The debate between free weights and machines has been a hot topic in the fitness community for decades.
Both methods offer unique benefits and drawbacks, and understanding the differences is essential for anyone looking to optimize their training routine.
Keep reading and we’ll dive into the most notable differences between free weights and machines, discuss the pros and cons of each, and ultimately help you choose the right way to attack your workouts.
Free Weights vs Machines - What’s the Difference?
Before diving deeper, it’s important to understand what’s meant by free weights and machines.
Free weights include equipment like dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells that allow you to move them freely through space.
This freedom engages stabilizer muscles and enables versatile, functional movements.
On the other hand, machines have a predetermined range of motion, guiding your movement through fixed paths.
Common examples you’ll see in the gym include leg press, chest press and lat pulldown machines.
Do Free Weights and Machines Work the Same Muscles?
Free weights and machines usually work the same core muscle groups.
However, free weight exercises require you to stabilize the load. This means, in addition to your target muscles, smaller stabilizer muscles, as well as your core, have to work hard to keep the movement controlled and balanced.
The movement with a machine is controlled along a fixed path, which isolates a specific muscle group or set of muscles, but doesn’t recruit the stabilizer muscles and core in the same way.
Can You Build Muscle with Machines Only?
You can 100% build muscle only using machines.
As long as you put your muscles under some form of resistance, you will be able to induce hypertrophy (aka muscle growth).
In fact, building specific muscles may actually be easier with machines, as machines make it easier to isolate a certain muscle group and work out safely with higher weight/more resistance.
Pros and Cons of Working Out with Free Weights
Let’s look at the arguments for and against working out with free weights.
On the plus side, free weights excel at building functional strength by engaging multiple muscle groups and encouraging natural movement patterns.
Free weights are versatile, allowing for a wide variety of exercises, from compound lifts that work several muscles at once to dynamic movements that challenge balance and coordination.
Free weights are also cheaper and more accessible. You can easily get a couple of dumbbells or a kettlebell to work out at home with, while to use machines, you’ll typically need access to a gym (and smaller gyms may have a limited variety of machines).
In terms of cons, the open nature of free weight exercises means that maintaining proper form is crucial, and there's an increased risk of injury, particularly for beginners or people recovering from injury.
It also means the safe upper limit for what you can lift with free weights is lower, and thus it may take longer to build muscle.
Pros and Cons of Working Out with Machines
The advantage of machines is that they’re designed with user safety in mind, making them an excellent option for those new to resistance training or recovering from an injury.
Their guided motion helps maintain proper form and allows for targeted isolation of muscle groups, which can be beneficial for bodybuilding and rehabilitation.
It’s also easier to use more weight with machines, because the risk of injury (such as damaging stabilizer muscles/joints, or dropping the weight) is lower.
While the controlled range of motion can be a positive, it can also be a drawback.
This restriction can lead to a lack of engagement of the smaller stabilizing muscles, potentially resulting in imbalances.
Additionally, the fixed patterns may not always mimic natural movements, possibly reducing the overall functional benefit of working out with machines.
What Science Says About Free Weights vs Machines
What does the science say about the advantages of each training method?
In one study comparing the effect of training with free weights vs machines on muscle mass, strength, free testosterone, and free cortisol, there was found to be:
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Minimal to no difference in muscle mass and strength
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No difference in cortisol response
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A greater increase in testosterone (in men) when training with free weights
In another, looking at the effectiveness of free weights vs machines in novice adult males, both training methods delivered similar results in muscularity, strength, and functional ability.
Another study suggests that free weight squats may be more effective in building lower-body power than the leg press machine for men - while a different study found the opposite result (machine squats more effective than free weights) for women.
Effectiveness for Different Training Goals
The key thing to remember is that your training goals (as well as your ability, experience, injury history, and other factors), will shape your workout regimen.
For some people, free weights will be better, while for others, machines are ideal.
If your goal is maximum strength and power, free weights are often the best choice, due to their ability to mimic real-world movements, engage the core, and engage stabilizer muscles.
In contrast, if muscle hypertrophy or targeted muscle growth is your primary goal, machines can be ideal, as they make it easier to isolate and fatigue specific muscles safely.
If you’re focused on rehabilitation or injury prevention, machines offer a safer, more controlled environment to regain strength.
Athletes looking to boost overall performance might benefit from a blend of both free weights and machines, ensuring a balance between functional strength and targeted muscle conditioning.
Summary: Who Should Use Free Weights, and Who Should Use Machines?
Ultimately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing between free weights and machines.
The ideal approach depends on your individual goals, experience level, and any existing limitations or injuries.
For functional strength and overall athletic performance, free weights are often better. While machines offer increased control and safety for muscle isolation and rehabilitation.
For most people, though, there’s no reason to restrict yourself to only free weights or only machines.
Assuming you have access to a decent gym, you’ll have the choice of both. And the most effective workout plans usually mix the two; you might go from barbell bench press, to the shoulder press machine, to incline bench press using dumbbells.
For 95% of people, there’s no need to overthink it – just get out there and put your muscles to work.
