Free weights and weight machines both effectively help you build lean muscle to tone your body. Free weights such as barbells and dumbbells offer you the ability to train both primary muscles and stabilizing muscles, but, as pointed out by the American Council on Exercise, they require more strength and skill to manipulate. Strength training machines activate primary muscles, but because you work along a specific path, less strengthening of stabilizing muscle groups occurs. The array of equipment in any fitness facility can be intimidating, but you can incorporate both free weights and machines to create a balanced workout.
Step 1
Assess your strength training intention and goals. Ask yourself if you are a beginner to training, an athlete looking for strength routines to improve your skills or an experienced lifter seeking additional muscle mass.
Step 2
Use strength machines to complete one set of eight or 10 strength training exercises that address all major muscle groups of the body if you are a beginner. Follow the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendations and make a set comprise eight or 10 repetitions using a weight just heavy enough to make the last two to three repetitions very challenging. Use the weight machines to help you build strength and insure proper form. Complete this routine on two, nonconsecutive days each week. Swap out some machine exercises for free weights after four to six weeks of machine-based training.
Step 3
Focus on free weights if you regularly train with weights or are an athlete or body builder. Complete anywhere between two and six sets of exercises like chest presses, bicep curls, squats, lunges, triceps extensions, bent-over rows, lateral deltoid raises, shoulder presses and rear deltoid flies. Make each set include anywhere from four to 20 repetitions---less repetitions builds strength and muscle mass, more repetitions enhances muscular endurance. Rest at least one minute between sets. Accent free weight exercises with machine-based exercises to insure isolation of primary muscle groups and challenge fatigued muscles that might not be able to complete further free weight exercises with proper form.
Step 4
Complete a circuit using both free weights and machines for a change of pace. Increase your calorie burn by choosing 10 exercises using both free weights and machines. Complete one set of each exercise without rest to perform one circuit. Repeat the circuit two or three more times to get a full-body workout in a short period of time with maximum energy output.
Tips and Warnings
- Try changing up your grip when performing free weight exercises to create a different experience for your muscles. For example, choose underhand instead of overhand on dumbbells in a bent-over row or widen the grip on your barbell for a bicep curl.
- Avoid swinging free weights, doing so cheats the muscles of strength-building and could cause joint injury. Be sure you know how a machine works before attempting to use it; consult floor staff if you are in a fitness facility.
Things You'll Need
- Barbells
- Dumbbells
- Strength training machines
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