Machines vs. Free weights
Looking at my workouts you will notice that I prefer free weights over machines. If I do use machines they are only in the first stages of a workout and I transition back to free weights within a few weeks. There are very good reasons for that, but first a few definitions:
Primary Muscles: The big muscles you use to lift weights with, the ones that really show up, think pectorals, biceps, quadriceps, or abs (there are many more); directly target when working out
Secondary Muscles: Smaller muscles surrounding the primary muscles which help stabilize; not directly targeted during a specific exercise but still receive a workout
When I was first getting into weight training, I knew a guy named Ian. Ian was one of those guys who looked like he was chiseled out of stone. He told me “Whatever exercise you do on a machine, you will get 3x the workout using free weights. I can tell you, Ian was right, the reason is that machines and free weights work your body in very different ways.
Machines
Lifting machines are designed to provide resistance to one specific movement, and they do that very well. When you lift using a machine you are only engaging a primary and maybe a few large secondary muscles. To be fair, this can allow for some significant gains of the primary muscle. This means machines are great for getting started with new or unfamiliar types of lifting.
Free Weights
Free weights, unlike machines allow freedom of movements of the weights providing resistance, leaving you to provide the stabilization. To do this, you have to use dozens of secondary muscles throughout your body in addition to the primary muscle being exercised. If the secondary muscles are weak, this can leave you feeling wobbly and/or not being able to lift as much as your primary muscles are able. However, in a single exercise you are activating much more muscle mass than you would on a machine.
Free weights can be intimidating because of the wobbliness or exercising next to what seems like everyone who is lifting more than you. This is one time when all I can say is just suck it up and do it. The extra muscles you work will help you drop weight much faster than if you use machines.
If you aren’t comfortable with a certain weight, go ahead and move the weight down a bit, or ask someone to spot you (step in if you lose control). If you’re not careful you might actually end up meeting some people and making friends around the gym this way too!
Dumbbells
A quick word about dumbbells: Think of these as free weights 2.0. Basically they provide even less stability than a free weight bar, that means more muscle activation, which means more weight loss! Not to mention they will help solve any strength imbalances you might have from one limb to another. Whenever possible I recommend using dumbbells. Not to mention there’s usually less people around them meaning less waiting and a faster work out for you!
Looking at my workouts you will notice that I prefer free weights over machines. If I do use machines they are only in the first stages of a workout and I transition back to free weights within a few weeks. There are very good reasons for that, but first a few definitions:
Primary Muscles: The big muscles you use to lift weights with, the ones that really show up, think pectorals, biceps, quadriceps, or abs (there are many more); directly target when working out
Secondary Muscles: Smaller muscles surrounding the primary muscles which help stabilize; not directly targeted during a specific exercise but still receive a workout
When I was first getting into weight training, I knew a guy named Ian. Ian was one of those guys who looked like he was chiseled out of stone. He told me “Whatever exercise you do on a machine, you will get 3x the workout using free weights. I can tell you, Ian was right, the reason is that machines and free weights work your body in very different ways.
Machines
Lifting machines are designed to provide resistance to one specific movement, and they do that very well. When you lift using a machine you are only engaging a primary and maybe a few large secondary muscles. To be fair, this can allow for some significant gains of the primary muscle. This means machines are great for getting started with new or unfamiliar types of lifting.
Free Weights
Free weights, unlike machines allow freedom of movements of the weights providing resistance, leaving you to provide the stabilization. To do this, you have to use dozens of secondary muscles throughout your body in addition to the primary muscle being exercised. If the secondary muscles are weak, this can leave you feeling wobbly and/or not being able to lift as much as your primary muscles are able. However, in a single exercise you are activating much more muscle mass than you would on a machine.
Free weights can be intimidating because of the wobbliness or exercising next to what seems like everyone who is lifting more than you. This is one time when all I can say is just suck it up and do it. The extra muscles you work will help you drop weight much faster than if you use machines.
If you aren’t comfortable with a certain weight, go ahead and move the weight down a bit, or ask someone to spot you (step in if you lose control). If you’re not careful you might actually end up meeting some people and making friends around the gym this way too!
Dumbbells
A quick word about dumbbells: Think of these as free weights 2.0. Basically they provide even less stability than a free weight bar, that means more muscle activation, which means more weight loss! Not to mention they will help solve any strength imbalances you might have from one limb to another. Whenever possible I recommend using dumbbells. Not to mention there’s usually less people around them meaning less waiting and a faster work out for you!
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Free weights produce better results imo. I guess it’s like you said, you have to balance yourself, so you’re doing more work.
Thanks for sharing!
Ben, you are 100% right that free weights produce better results than machines! A lot of times I find myself working muscles i didn’t know I had when I am doing some new variation of an exercise using a pair of dumbbells.
What I was trying to get across is that machines are well suited for working a specific muscle. (as opposed to tons of muscles when using free weights).