Are free weights really better than machines?

[b8b8b]

What do you experts say? I'm pretty new to all this so I would appreciate if you would tell me.

Thanks.

 

[blut wump]

Yes.

Machines are fine for rehab and for isolation work if you're a Bodybuilder who needs to refine some aspect. Everyone else should be using free weights almost exclusively. Exceptions are the likes of pull-throughs and pulldowns if you're too heavy for chins or pullups.

The bottom line is that machines are restrictive and to train on them without also working the muscles with free weights will leave you with a lot of muscle imbalances that you won't even suspect you have. Your real-world strength will be just a fraction of your gym strength and correspondingly you're an injury waiting to happen.

Free weights work you much more and force your body to provide its own support and stability. You can get stronger on the machines but you'll do it faster and in a safer and more complete fashion with free weights.

 

[buffer1]

hands down

 

[thelion2005]

I believe that there is a place for both.

And I'm not refering to the "machines" such as the ham curl machine or the pull down/press down. These have been around for 60 years. I'm refering to Hammer Strength and such that pattern themselves off traditional exercises.

Free weights provide the challenge of balance and control in addition to overcoming gravity. They are legend for building outstanding bodies and strength.

Machines offer safety and predetermined angles for maximum effort. They can allow a person who can not perform a traditional exercise such as bench presses, with an opportunity to develop power and size.

I follow a push/leg&ab/pull routine. Recently I've used free weights the first time through, and "machines" the second time through. It has kept my routine from being stale while still making gains. I like it and it is fun.

 

[bb079]

All the time I see guys in the gym working out like beasts on the machines, and later when they hit the free weights, they seem to be a bit more conservative on the weight. I do not know if this is a mental thing or not, but maybe they see the machines safer. Myself, I use free weights all the way, except on some leg exercises. But I guess whatever you feel comfortable with, go for it.

 

[blut wump]

I believe that there is a place for both.

And I'm not refering to the "machines" such as the ham curl machine or the pull down/press down. These have been around for 60 years. I'm refering to Hammer Strength and such that pattern themselves off traditional exercises.

Free weights provide the challenge of balance and control in addition to overcoming gravity. They are legend for building outstanding bodies and strength.

Machines offer safety and predetermined angles for maximum effort. They can allow a person who can not perform a traditional exercise such as bench presses, with an opportunity to develop power and size.

I follow a push/leg&ab/pull routine. Recently I've used free weights the first time through, and "machines" the second time through. It has kept my routine from being stale while still making gains. I like it and it is fun.

Stale?? You'd die of boredom with my current routine. All I do is squat, bench and deadlift each 3x per week with some stretching and abs work to finish.

 

[rbtrout]

Read blut's first post. The reason guys go real conservative with free weights, after being like animals on the machines, is because they have to. Machines isolate the specific muscle - Hammer strength chest press for example. You sit and push the weight away from your body. The basic muscle used is your chest (and a bit of shoulders). On a free weight bench press, chest, lats, shoulders, even the quads get hit. Also, all of the little stabilizer muscles get hit on free weights. You'll never know you have these muscles if all you do is machines.
If you want a bit more defenition on a particular body part, machines will really help. If you're looking for size and strength gains, then free weights are the only way to go.

 

[bignate73]

machines isolate to a degree, but all you have to do is push, no regards for control or path of the motion. of course they can go harder. its like a car on tracks vs a car on a drag strip. you can put raw power forward if there is no risk of deviating from the path, but if you have to control where you are going, it takes a bit more work. hence the stabilizers, they are the steering.

 

[blut wump]

Sorry to continue to harp on but, if it's still not clear, all of that unrestricted 'safe' pushing ever widens the gap between the force you are able to muster and the force you are able to control away from the machine when your stabilizers and support muscles are called upon to help and support in a real-world movement.

This is the part I meant about being an injury waiting to happen. Pushing some significant poundages on a machine doesn't mean that you can do the same to a free weight in the real world. A free-weight program will lead to a fuller, stronger, better-developed, functional body.

 

[SVT-TROY]

I believe that there is a place for both.

And I'm not refering to the "machines" such as the ham curl machine or the pull down/press down. These have been around for 60 years. I'm refering to Hammer Strength and such that pattern themselves off traditional exercises.

Free weights provide the challenge of balance and control in addition to overcoming gravity. They are legend for building outstanding bodies and strength.

Machines offer safety and predetermined angles for maximum effort. They can allow a person who can not perform a traditional exercise such as bench presses, with an opportunity to develop power and size.

I follow a push/leg&ab/pull routine. Recently I've used free weights the first time through, and "machines" the second time through. It has kept my routine from being stale while still making gains. I like it and it is fun.

Go Lions...............and take the Tigers with you. Just kidding bro, I love the home teams, I saw a guy with that in his back window. Had to laugh.