What’s better: exercise machines, or free weights? After all, you walk in the gym, and if you’re a first timer, you might go towards the cardio machines, because they’re “to-the-point.” You know how to walk or bike, and it’s not intimidating. But while you’re doing your exercise in the cardio section, you look at the weights section, and see that side divided into 2 parts as well: the free weights area, and the exercise machine area. And you see people using both. What should you do? After all, you’re not most people. You’re a reader of my articles. You’re smarter than most people (they say flattery will get you everywhere. I’m trying it right now… though I’m not sure what I want to get)! 🙂

So in this article, we’ll cover when it makes sense to use free weights, and when it makes sense to use machines. But first, a definition.

Original source: here.

Definition

What do I mean when I say “free weights”? That is anything that you can move in 3 dimensions, and you determine the path of the weight. So this could be:

  • Dumbbells
  • Barbells
  • Kettlebells
  • Medicine balls
  • Your own body weight

… and more.

Machines, on the other hand, are anything where the path of the object that you’re moving is pre-set for you. Examples would be:

  • Leg press
  • Knee extension
  • Seated bench press
  • Inner/outer thigh machine
  • Pec deck

… and more.

Now, there is a category that doesn’t neatly fit into either of those 2 categories, and that’s cable machines.

Examples would be:

Although they’re certainly machines, can’t argue with that, they don’t really move in 1 dimension. They move in 3 dimensions. Just like free weights. So although these are machines, they’re really more similar to free weights, because you determine the path of the motion. It’s not pre-determined for you, as in most machines. So when I’m writing about machines in this article, I’m not talking about this specific category of machines, because it doesn’t apply.

Machines vs. Free Weights

When machines just came on the market, they were argued to be safer than free weights. You were less likely to injure yourself.

And that’s somewhat true. The reason it’s only “somewhat” true is because if we take a beginner, complete first timer, and leave that person to their own devices, they are less likely to get injured using machines, than free weights. But for someone who has good technique already, the risk of injury in the gym is actually about the same.

The risk of injury outside the gym, on the other hand is actually greater for the person using machines exclusively. Why?

Because free weights are more “real life.” So what you do in the gym carries over much better to the real world. After all, the real world is made of a bunch of “free weights.” Those groceries you’re carrying? Those are free weights (they move in 3 dimensions). That furniture you’re moving – that’s a free weight. It moves in 3 dimensions. That purse or briefcase that you carry – that’s a free weight. It moves in 3 dimensions.

So if you go from a 1 or 2-dimensional world, it might look like you’re strong in the gym, but you’re weak in “real life.” And not just weak, but more prone to injury.

Why? Because to move in 3 dimensions, you have to use your stabilizer muscles. And what are these stabilizer muscles? Small muscles that contract ever so slightly, in just the right sequence, to make sure that you’re moving the right way, in a smooth motion. With machines, since they stabilize the weight for you, you don’t need to use your own stabilizers in the same way, so you train your body to perform certain motions without “turning on” your stabilizer muscles. Again, that creates a lower risk of injury in the gym, but a higher risk of injury outside the gym.

Overall, if you don’t use machines exclusively (use a combination of machines and free weights), you should be fine. Realistically speaking, most of the programs that I and my team makes for clients uses between 80-100% free weights.

So with all these “problems” with machines, is there ever a time when it does make sense to use them?

There is.

If for some reason, you want to isolate a muscle to a greater extent, machines are the way to go. For the purists, you can never truly isolate any one muscle, but you can decrease the involvement of other muscles, and put more pressure on the target muscle. This would be when we’re working with bodybuilders.

Additionally, if muscle size is the goal, and the trainee is intermediate or advanced, after a trainee has reached failure on a given free weight exercise, s/he can move to the same exercise, but as a machine, and continue performing repetitions at the same weight. The reason that this happens is because often stabilizers fatigue before the main muscle.

The irony here is that machines are being used for advanced trainees – not beginners.

The other case when it makes sense to use machines is in certain rehabilitation settings. Sometimes, it’s just easier to get to a certain part of a muscle with machines, than with free weights.

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