If you want to get stronger, some kind of resistance training is the way to go.
Lets compare both approaches.
The Contenders
Most well-supplied gyms will have a hefty selection of both free weights and machines.
They make your body work against gravity to pick up the object.
For example, aleg extension machineor achest press machine.
Cable machineshave characteristics of both, so were going to leave them on the sidelines of this showdown.
So theyre a jot down of machine, but they dont provide a specific range of motion.
That means cable machine exercises have a lot in common with free weight exercises.
If you used a leg extension machine instead, you could work that same muscle.
Your inner and outer thigh muscles have to engage to keep your legs in place.
Your butt, hamstrings, and core help to keep your body steady while you go through the movement.
And depending on how you hold the weight, you may be working your arms as well.
If youre goodat deadlifts, for example, youll be great at moving couches.
Machines specificity isnt always a bad thing, though.
Bodybuilders will sometimes use machines at the end of a gym session to target specific muscles.
Its just really good at targeting that specific muscle.
But I could still do exercises on certain leg machines.
I couldnt do pull-ups anymore, since my abs were useless, but arm machines were no problem.
You really need a trainer or an experienced workout buddy to help you learn the right way to lift.
Machines are so structured that its difficult to do an exercise wrong.
That means that youre automatically using good form rather than having to work for it.
Good form helps youget the right benefits from the exercise youre doing.
In other words, machines make it harder to cheat.
If you’re able to be flexible about which equipment you use, you double your options.
For example, if the machines are busy, its easy to pick up a pair of dumbbells instead.
So in those cases, the free weights are more convenient.
But there are times when the free weights are a bigger pain.
Several benches share the same equipment, so this isnt always a given.
Thats a lot of planning just for one exercise.
But it doesnt make sense to do that for every exercise in a busy gym.
Your results will also apply better to real-life situations than if you only ever did machine exercises.
But machines definitely have their place.
Theyre great if youre trying to isolate specific muscles, or if youre rehabbing an injury.
I can only do a few chin-ups each day, and they take a lot out of me.
In the end, that makes it easier to stick to.
The best workout, after all,is the one you will actually do.
