— ARCHIVES —
Exercise of the Month - March 2009: “Free Weights –vs- Machines”
One of the questions I continue to get asked over the years is the following: “Paul, which is a better choice, free weights or machines?” As always, I’ll answer with phrases like “what are your goals” or better yet, “it depends.” That being said, in the end, free weights will always trump machines. The following are some of the major features of free weights and strength training.
Free Weights
- Require more focus on technique
- Significantly less expensive
- Allow for replication of more natural movement
- Virtually any age, shape, or size can utilize
- Require much less space/square footage
Machines
- Take up more space than free weights
- Most machines only allow one exercise on that machine (i.e. leg extension only allow for just that, whereas you could work every lower body muscle on a free weight squat variation)
- Don’t accommodate all shapes and sizes (crucial due to our nations’ current obesity epidemic)
- Don’t allow for freedom of movement in certain ranges of motion
- Over-isolates muscles
- Most engage the exerciser to sit; we sit WAY too much in this country!
As you can tell, I am not a huge fan of machine training. Sure, there will be a time here or there I’ll have a client try an exercise on a machine (or preferably cables), but free weights will always win the battle.