Free Weights vs Machines?

Well, considering how much almost every guy would like to be considered cut and trim, it appears to be that there is a constant dispute between supporters of the use of free weights and those that prefer exercise machines.

Many people claim that the body will benefit more from free weights. This is true to some extent, but some people feel that weight machines better. Free weights and exercise machines both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Take as an example the classic dumbbell bicep curl. This exercise is done standing up erect, palms facing forward with a dumbell in each hand. By contracting the biceps, the dumbbells are lifted as close as possible to the upper arms and then brought back to the initial position.

The same exercise done using an exercise machine consists of immobilizing your upper arms on a fixed pad, grasping a pair of handles in front and executing the same motion as in the case of the free weight exercise.

If you analyze these two types of exercises, you’ll discover that at the biceps level, they are almost the same thing. The difference lies in the fact that the free weights stimulate rather intensely other muscles beside the biceps, like your shoulders and your forearms, while the exercise machine isolates better the muscles you are training.

The pros for machines are that with them, one can more easily choose how much weight you want to work with. Free weights, on the other hand, can get a little tougher.

Still, over the years free weights have proven their efficiency. For instance, the history of bodybuilding is full of cases where impressive bodies have been obtained using nothing but free weights. Even nowadays professional bodybuilders rely mainly, if not solely, on free weights in order to bulk up.

Because free weights involve more muscles at a time, they are more effective than exercise machines on the whole. This doesn’t imply, though, that exercise machines are not very good. They have some advantages, like isolating more effectively the muscles you intend to train.

So what do I think in conclusion, I think a combination of both might be the most optimal, and dare I say a couple of bodyweight exercises (pull-ups, push-ups and dips AND burpees) won’t hurt.

To health.

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