Free weights vs weight machines

13

Replies

  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 412 Member
    I'd agree that free weights are better because of the reasons listed. That being said, I use a machine.

    I have a home gym set up in a spare bedroom on the second floor of my home. The machine was more cost effective, takes up less space and weighs less than if I bought the corresponding weights, bars and benches. I've upgraded the existing bars that came with the machine and added additional bars.

    Will the machine get me to a point where I could compete in a body building contest? No

    Will the machine build and tone muscle and help me achieve my goals? Yes.
  • edge_dragoncaller
    edge_dragoncaller Posts: 826 Member
    machines are good for beginners

    I agree with this here. When I started out, I did the Machines first. This helped me out in getting my body used to working the muscles, and when you work through them all quickly, it's a decent cardio burn. After a couple months, I just started substituting free weights one excercise at a time, starting with bicep curls.

    Now I do almost all freeweight with a couple exceptions that I use Cable Machines for. FYI, incase you don't know the difference. Weight Machine...you are sitting, back braced, and working the muscles. Cable Machine....No chair. You still have to stabilize your own body to perform the exercise.
  • VryIrishGirl76
    VryIrishGirl76 Posts: 1,167 Member
    Timing of this post is perfect.
    I'm just easing back into Strength training and am struggling with the same issue.
    Lots of great insight and info.
    :)
  • Deedles2012
    Deedles2012 Posts: 122 Member
    Thank you all for the insight and information. I greatly appreciate it. This really gives me a place to start!
  • legnarevocrednu
    legnarevocrednu Posts: 467 Member
    I'd say it depends on your goals. Machines do indeed isolate muscles, which can be good and bad, but they are also safe to do alone (more or less), and are likely the best place to start.

    Going for serious bodybuilding, or when you've got a good solid core of strength going for you, I'd move to freeweights. But it's WAY harder to do freeweights "right". It's very easy to swing your whole body into a motion, and not work what you should be working. Machines don't let you do that very easily.
    I agree with this. I am doing the machines right now because I feel safe doing them alone. I do intend to move to free weights soon though. I plan on reading that book about weight lifting for women, and I'll have to find someone to help me. But I don't see anything wrong with starting out with the machines.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Granted, accidents happen, but accidents can happen anywhere at any time. That's why they're called accidents. But if you're careful while lifting, and not slathering yourself with butter beforehand, you shouldn't have any problems. :smile:

    I need to try that sometime and see what looks I get. I love butter.

    Slathering in butter before lifting would be a great way to work on grip strength.
    Unless great for a self-performed frontal lobotomy, a.k.a. skull crushers
  • TamaBrett
    TamaBrett Posts: 22 Member
    A lot of the exercises above are not appropriate. Anyone over 40yr needs to be careful about back and shoulders. You should not be doing exercises such as squats, deadlifts and military press, especially if you don't have a history of doing these exercises.

    Bullpoop. I'm over 40 and I work my back and shoulders BECAUSE I'm being careful about them. What better way to avoid injury than by being strong?

    My post was poorly written but I didn't say don't lift weights, I explicitly mentioned squats, deadlifts, and military press as being dangerous especially starting these exercises over 40. These three exercises put a lot of strain on the back and shoulders (not squats), especially if form is wrong and the potential for accidents is very high.
  • TamaBrett
    TamaBrett Posts: 22 Member
    A lot of the exercises above are not appropriate. Anyone over 40yr needs to be careful about back and shoulders. You should not be doing exercises such as squats, deadlifts and military press, especially if you don't have a history of doing these exercises.

    Bull. I started lifting at 46. I have not had a single injury. Max squat 305, deadlift 285, overhead press 135
    These are exactly the exercises someone over 40 needs.

    This is known in statistics as "the magic single sample". The great thing about the magic single sample is you can find one to prove anything. Science on the other hand collects samples of data. And of course you have no idea what damage has been done or might be done to your back.
  • Chiefsfan86
    Chiefsfan86 Posts: 17
    Free weights are good, but require you to have complete control. Meaning if you have a sudden energy loss, or your in the middle of a set and drop your weights, you could really hurt yourself. I would recommend using machines at first for working out your major body groups: arms, back, thighs, abs, and glutes. Then as you develop more strength and stamina try using both machines and free weights to mix up the weight ratios you muscles have a tendency of getting used to.

    If necessary talk with a weight trainer at your local fitness facility, rely on them to help you achieve your fitness goals. You would be surprised on how much they can help you. I just met with a trainer myself to help improve on some of my work out techniques. He showed me that some of the workouts I had been doing really did not help me as I try to lose my 18 pack around my mid section. Even though I would love to get a six pack back like I had in college, I had ballooned out to a keg:sick: around the midsection, and am now down to an 18 pack. With his guidance i believe I will have a six and a half pack again one day
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    A lot of the exercises above are not appropriate. Anyone over 40yr needs to be careful about back and shoulders. You should not be doing exercises such as squats, deadlifts and military press, especially if you don't have a history of doing these exercises.

    Bull. I started lifting at 46. I have not had a single injury. Max squat 305, deadlift 285, overhead press 135
    These are exactly the exercises someone over 40 needs.

    This is known in statistics as "the magic single sample". The great thing about the magic single sample is you can find one to prove anything. Science on the other hand collects samples of data. And of course you have no idea what damage has been done or might be done to your back.

    I'm sorry, but if a 285 deadlift throws someone's back, regardless of being over 40, there is another problem there that had little to do with the weight. There are midgets who can deadlift that much...and a one legged woman who can deadlift very close to that.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    bump
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
    I have been doing my cardio and have dropped my first 30 lbs. 50 more to go. I know I need to really work on my strength training now to build the muscle and tone up so I don't end up "skinny-fat"

    I hear a lot about free weights and weigh machines at the gym. Can someone give me a good breakdown on the differences between the two?

    I highly recommend NROLFW, Stronglifts 5x5 or Starting Strength
    Learning proper form and getting into the habit of using compound lifts with free weights will give you results much faster than using tons of different machines that work one muscle group in isolation at a time.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    My two cents:

    I like the Les Mills' BodyPump class at the Y (using a combination of bar and hand weights) because my instructor reminds me of proper form, what to do to increase the load, how to prevent injury and just provides a lot of motivation.

    I wasn't getting that with doing the machines on my own.

    Plus, I think you can really work your core standing with free weights much more than sitting with machines.
  • kusterer
    kusterer Posts: 90 Member
    I love the machines, but I'm an 'old' person with a lot of previous injuries...rotator cuff, elbow, knee, back and feet. lol I like the stability of them, and I still get an awesome workout. It's like anything else, it depends on what you put into it. Some people walk up to a machine, do ten light reps and then walk away. I sit there and do 3 sets on each machine, using the highest weight I can.

    I am also old and injured. I did free weight for 20+ years, and vastly prefer them. They work all the little stabilizing muscles as well as the big ones you are targeting. But when in my 60s I got arthritis and chronic muscle issues, I needed the support/guidance of the machines in order to be able to do any weight work at all.
  • Markguns
    Markguns Posts: 554 Member
    I have been doing my cardio and have dropped my first 30 lbs. 50 more to go. I know I need to really work on my strength training now to build the muscle and tone up so I don't end up "skinny-fat"

    I hear a lot about free weights and weigh machines at the gym. Can someone give me a good breakdown on the differences between the two?

    Ok...
    1. Free weights require more muscle groups working together (generally speaking)
    2. The machines tends to isolate the exercise.
    3. ---> If you're just starting out lifting I'd start with machines, safer and more "forgiving" Less chance of getting an injury especially if you are not familiar with lifting, which it sounds like you aren't.
    4. You will notice the machines are setup in some sort of groups.
    5. This is called circuit training and will give you strength and a cardio workout if you keep your rest interval between sets short. Look up Circuit training for women, and you will find plenty of information and some routines you can start on.
    6. As you improve in strength then by all means incorporate some free weights into your routines.
    7. Lastly if you have Fitness trainers at your gym consider investing in a couple of classes. They can get you setup with a routine to accomplish your goal and show you how to lift properly. Correct form is the most important thing when you are just starting out. Good luck be safe!
  • TamaBrett
    TamaBrett Posts: 22 Member
    A lot of the exercises above are not appropriate. Anyone over 40yr needs to be careful about back and shoulders. You should not be doing exercises such as squats, deadlifts and military press, especially if you don't have a history of doing these exercises.

    Bull. I started lifting at 46. I have not had a single injury. Max squat 305, deadlift 285, overhead press 135
    These are exactly the exercises someone over 40 needs.

    This is known in statistics as "the magic single sample". The great thing about the magic single sample is you can find one to prove anything. Science on the other hand collects samples of data. And of course you have no idea what damage has been done or might be done to your back.

    I'm sorry, but if a 285 deadlift throws someone's back, regardless of being over 40, there is another problem there that had little to do with the weight. There are midgets who can deadlift that much...and a one legged woman who can deadlift very close to that.

    I didn't say "throw's someone's back".

    Get back to me if you're still lifting at my age.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    I didn't say "throw's someone's back".

    Get back to me if you're still lifting at my age.

    No, you said "you have no idea what damage has been done or might be done to your back". Now, I took this to mean that you were implying that the amount he was lifting would basically destroy his back. If I got the point wrong, my apologies. If I didn't, my point still stands.
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    This is known in statistics as "the magic single sample". The great thing about the magic single sample is you can find one to prove anything. Science on the other hand collects samples of data. And of course you have no idea what damage has been done or might be done to your back.

    The "magic single sample"? Perhaps you mean "outlier"?
    But whatever. Feel free to put up something more than your opinion that us "old folks" hurt ourselves if we lift heavy. I'd love to see a study that shows I'm an outlier, but I doubt it exists.,

    And as for damage to my back, carrying around over 300 lbs for most of my life did plenty of that. The weightlifting is helping to repair the damage - at least according to my chiropractor (Or perhaps that's magical as well?).


    This fear of injury from using free weights is often just an excuse. I quit making excuses.
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    A lot of the exercises above are not appropriate. Anyone over 40yr needs to be careful about back and shoulders. You should not be doing exercises such as squats, deadlifts and military press, especially if you don't have a history of doing these exercises.

    I've seen more cases where young people hurt themselves, than people over 40. Young people are less likely to study proper form, and more likely to let their egos get in the way. They are more likely to push weights that they shouldn't try yet, while older people will be more conservative, and in tune to their body's potential.

    According to the author of Starting Strength, people are much more prone to injuries on machines due to forced range of motion, and lack of stabilizer muscle training.

    The key to fee weights is to start out light enough that you keep your form perfect, make sure to warm up, properly, and stretch afterward.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
    My post was poorly written but I didn't say don't lift weights, I explicitly mentioned squats, deadlifts, and military press as being dangerous especially starting these exercises over 40. These three exercises put a lot of strain on the back and shoulders (not squats), especially if form is wrong and the potential for accidents is very high.
    Wrong

    Read the "New Rules of Lifting for life", this book was written for men over 40. Also look at starting strength or stronglifts. All of these programs have you starting with an empty bar or no bar at all until you get your form down. Then you progress by adding small amounts of weight. Kind of like couch to 5k for runners. I am sure there are many other ones out there that do the same. The key to free weights is form. Machines mostly force your form. They also in some cases force unnatural range of motion so they aren't necessarily "better" or "safer".

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