Those of you that have done any amount of reading concerning weight training will be aware of the ongoing debate regarding the use of free weights versus machines from a store development. I've used both and I've done it for decades. In this article, I'm going to tell you which one comes out on top and I'm going to tell you why. I think by the time you reach the end you will be coming down on my side of the discussion.

Free weights offer a complete range of movement

the first reason that free weights are superior to machines is that they offer a complete range of movement. Not only that, but they do so in a way that provides for the absolute minimum amount of stress on joints and connective tissues. As an example, let's take a look at tech deck versus a free weight fly.

In the pec deck, the angle at which your arms are moving with respect to your torso is predetermined by whatever seat height settings are available in the deck. Depending on how you put together this can limit how wide your fly is, and how deep you can go. With dumbbells, you lie on your back and gravity is a resistance force. You can lower your arms at whatever angle you wish with respect your torso, and you can lower them as far as you like, without hitting any sort of mechanical stop.

Machines force you to perform an exercise within a specific arc of movement. Your arms or legs are going to move in a specific pattern repeatedly. Sure, a lot of machines have gotten various adjustments but once you run out with those, you're done. With free weights there is literally no limit to the different angles of attack you can choose.

Why is this a problem? Can you say carpal tunnel? If you do incline bench presses on a Smith machine, you will be doing them at exactly the same angle and in exactly the same movement pattern over and over. Even if you change the angle of your bench, the vertical movement is proscribed and there is no way to adjust it.

Flexibility in weight selection

Dumbbells and barbells with removable plates allow you to reach just about any amount of weight you choose it. This is important for a couple of reasons. Number one, at some point you're going to outgrow the weight stack on a machine. I know that I can max out easily on any of the leg press machines in my gym. But there's no way I could ever run out of weight plates if I'm doing squats.

The other reason maximum flexibility in weight selection is important, is that as you advance in your weight-training career you will find that improvement comes in ever smaller increments. Many advanced weightlifters even use tiny 1/8 pound plates that they carry with them in their gym bags. These sorts of fine adjustments of weight loads are simply not available with machines.

A machine is what it is and that's all there is to it. If your gym has 15 machines and no free weights, then your choice is to do one of those 15 exercises and that's about it. If your gym has got a single barbell and dumbbells set in a big pile of plates, your options are pretty much endless. While there are many free weight movements that simply cannot be duplicated with a machine, there are no machine movements that cannot be done with free weights.

Functionality of free weight training

Training with free weights more accurately simulates real-world situations. Gravity is a resistance force in free weight training. Just like it is in day-to-day life. I've heard some machine proponents claim that this fact is actually a limitation of free weights, because there are some machines that can place a resistance force at unusual angles a specific muscle groups. I think you're missing the big picture here.

None of us is ever going to have a situation where we suddenly need a vast amount of strength on a single muscle group in at an odd angle. The way to develop strength is to use big compound less than progressive resistance. I don't think it's an accident that most of the big compound less cannot be effectively simulated with machines.

If you doubt this, pick any bench press machine in your gym and do a set of eight. Now go grab Olympic Olympic bar and get under the iron. There is simply no comparison, and no doubt that with the barbell, you are actually lifting real weight.

Ability to perform supersets with a single piece of equipment

Supersets aren't important part of any advanced training system, and doing them with machines is simply a huge pain in the ass. Aside from the fact that you have to move from one place to the other in the jam, it can be a problem to keep multiple machines free. It seems like as soon as you finish your bench presses and go to do your cable rows, some doofus jumps right on the bench press machine. So you finish your rows and come back to find that your supersets has been short-circuited.

You know, I could probably keep this article going for another thousand words but I think I've made my point. Free weights are real weight training, and machines are quite simply a poor second choice.

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