Increasing muscular fitness levels is the goal of most weightlifters. Throughout the years there has been much debate about using machine weights versus free weights. Proponents of each swear by their preferred mode and often don't consider the plethora of information on the other type. Each of these methods of improving muscular fitness levels has both pros and cons.
Weight Machine Pros
Using weight machines can be a very effective way to increase muscle size and improve muscular strength and endurance. Weight machines provide the advantage of keeping the load in a safe and confined area, thereby decreasing the risk of injury. Additionally, weight machines make it easy for the user to keep the weight under control. This is especially important for rehab and post-rehab exercisers who may need to do simpler movements as a part of their reintroduction into lifting weights.
Weight Machine Cons
Weight machines do have some disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages is that machines do not allow you to work several muscle groups at the same time. With most machines, you do one exercise for one part of the body; you use fewer muscle groups so you expend less energy and burn fewer calories. Additionally, because of the high amount of support the machine provides and the fixed motions you perform, weight machines don't allow you to do more functionally based movements that mimic activities of daily living.
Free Weight Pros
Free weights have the distinct advantage that they allow you to use several muscle groups at one time. Muscles naturally work together, and performing exercises that involve free weights forces the body to use muscles that act as synergists and stabilizers. Synergist muscles assist primary muscles in contraction, while stabilizers steady other muscle groups so the primary muscles can work correctly. Bringing all these muscles into lifting increases the effort and quality of the exercise. Additionally, with free weights, you have more options for full body movements, which are more realistic in relation to how the body normally functions.
Free Weight Cons
The most apparent disadvantage of free weights is increased risk of injury. Free weights are not fixed in a confined space so they can be difficult to control. The lack of support and fixity of the weights can make lifting uncomfortable and dangerous for the beginner. Without proper technique in relation to body alignment, grip and stance, free weight users can easily injure themselves.
Expert Insight
As far back as 1978 in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers found that free weights and machines showed no major differences in superiority in relation to the goal of increasing overall muscular fitness levels. However, various research studies have since indicated some smaller differences. In the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 1994, researchers indicated exercises like a bench press with free weights provided greater muscle activity at 60 percent of one repetition maximum than a guided bench press using a machine. Overall, though, the consensus is that both methods of weightlifting are effective and yield similar results.
References
- European Journal of Applied Physiology; "Variable Resistance Versus Constant Resistance . . . "; T. Pipes; 1978
- Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research; "A Comparison of Muscle Activity . . . "; S. McCaw and J. Friday; 1994
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