The human body adapts to stress placed upon it through weight training by becoming stronger. This process takes place by moving the limbs against a resistance. Although the body's own weight can be used for this resistance, a more popular approach is to use weight machines and free weights. Each has distinct advantages. Free weights come in the form of dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls and anything else that does not have an attachment. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen.
Injury Prevention
People who are new to exercise are commonly advised to use machines before free weights. Weight machines offer a fixed position and have guided movement, which, Rice University explains, decreases the risk for injury. However, as you become more experienced with weight training, moving to free weights can help you achieve faster results. This is due to the unbalanced nature of free weights. Each exercise targets a specific muscle, but you also have to contract stabilizing muscles to remain balanced and to maintain proper form. Free weights give you this advantage because they are not bound by a cable, pulley or chain.
Movement Specificity
In daily life, you go through numerous movement patterns to perform tasks. Take placing a box on a high shelf, for example: You need to bend down, grab the box from the floor, lift it above your head and place it on the shelf. This is a functional movement pattern that involves several joints and muscle groups. According to MayoClinic.com, free weights help simulate real-life lifting situations like this; they also promote full-body stability A comparable exercise to this task is the clean and press.
Weight Adjustment
Dumbbells range in weight from 1 pound to more than 100. Barbells weigh 25 to 45 lbs. by themselves, and you can increase the resistance by sliding weight plates onto the ends and using collars to hold them in place. Weight plates range from 2.5 to 45 lbs., and, starting at 5, they go up in 5-lb. increments. This makes free weights advantageous when you are doing exercises and only want to add or reduce the weight by a slight amount. Often with machines, you do not have this convenience, as many can only be adjusted in 10-lb. increments. However, certain machines have weight stacks that are pin-loaded. This is advantageous when you want to make quick changes to your weight and perform sets with short rest breaks.
Versatility
Because machines typically have pin adjustments for the seats, lever arms and weights, they give you the freedom to make quick transitions with exercises. For example, you can perform a set of seated bench presses, then quickly walk over to a back-row machine and do a set of rows in a matter of seconds. This will allow you to perform workouts in a short amount of time if you are in a hurry.
Portability
Unlike machines, free weights are relatively easy to transport. This gives you an advantage when you invest in a set for home use. They also take up little space and can be placed in your trunk and taken with you during a road trip.
Proper Form
After doing a series of repetitions, fatigue generally sets in and you become weaker. At this point, form tends to break down. When you use machines, you are forced to maintain proper movement patterns --- which prevents cheating, the American Council on Exercise notes.
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