton

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Day 2: Pull the pin - Drop Sets

Shoulders/Lats/Glutes/Low back

If you work out on machines, you should be doing drop-sets. It is much easier to decrease the weight you are lifting by quickly switching the pin rather than taking plates off the barbell or picking up another dumbbell. Drop sets on machines can also dramatically increase the efficiency of your workouts by allowing you to do several sets in a short period of time.

Today you will be doing a push/pull workout, alternating exercises that focus on the deltoids and lats (latissimus dorsi, technically) that perform opposite actions on the shoulder joint. With the deltoid lifts, you will be pushing overhead and abducting the shoulders out to the side, while the lats will be pulling down and adducting the shoulders.

Start with a drop set of machine shoulder presses with at least 2 drops. Pick a weight that you can press about 10-15 times and perform as many as you can. Then drop the weight by putting the pin in 2 holes above, and immediately perform another set until you can’t do any more full reps. Repeat one more time after dropping the weight by 2 plates.

Moving on the lat pull-down machine, perform a similar drop set with at least 2 drops. Then, go back to the shoulder press and perform another drop set; again followed by a drop set on lat pull-downs.

Giant Set 1:

Shoulder press drop set (3 drops)
Lat pull-down drop set (3 drops)
Shoulder press drop set (3 drops)
Lat pull-down drop set (3 drops)

There are several options for glute work depending on which machines you have available at your gym. I prefer the single-leg kick-back machine for drop sets because it is so easy to move the pin without getting up, but you might not have that option. Another good option for this is a barbell or Smith machine hip-thrust, but you will need to remove plates to drop the weight. If you choose this, I suggest loading up a bunch of 10 lb plates on either side and having a friend pull off 20 lb of each drop set. Again, go for at least 2 drops.

Next, hit the hip abduction machine to get the glute medius. This is the seated, push your knees out to the side machine that many people neglect because it looks silly, but is actually one of the best ways to work these very important glute muscles. If you play a sport like basketball, where lateral movement in a defensive slide is important, you absolutely need to include this exercise in your workouts.

Giant Set 2:

Kick-back drop set (3 drops)
Hip abduction drop set (3 drops)
Kick-back drop set (3 drops)
Hip abduction drop set (3 drops)

Finally, the lower back muscles should work in conjunction with the large glute muscles, but they are also easily injured so we are not going to do any drop sets to work these muscles. I prefer bodyweight back extensions done with proper form.

Single set 3: