Strength Training: Free Weights vs Machine Exercise

Strength training is an essential element for overall fitness. Both free weights and machine weights will help strengthen and tone muscles while stimulating bone density which helps guard against fractures and osteoporosis. These types of exercise are also both dependant on mindful ‘range of motion’ combined with the use of resistance (provided by weights) to challenge the muscles. Range of motion or ROM, refers to how far we can extend and flex our joints. The greater the resistance our muscles must overcome while doing ROM exercises, the more effective the exercise will be, and the stronger our muscles will become.

Now, let’s examine your choice of free weights and machine exercise equipment.

Take for instance the classic dumbbell bicep curl. If you aren’t familiar with the exercise, it is performed by standing up straight with your palms facing forward, and a pair of dumbbells held down at your sides. Then by flexing your arms you bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height, and slowly lengthen them again through a full range of motion. In this particular example of free weights, the biceps along with the muscles in your forearms and fingers are challenged.

For this same movement using a bicep curl machine, you sit down, brace your upper arms on a pad, grasp 2 handles in front of you, and then perform the same movement as above by moving the handles in an upward motion. By using the curl machine, the only muscles contracting are your biceps. This is because you are sitting down and the additional support the machine offers, your range of motion will be confined to the muscles you want to exercise. 

This is a double-edged sword:

When using machine weights, you will always be limited to what type of exercise you can perform, but you can be sure your body will be in proper alignment and thus minimize your risk of injury.

Exercise Machines are designed to follow a strict procedure and thus enforce perfect body alignment to help protect against injury. Unfortunately, you are usually restricted to working a very particular muscle (or muscle group) so to get a very well-rounded strength building workout, you’ll have to become familiar with a variety of different machines. Another point to consider is that exercise machines are often bulky, take up a lot of space in your home, and are inconvenient to move around. Lastly, these exercises can become repetitive and boring.

Free weights, like dumbbells, on the other hand, are more versatile and without limiting your range of motion you are able to work more muscles at a time. But, there is also an increased risk of injury.

You can achieve dramatic results building muscle tone and strength with just a simple set of weights. Your range of motion is only limited by the need to keep your body from being injured. Bad body posture while strength training with weights can lead to injuries, even if you are only using 1.5 pound dumbbells. When using free weights, you must pay considerable attention to form and body alignment. If you want to press weights you will also need a bench to align your body safely and a partner or trainer to overlook your body posture.

To conclude the comparison, exercise machines are designed to be safer on our body than free weights, generally by letting you exercise only selected muscle groups and by limiting range of motion. Not so using free weights. In order to get the most out of a workout with free weights we must engage the mind by concentrating on the muscle group we want to tone and strengthen. We must also be aware of balance by using other muscle groups in support of particular movements, by tightening the stomach muscles, keeping the back straight, and setting feet shoulder-width apart. This can make working with free weights a harder but more effective exercise for overall body fitness.

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