An age old argument – which is better for fitness…free weights or weight training machines? It’s not a simple question that’s for sure as there are so many variables to consider. Instead of trying to provide a definitive answer to an impossible question it’s better to look at the pros and cons of both and let you, the user, decide…
Free weights (dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, sandbags, kettlebells etc) are very versatile. With a selection of free weights you can have a great all over body workout in minimal space. It’s hard to think of a muscle or muscle group that can’t effectively be trained using free weights. BUT – when using free weights you also have to consider safety. If you fail during a set of bench press you had best hope your training partner is alert otherwise severe injury may occur and heaven forbid something goes wrong when you are doing heavy squats with a barbell across your shoulders. When that goes wrong it goes REALLY wrong! Add into the equation that many free weight exercises have a high skill component and you can see that as versatile as free weights are there can sometimes be considered high risk.
Machines on the other hand are much lower risk – at least in the short term. Dropping the weight during a set of lat pull downs may cause a crash but no one is likely to get hurt. However, if a machine isn’t set up correctly or doesn’t suit an individual because of seat height, lever position or limb length, with repeated use over time a machine could cause chronic problems especially in the shoulders, hips or knees. Machines are generally not as versatile are free weights as you can normally only perform 1 exercise per machine but you can change the weight quickly making them suitable for a large number of users. In the end, rather that worry about which is best, the question is which one is best for YOU. Each training method should be judged on its own merits and remember, they are just tools. And who says you have to use one or the other? Use what you like; discard what you don’t – argument solved!
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