Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Free Weights vs Machines

In strength training, free weights vs. machines is always the first question to be asked. To most people starting out, or those who have not lifted in awhile, picking out a routine is hard enough let alone trying to figure out which equipment to use. We will try to give the plus and the minuses of free weights and weight machines and let you decide which will benefit you the most.



Lets look at Free Weights:

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells


The Pros:1] With free weights you will definitely get quicker and larger strength gains.

2] When you are lifting during a free weight workout you will find that it is less time consuming because free weights can be interchanged for numerous exercises.

3] Benching, curling, shoulder presses with free weight equipment gives you a greater range of motion.

4] Supporting your own body weight you can work on specific muscles which will involve smaller stabilizer muscles which will help in building whole body strength.

5] LESS EXPENSIVE then most machines. With a weight bench and a good set of dumbbells you can preform a full compliment of exercises.

My personal choice because of durability and ease of changing to the weight you need, along with taking the place of 15 sets of dumbbells are the Bowflex 552 SelectTech Dumbbells. together with the Bowflex 5.1 Adjustable Bench which allows you to preform incline exercises, they make an excellent combination. Both of these can be purchased through amazon.

Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench Series 5.1

The Cons: 1] Free weights lack the support that machines gives you.

2] Good form is much harder to achieve because you don't have the controlled motion of the exercise machine.

3] Harder to work out on your own. A spotter is required to help you through the workout, to guide you and help you at the end of your set when you try to do that last rep.

4] More chance of injury. Either through bad form, because of no support, or the chance of dropping weights that might be to heavy.

5] Free Weights exercises can be more confusing without proper training. Machines are more defined on exactly which exercise to preform and which muscles it involves.

Lets look at Machines:

Bowflex Ultimate Home Gym

The Pros: 1] Machines are SAFER to use because they provide good support.

2] Ease of use, the exercise machine has a controlled motion which can isolate that specific muscle group you want to workout.

3] You can workout alone, the machine is your guide that controls you on a fixed path during the exercise

4] Less chance of injury. No chance of the weights falling on you, because the movements of the exercise machine are controlled.

5] Exercise machines are excellent for people who are rehabilitating an injury because of their support and stability.

My personal choice for an exercise machine that offers over 90 exercises and 310 lbs. of resistance is the Bowflex Ultimate which can be purchased through amazon.

The cons:1] Exercise machines restrict your motion, because they work on a fixed path.

2] Too supportive , fewer muscle groups are used so less calories are burned.

3] Exercise Machines can be expensive, compared to free weights.

4] Exercise machines do not give you bulk and pure strength as compared to free weights.

5] There is more space needed for fitness machines then a free weight set up.

Hopefully with this information it will take the confusion out of any decision between free weights and exercise machines. With free weights you can get the most out of strength training, spend less money on weight equipment and use less room in your home. With exercise machines, they are safer to use, less chance of injury, you can workout alone and have many well defined exercises to choose from.


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With any decision you make on which type of workout equipment you want will depend on your goals and personal preferences. The one common thread between free weights and exercise machine is you will definitely improve your strength, your muscle tone, loose that unwanted fat and the most important reason of all, FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.

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