So, what are the pros and cons between free weights and weights machines? Genuine question.

free weights bring more stabilizer muscles into play as youre also trying to balance the weights, so are generally thought of as being better for building muscle.

machines can help target weaker muscles (although free weights can also do that). so say your squats with a barbell make you more quad dominant, you could use a hamstring curl machine to strengthen them.

When you lift weights form which means correct technique with the weight and body position are everything.machines are good at building muscle without the risk of injury for the beginner.once you have some strength you can start lifting weight more confidently in my opinion.slthough you should still start small as the surrounding muscle need a bit of time to develop.progress should be quick enough though.although theres nothing stopping a beginner using small weights at first.starting on machines was the method my old body building centre used when I started.the experienced can still use machines too.

Yeah, like the guys are saying – you should generally aim to be doing free weights (which requires some time/help to achieve the correct form) for best build up of strength and stabilising muscles.
Weights machines are easy to get started on though – however you can still be doing them wrong (like using your back on the cable-row instead of just pulling your elbows back).

As Sadexpunk says, weights machines also complement free weights – i.e. doing hip adductor or hamstring curl machines which are muscles that most free weights movements don’t engage.
You can also do some things that are difficult to do otherwise, like a leg extension, or doing 200kg leg presses!

Machines can also be used to build up strength to get to doing full bodyweight exercises. A pull up machine can give you some assistance to enable you to do pull ups if you’ve not got the strength to do bodyweight ones, and will let you build up to that.

It’s really what you do with the weights, you can do some effective exercises with machines and ineffective ones with free weights. I would say save your money and do bodyweight exercises, a push up executed correctly is a rare thing and requires conditioning you can’t get using weights.
I used to do toes to bar hanging by one hand, no amount off weight training will get you to that level.

Difference in what way? Of course weight machines are more expensive and take up more space as each machine is generally designed to exercise a very limited group of muscles or even one muscle only, so you tend to need several machines to cover all the muscle groups…. But with a decent bench and barbell and dumbbell set you can exercise every muscle in your body in a limited space and little investment. Barbells and dumbbells don’t need maintenance, weights machines do – they have pulley’s, bearings, cables, guide rails etc. At the gym I used to go to there was always a chap mulling around doing maintenance on something, wether it been on one of the weights machines or a treadmill or something. Never saw a barbel maintenance man.

But other than that for the average gym dweller they achieve the same end so no difference in the end result. If you’re a keen body builder then you’d have both.

If you’re considering for your home then unless you had the space for a proper home gym and the budget to properly equip it (and I mean more than just bunging one of those supposed all in one machines in the corner of your garage) then I cannot see any other reason or benefit why you’d have weights machines in your home. Would be cheaper and better to just pay a gym membership and use proper professional equipment that someone else is maintaining.

Thanks for the replies, very interesting reading. I’ve been a regular gym user for a couple of years now (Pure Gym) and use pretty much all the equipment. Reason for asking was that when I went last night the free weights room was rammed so I was restricted to the weights machines. I must admit that after a free weights session I do feel more fatigued overall than the rare occasion when it’s machines only.

As for buying stuff for home, gym membership can be very cheap these days and you have access to more stuff than you would ever be able to fit in a garage or spare room. I did have a few weights and a bench in the garage, pre-children, but found that I didn’t work as hard as when I went to a dedicated workout space.

Weights machines can fill a gap in a routine quite nicely, but I wouldn’t make them the main event, as it were.

Weight machines were introduced to de-skill gyms. You don’t need instruction, you don’t need instructors, they are very accessible and safer than free weights.

Sadly, they’re far less efficient than using free weights and focus on isolated exercises rather than compound exercises. Anyone serious about weight training will spend a lot of time doing compound exercises and top up with isolation exercises.

The major compound exercises: Deadlift, Squat, Bench, OH press etc require training and technique to get right and do safely (no much mind, but some); so are less accessable, but far better for you in terms of benefit per unit time in a gym.

How about trying some body weight fitness?

It’s free, you can do it at home (no gym required) and if done correctly will give you great results.

Have a look on reddit (here) for some great advice and routines (in the FAQ).

I’m no beef cake but. i’ve been dabbling in calisthenics this year and have had some great results with very little time invested.

I think there is a third way, at my gym they have free standing cable machines that are the best of both worlds. You can do compound movements using weighted resistance but with the added safety if you slip or your grip slips, you don’t end up with a weight falling on you.

The problem with using your body weight for resistance as a beginner is that you’re starting with a higher weight than if you’re using weights. Lots of people will struggle to do leg raises, push ups, pull/chin ups, squats, sit ups, dips etc

Machines force you to move the weight through an exact plane of motion.

When you lift weights the naturally, and shouldn’t due to the body’s peculiarities, go exactly straight. If you force them to then it’s going to transfer those lateral forces to your joints. Not ideal.

Weight machine have their place but are not ideal for big compound movements and these form the basis of a strength/muscle building programme.

Globo, local authority and hotel style gyms love them because you can’t drop em and easily injure yourself.

However, used properly (major caveat!) free weights are a priority. They could be barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bags, whatever. Even bands have a good place in all of this.

Also, all machines are not equal
Cables for example allow free movement and are excellent. Things like a level shoulder press make me shudder at the poor shoulder capsule being ground against itself! Just pick up a racked barbell and put it over your head, far easier!

Fully agree re some machines in that the linear motion feels “wrong”. The Smith machine is a great example of this particularly for squats. I do find the cable machines very effective, the only problem is availability as due to their versatility they are often in use.

Also, all machines are not equal

Not just cables, lots of machines use cams to alter the leverage through the motion, which can smooth out sticking points where you have least leverage in a certain muscle. This means ignoring the whole free / fixed plane of motion, you can lift different amounts as machines often make it a bit easier.

Weight machines were introduced to de-skill gyms. You don’t need instruction, you don’t need instructors, they are very accessible and safer than free weights.

Exactly, which is why they are bloody everywhere! You’re pretty unlikely to kill yourself on a machine but you definitely can under barbell if you **** up.  Machines are also significantly less intimidating for a large portion of gym clientele.

Thanks (in large part to Crossfit) it’s a lot better now but i remember in the mid nineties when I started lifting properly/heavier it was almost impossible to find a gym with barbells or dumbbells that actually went above 25kg. I ended up training in a dirt cheap bodybuilding gym in rough part of Nottingham.  Everything was chalky/rusty and you felt like catching hepatitis was a distinct possibility.

I use barbells and dumbbells for 95% of my training now and only use cables/machines for a bit of back work (lat pulldown) and hamstring work to pre-exhaust them before squatting.

Thanks (in large part to Crossfit) it’s a lot better now but i remember in the mid nineties when I started lifting properly/heavier it was almost impossible to find a gym with barbells or dumbbells that actually went above 25kg. I ended up training in a dirt cheap bodybuilding gym in rough part of Nottingham. Everything was chalky/rusty and you felt like catching hepatitis was a distinct possibility.

Yep CF has definitely started a renaissance in free weights and olympic lifting, which is a good thing. It’s all introduced weight lifting to women which again is really good. Strong is the new skinny as they say…..

As for buying stuff for home, gym membership can be very cheap these days and you have access to more stuff than you would ever be able to fit in a garage or spare room.

99% of the stuff in a commercial gym though you don’t actually need IMO (assuming you’re not a professional body builder 🤣). I spent just over £600 when I got into lifting 8 years ago on a decent power rack & olympic barbell set. (Already had a basic York bench I’d picked up 2nd hand, was going to replace but actually it’s been fine!) IMO that’s all you really need for weight training. Even if a gym were only £20/month my kit has paid for itself many times over… and there’s never a queue to use it 😃

A pull up machine can give you some assistance to enable you to do pull ups if you’ve not got the strength to do bodyweight ones, and will let you build up to that.

prime example… just do negs off the power rack… you don’t need a whole dedicated machine!

Obviously you need the space which I’m lucky enough to have. I see the advantage psychologically in training with others, not something I’ve ever needed myself though and I don’t actually know anyone else who lifts anyway (and never really been the type of person to chat to randoms anyway even when I did used to go to gyms!)

The only thing I wish I’d done is paid someone to show me how to lift… figured it out eventually using the Starting Strength book, and by videoing my sessions & reviewing them, and asking some questions to the helpful people on the SS forum, but it took a lot longer than I’d hoped (maybe I’m just a slow learner though 😂)

Anyway to answer the question, machines ok free weights better 😃

Anyway to answer the question, machines ok free weights better

Yep machines are infinitely better than doing nothing!

The only thing I wish I’d done is paid someone to show me how to lift…

Fair play for saying this.

Most people looking to get stronger should spend their money on a few sessions with a quality strength and conditioning coach. Then, buy a simple free weights home setup, and follow straightforward programming.

footflaps

Yep machines are infinitely better than doing nothing!

*flashback to gif of knees bending the wrong way on leg press*

not always 😬