Free Weights VS. Machines

Free Weights vs. Machines

So you walk into your gym, and you’ve got a choice.  Do I go over to the machines and workout (they are super handy telling me which muscles I am using and all) or do I go up to the free weights and try and come up with some sort of exercise that works those same muscles. 

My verdict is…pick the free weights.  In the following blog, I will justify my answer…

The machine is often the first choice, and why not, it pretty much guides your body through the movement while providing some resistance.  If you are just beginning strength training, then using a machine is a great tool for getting started.  Machines allow you to move through a range of motion that will work the targeted muscle, and they allow you to easily choose a weight.  As you are not going outside the specified range of motion, they are also a safer option for the beginner and will help to prevent injury.  However, machines have their downfalls.  For one, they are so supportive that you are using fewer muscles, therefore burning less and working less.  They don’t allow the body to move naturally as they force you to move in a specified range of motion or a fixed path of movement.  Finally, they hide and compensate for body weaknesses.  For example, with many machines you are using both arms or both legs, if one arm or leg is stronger than the other it will ultimately compensate for it.

Now…why choose free weights?  Well free weights have been shown to lead to greater and quicker gains in strength for one.  But beyond the research…free weights are most versatile as they allow you to move in a great range of motion.  They allow you to work in a more natural range and in more planes of movement.  In addition, when lifting with a free weight both agonistic (working) and antagonistic (supporting) muscles are called into play, opposed to a machine where only agonistic muscles are at work.  You are supporting your whole body through the movement while lifting a free weight, calling on smaller stabilizing muscles to work.  Furthermore, free weight exercises can more closely mimic a functional movement of everyday life.  Take a free-weight squat vs. a supine machine leg press.  In the machine exercise, one you are in a supine position, and two your spine is supported by a large seat back rest.  Next you are pushing so much weight with your legs (most often more weight you could hold while standing).  Where is the transferability of this exercise into everyday life?  Finally, they are versatile in the fact that you are able to work multiple muscle groups through dynamic combination movements (E.g. One-arm deadlift to press).  There are still some cautions I would give when using free weights.  They do take time to learn; they require more technique, skill, and coordination.  Also, there is also a greater risk for injury if not using proper form.

So to sum it up, there is a place for both machines and free-weights in your strength-training program; however, where possible and where you are comfortable and confident try to incorporate free weights, as you will see more benefit in the long run J

Cheers,

Lindsay