Free Weights vs. Machines: How to Choose
Almost any well-designed strength training routine can help you achieve the major benefits of strength training, from increased muscle and bone strength to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. However, the specific equipment you choose to exercise with will affect the quality of your workout and, if you’re using a home gym, your budget and space requirements for your equipment, so it’s important to know the benefits and drawbacks of different equipment types and pick the equipment that best supports your workout goals. One of the major decisions you have to make before starting any strength training workout is whether to use free weights or strength training machines. If you’re struggling to decide, consider which of the following cases best describes you.
In general, free weights will give you a greater range of motion during exercises and will require greater overall balance and coordination to maintain good form. This means free weights may be the better option if:
- You like variety in your workouts: Because free weights give you a full range of motion, it’s easy to make slight modifications to a familiar exercise to target different muscles or make the exercise more challenging. Free weights give you full control over your form and technique. Free weights can also be incorporated into a variety of cardiovascular workouts for novelty, challenge, and cross-training.
- You want to start a home gym on a tight budget: For the price of just a few sets of fixed-weight free weights or a single pair of adjustable dumbbells, you can perform many of the exercises available on a much more expensive piece of gym equipment. Free weights are indispensable basic equipment in any home gym.
- You want to start a home gym but have limited space: Whether you choose fixed-weight free weights, space-saving adjustable dumbbells, or lightweight resistance bands, you can perform free weight exercises and then store your equipment on a shelf or in a closet. Free weights give you the ability to work out at home without using up a spare room or filling up an already-cramped living space.
- You’re strength training for a specific sport: Free weights give you the range of motion needed to naturally simulate the movement patterns you’ll use during many sports, rather than locking you into the predetermined motion pattern of a machine, so your strength training gains will translate better onto the field or court.
- You’re trying to maximize your overall strength and balance: Because you need to use stabilizer muscles to maintain balance and proper form during free weights exercise, your overall strength and balance can improve faster when working out using free weights. This means experienced weight lifters and others who have learned proper weight lifting technique will usually benefit from the added challenge of lifting free weights.
- You find machines uncomfortable to use: For people who are above- or below-average in height, free weight exercises can be more comfortable than machine exercises because you are not constrained to the bench or weight grip dimensions of a machine.
On the other hand, strength training machines will enforce a specific movement pattern, which means they may be a better choice if:
- You’re new to strength training or learning a new exercise: Strength training machines can be the easiest way to learn proper technique for each exercise while avoiding the risk of injury, because machines enforce a specific motion pattern and often provide the proper ergonomic support for the exercise. If you don’t want to get a gym membership or invest in a home gym just to learn new exercises, then consider starting out with a detailed free weights exercise instructional guide or video that demonstrations proper exercise form in a way you find easy to understand.
- You’re in physical therapy or rehabilitation: Machines can give you the ability to isolate a muscle more easily than some free weight exercises, and machines can provide support to minimize additional injury during exercise, which may be important to achieving a physical therapy goal.
- You like to lift weight without a spotter: For those who choose very challenging weights during their workouts, using machines can be safer than using free weights because a spotter is not required.
- You like to move quickly through your workouts: For some strength training routines, the ability to quickly get up and move from machine to machine (or from machine station to machine station) can decrease the overall time required to work out compared to changing weights and getting into proper position using free weights.
If you still can’t decide whether free weights or machines are right for your strength training goals, consider talking to a personal trainer at a local gym to get a tailored recommendation. When you’re first getting started, remember that the most important thing is to learn to perform your strength training safely, and whether you choose free weights or machines, you can still get a great workout that will help you achieve your fitness goals.