FREE WEIGHTS OR MACHINES? THE ULTIMATE COMPARISON

If you are starting with your strength training, at first, any weight lifting could be beneficial, but if you want to optimize your progress, it is worth understanding how free weight exercises differ from those performed on machines. Customize your routine in detail and start making the most of it now.

How do they differ?

Basically, free weights consist of the weight you lift on your own; dumbbells, bars, etc. The control of this lift depends solely on you, so during the exercise, you may end up involving other parts of the body. Machines, on the other hand, guide your movement, providing you with a more specific and controlled exercise.

What are the advantages of each?

1.Free weight:

• Improvement of stability and balance: By requiring you to manage the weight in multiple directions, you strengthen not only the main muscles but also the stabilizer muscles.
• It resembles your everyday movements: Free weight exercises often mimic natural and functional movements, which can be more beneficial during your daily life.
• Flexibility in movements: They allow greater freedom of movement, enabling you to adjust the lifting path to your own biomechanics.

2.Gym machines:

• Ease of use and safety: Machines offer a more controlled environment, which reduces the risk of injury and is ideal for beginners or people in rehabilitation.
• They allow focusing on specific muscle groups: By limiting the range of motion, machines can be very effective for isolating and working specific muscle groups.
• No need for a spotter: The nature of machines allows users to work out without the need for a spotter, which is convenient if training alone.

And their drawbacks?

1.Free weight:

• Higher risk of injury: If proper technique is not used, the risk of injury can be higher, especially for beginners or when trying to lift very heavy loads.
• Need for a spotter: For some exercises, especially with heavy loads, it may be necessary to have the assistance of a spotter to ensure safety.

2.Gym machines:

• Less work for stabilizer muscles: By controlling the movement, machines do not require as much from the stabilizer muscles, which could result in a less complete workout.
• Their standard design, although adjustable, means they do not always fit different body types.

CONCLUSION

Based on the information provided, we can affirm that gym machines are more beneficial if you are a beginner in strength training. However, in the long term, they also have little to envy from free weight exercises. After all, the premise of strength training is to push your body to the limit through progressive overload and machines will always be a safer option to carry it out.

It is true that free weight lifting can be very beneficial in certain cases. For example: If you can only go to the gym a couple of days a week and need to stimulate more parts of your body with the least amount of exercises possible, or if you simply have a gym partner who accompanies you in your routine allowing you to increase your maximum weights safely, after all, the benefits of training with a partner should not be underestimated.

In conclusion, at Fitness Tech we believe that gym machines can be even more suitable for your strength training. That is why we have just launched two new ranges of machines -selectorized and lever-, so you can incorporate them into your home or training center and fully customize your routine.

In lever machines, the weight is increased through a load of plates on the appropriate supports, as if it were a barbell. While in selectorized machines, the user chooses a weight using a pin. In both cases, however, the exercises are performed in a guided and safe manner.

If you want to know more about the new range of controlled training machines, just click on our website in the Commercial Solutions section where you will find all the information you need.

If you liked this article, I encourage you to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss any updates.