Machines vs. Free-weights

This has been an ongoing argument ever since Arthur Jones first changed the face of the fitness industry by introducing Nautalus machines back in 1970.

Today, you can't go into any commercial fitness facility without seeing row after row of hi- tech looking machines designed to sculpt every part of your body. Just as an example, there are not just chest machines. There are machines for each part of your chest; upper, lower, inner and outer! Now will all these machines do a better job developing your chest muscles than grabbing a bar or some dumbbells and doing some bench presses? I say no. Let’s look at some of the problems associated with using machines instead of free weights.

When you use machines, you have to go where they are built to go. In other words that machine travels in a specific range over a specific path and it doesn't matter if that is the best path for your particular body or not. You have to follow it. The result can lead to injury if you don't fit that machine just right. With free-weights you will fall into a natural groove that is right for your body. That bar will travel in the way that is the most natural for you.

Machines can be made to only be so adjustable. This goes along with the previous point. Everyone has different bone lengths. No one’s upper arm and forearm are exactly the same length as someone else’s. nor are their torso length and shoulder width the same as others. For this reason it would be virtually impossible to make a machine that could be adjusted to fit everyone exactly right.

Machines are designed to isolate a specific muscle group which in theory means you can work that muscle much harder but in reality what it means is that you do not work that muscle in conjunction with the other supporting muscles around it. The result is you may become very strong in that little isolated position but if you try to duplicate that exercise with free weights you will likely find you have very little control of the weight. You will have difficulty balancing it and keeping it in the groove. In other words there is very little carry over from machines to free-weights.

When I train a beginner I have a simple rule I have followed for many years. If you can use a pair of dumbbells instead of a bar do it. If you can do it with a bar instead of a machine do it. When you learn from the beginning to balance and control a weight in each hand separately switching to a bar is going to be far easier and if you choose to use a machine for sake of variety you will be amazed at just how strong you will likely be.
My approach is in total opposition to what I have seen countless trainers in the "big box" fitness facilities have their novice clients do. It’s much easier to put someone on a machine and say, "keep your elbows high and just push" than it is to teach the proper technique of an incline dumbbell press for example.

Using free weights not only builds the specific muscles you are targeting it also builds balance, coordination and self-awareness.