*This post is about bodybuilding/hypertrophy training mainly*
It would be foolish to say that they don't work for building muscle and strength. They are obviously staples for many and there is nothing wrong with incorporating them in your program or even having them be the entirety of it.
But you really don't need them at all, especially if you are training for strictly hypertrophy.
Machines provide greater stability and standardized form, with meta analyses showing that there is little no difference between dumbbells, barbells, and machines for hypertrophy. So why not use the one that takes stabilization out of the equation and allows you to train closer to absolute failure?
This is not a write off of compounds as a whole for the record. The Smith Machine is just as good as barbells and better if you just want to look bigger, and anyone telling you otherwise will usually resort to appeals to authority and tradition. Nobody gets complimented for their stabilizer muscles.
A well programmed routine using only machines and favoring isolation is completely valid contrary to the advice on this platform; beginners can most definitely program by themselves through advice from experienced lifters. We all have the same muscles that perform the same joint actions at the end of the day.
Who cares
In this case means any country that wasn't apart of the Eastern Bloc
UK seems to have the most racial tension out of all of the nations and a hated incumbent government. I am unknowledgeable about the others though. Who will be the first?
Applies to both parties. It's clear the Dems are going to want a straight white male this time around. Kamala ran as a centrist but was perceived to be too far left for the average swing voter. She didn't do a good job campaigning but that's another topic.
Newsom is the embodiment of the politician stereotype, carrying baggage of governing California to the "median voter." I actually like Beshear on paper and think he has a robust background but he seems uncharismatic. Who else? I shouldn't need to explain why AOC or Kamala running would be bad. My only other ideas are Mark Kelly and Ossoff but unless either of them unlock Obama tier charisma and get the party to rally around them it seems like they should just hold on to their swing state Senate seats
As for the GOP it is clear that Trump is still the kingmaker, as seen in his last-second Paxton endorsement in the Texas Senate primary today resulting in a major defeat for the incumbent Conryn. I wouldn't be surprised if the primary is decided by Trump choosing his successor before any voting starts. Will it be Vance or Rubio? Stay tuned
Lil Shine released an album on May 15th titled "Get Rich Or Die Sippin'"
If you are unfamiliar with him, he is known for being one of the forefront figures in the pluggnb subgenre.
Snippet from Wikipedia about his case:
> In December 2024, Johnson and two others were federally charged with conspiracy to acquire and obtain controlled substances by fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud, and 4 counts of aggravated identity theft after they were accused of hacking the Drug Enforcement Administration's practitioners and physicians system from December 2022 to August 2023 to steal information from physicians to buy large amounts of promethazine and codeine with the intention to sell them. Johnson claimed that he was innocent. On January 20, 2026, Johnson entered a plea agreement.
Flock cameras everywhere yet no crime being deterred. Sad!
Looks like a slow burn epic in comparison to what is out there today
