Free Weights vs. Machine Weights

Most beginners are often overwhelmed when they first enter a gymnasium. It can be intimidating when you enter a gym and you see all these buff, macho men pumping iron while you have no idea what to do. You see the dumbbell rack, bench presses, machines, and all sorts of workout equipment that you have no idea how to use, and all of this can easily overwhelm you and cause you to take a step back in your fitness goals.

Let me tell you when I first started working out, I was really intimidated by what I saw. Almost everyone in the gym was huge and I was the exact opposite, a scrawny little kid. I didn’t know where to start and so I began by jumping on a treadmill, which was the last thing I needed to do. I slowly worked my way up to machine weights but for the longest time avoided the free weight room as I was intimidated by those working out in there. I used to call it “the big boy’s room” and I did not consider myself anything close to being a big boy.

This was my mistake as I missed out on a bunch of extra equipment that could have provided me with different and more efficient workouts. Eventually I built up the courage and started working out with free weights in addition to machine weights, and to this day I continue to mix up both. So at this point you might be asking yourself which is better free weights or machine weights?

Well there is no right answer to that question. It usually depends on your preferences, but both have there specific advantages and disadvantages that you should consider before using them.

Advantages Of Machine Weights

• It is great for beginners since the exercises are pre-defined and all you have to do is follow the guidelines of the machines.
• The machines provide maximum support so there is less chance of injury.
• They are faster to use than free weights since all you have to do is adjust a pin to change the weight. This is especially useful when you are doing supersets or drop sets as you need to be able to change weight quickly in order to maximize their effectiveness.
• They are great for isolation exercises. This is because most machine weights require a rigid range of motion that focuses mainly on a single muscle group.

Disadvantages Of Machine Weights

• You are limited in the types of exercises you can do.
• You are at a higher risk of hitting a plateau where you stop noticing gains. This is because your body gets used to the repetitive motion and eventually builds enough strength to support those demands.
• Since machines provide a lot of support and isolation exercises, you lose out on the opportunities to hit several muscles groups with a single workout, thus reducing its effectiveness as a total body workout.
• You can max out a more quickly. It is easier to master machine weights than free weights and so eventually you might get to a point where you are lifting the maximum amount of weight that the machine can offer. At this point you will need a new machine with heavier weight in order to see additional gains.
• You can end up with a disproportionate body. Most machines require the use of both limbs and often the stronger side dominates the workout by doing most of the lifting. This can cause your weaker side to look disproportionate as it is not doing the same amount of work as your stronger side. I was victim to this as my right arm was a lot stronger than my left arm and so when lifting machine weights it took on most of the load. This caused my right arm to look way bigger than my left arm which is not a good look.

Advantages Of Free Weights

• They are great for more advanced workouts as well as beginner workouts.
• They allow more range of motion which stresses different muscle groups all at once, leading to a good full body workout.
• They require both sides of your body to do equal work and so the chances of developing a disproportionate body are minimal.
• They require the use of your stabilizer muscles such as your abdominal core to keep you balanced. This makes you stronger and also gives your stabilizer muscles an indirect workout.

Disadvantages Of Free Weights

• You have a greater risk of injury. Since free weights provide no external support, you are responsible for staying balanced and supporting the weights. So if you slip up or use improper form, you are at a greater risk for injury.
• They require more effort to change weight as you have to get up yourself and add or remove plates or dumbbells, which can take a lot out of you. Also this can be a problem when performing supersets or drop sets where you are looking to do back to back exercises, with different weights, and without wasting much time in between.
• Beginners might have trouble figuring out how to use free weights. Since there are no guidelines and many different ways to use any single free weight, it might overwhelm beginners as they might not know how to perform proper exercises with the free weights.

My Take

Whether to choose free weights of machine weights is totally up to one’s preference. I personally do most of my workouts with free weights. I find that I can do a lot more different exercises with them and also see more gains from using them.

At the same time I incorporate machine weights into my routine as well, especially when I want to perform isolation exercises for smaller muscles groups such as my triceps and biceps. I also use machine weights when I need to perform specialized exercises such as drop sets and supersets.

Neither free weights nor machine weights are better or worse than the other as they both have there ups and downs. It is best to just experiment with all sorts of exercises and equipment, and see which ones work best for you. With the right combination of free weights and machine weights, you will be able to optimize your workouts and get the results that you want to see.

More Fitness Articles

YES Ronek! I Absolutely Want To Build Pounds Of Muscle In A Matter Of Weeks Starting Today! Send Me My 100% Free "Ultimate Muscle Building" 8 Part Mini-Course Today! First Name: Email: You Will Receive the First Lesson in Your Email Inbox Immediately.100% Spam Free! We Value Your Email Privacy. You may unsubscribe at anytime.