Why are free weights better than machines?

T

Tomahawk

0
I just joined a local gym for the first time in my life. They have tons of machines that work various body parts that i've started using and they felt like they worked well. Why is it that everyone seems to say free weights are better for training then machines?

My strength training routine is going to be a split routine each body part getting worked 2 times a week. Monday and Wednesday chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps and tuesday and thursday back and legs. Doing abs every day.

Now my question was I was thinking monday and tuesday being machine days and wednesday and thursday free wieght day. This way each body part gets worked out twice a week- 1 day free weights and 1 day machines. What does everyone think about this? Would it be more benificial to just do machines all the time or free weights all the time? Or would it be benificial to do Machines for 6 weeks and free weights for 6 weeks and switch off like that. Any info is very much appreciated.
 
free weights all the time.

With machines, your muscles only get worked in one motion. You dont use stabilizers either. If you do squats, you have to use your core to keep balanced and not to fall, you dont have to do that with a leg press machines.
same with bench vs chest press machine. With the bench you have to stabilize the load. Ever taken a look at someone who has only done machines and never bench pressed? the bar wanderes everywhere, because he cant stabilize it. and in real life you need stability, since things you lift IRL, will be "free"
 
Karky said:
free weights all the time.
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Karky is right, this time. lol

If you're strength training, you should always use free weights. Unless you have one lagging muscle that's keeping you from advancing in a main lift (very rare).
 
I always used a variety of free weights and machines just to keep my muscles confused and get some variety. Just don't use a machine every time for the same muscle group.
 
Tomahawk said:
more opinions please. Machines are so much fun though :(
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yeah, 'fun'...because they use pulleys and levers to cheat you on the actual workload, not to mention you are forced to follow the machines range of motion...rather than your body's natural range of motion.

machines simply can't duplicate that. plus, you use zero stabilizer muscles, machines are very much 'isolation' exercises, which means you can develop weaknesses, like the rear delts and rotator cuffs, from doing a lot of machines, instead of free weights.

the only machines I use are for doing calf raises, narrow stance leg press (after squats), and the cable station for some isolation at the end of my routine.
everything else is barbells, dumbbels, and iron.
 
malkore said:
yeah, 'fun'...because they use pulleys and levers to cheat you on the actual workload, not to mention you are forced to follow the machines range of motion...rather than your body's natural range of motion.

machines simply can't duplicate that. plus, you use zero stabilizer muscles, machines are very much 'isolation' exercises, which means you can develop weaknesses, like the rear delts and rotator cuffs, from doing a lot of machines, instead of free weights.

the only machines I use are for doing calf raises, narrow stance leg press (after squats), and the cable station for some isolation at the end of my routine.
everything else is barbells, dumbbels, and iron.
Click to expand...

Good call ;) i only use it for face pulls, which is a functional exersice anyways, and cable rows.. but dont those count :p
 
Free weights are the way to go, but there are some things you can only get on a machine such as the progressive resistance on a Hammer Strength curl machine, or the consistant resistance to top of the rep on a pec deck or (one of my favorites) the arc of the rep on a Hammer Strength bench press machine. As long as you continue to use free weights and just supplement with machines once in a while you will keep the stabilizer muscles in good shape and avoid weaknesses, but you will also throw some curveballs at your muscles with machines, stimulating muscle growth, which is a good thing.
 
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