To become Mr. Olympia, you must be part man, part machine.
Not only do you need humanistic qualities like discipline, diligence, and dedication, but you also need machine-like precision and functionality to construct an elite physique. Few understand this better than 2024 Olympia winner Samson Dauda, who made the leap from third to first by attacking his weaknesses and enhancing his strengths over the last year.
While it may not look like the Nigerian bodybuilder has any holes in his game, Dauda gave valuable insight on how to fix weak muscles during a recent seminar in China.
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Samson Dauda Has a Clear Stance on Machines
In a YouTube video published on Nov. 3, 2024, the reigning Mr. “O” gave members of The Real Gym a first-hand lesson on how to conduct a proper bodybuilding back workout. In addition to providing coaching cues and technique tips for everything from lat pulldowns to chest-supported rows, Dauda delivered some nuggets of wisdom on why you shouldn’t shy away from machines.
“Every muscle has to be complete,” he explained. “This is where a machine comes in hand.”
While the champion acknowledged old-school bodybuilders achieved sizable gains using almost exclusively free weights, that strategy leads to an incomplete physique.
“This is why we call on machines—to make sure we get the minute details,” Dauda explained.
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Dauda doesn’t just believe in machines because of their aesthetic upside. He’s also a proponent of using them to address specific shortcomings.
“When you have a weak muscle group, this is where those little machines will help improve just that weak part,” he explained to the group.
- Using quads as an example, Dauda pointed out that a traditional back squat will cause the strongest part of your quads (typically your vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and hip adductors) to take over, leaving you on the outside looking in if you’re trying to address a weak vastus lateralis (outer quad muscle).
However, a leg extension machine allows you to directly target an underdeveloped area.
“Sit on a leg extension, put your toes in, put your legs closer, and all of a sudden you push the tension to just get that weak part growing,” Dauda said.
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Settling the Free Weight vs. Machine Debate
Just like you wouldn’t rely on one back exercise to develop wide lats, you shouldn’t pigeonhole yourself into using just one form of resistance.
Dauda isn’t the only Olympia winner who’s pounded the table recently on behalf of using a combination of free weights and machines. Six-time champion Dorian Yates shares the same view, noting that training beyond failure is best done on machines due to the safety advantage.
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What does the science say on the subject of machines vs. free weights?
- According to a 2023 systematic review on 13 studies, there’s no superior strength training modality. (1)
- The meta-analysis yielded the following conclusion: “No differences were detected in the direct comparison of strength, jump performance and muscle hypertrophy.
So, just like Dauda, Yates, and many others have learned from decades of lifting, there’s no reason to choose a side when you can (and should) enjoy the best of both worlds.
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References
- Haugen ME, Vårvik FT, Larsen S, Haugen AS, van den Tillaar R, Bjørnsen T. Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance – a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2023 Aug 15;15(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s13102-023-00713-4. PMID: 37582807; PMCID: PMC10426227.
Featured image: Samson Dauda / YouTube
