Free Weights vs Machines vs Body Weight Exercises

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  • Pmagnanifit
    Pmagnanifit Posts: 665 Member
    Some days you can't get to the gym so a few dumbbells and body weight exercises work. I would like to use free weights more at the gym but I am a little shy about asking other people to spot me and the machines have helped me build some strength.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    I think they all have their place and are all useful so I include all three. Personally I Enjoy free weights the most and probably spend 70+% of my exercise time with them

    Yup. I started out on band weight machines, progressed to bar weights and now have included a lot of free weights... I do use mostly machines for lower body due to knee problems making squats a little problematic; however, all three have their functions... Free weights do include the stabilizer muscles... Weight machines do allow for a little more resistance to be used... Body resistance can be done just about anywhere but for those of us who have had a lot of weight to lose, the machines and free weights allow for more graduated resistance. Again, lifing heavy things will help and as we progress, our inclusion of different types of resistance changes.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Some days you can't get to the gym so a few dumbbells and body weight exercises work. I would like to use free weights more at the gym but I am a little shy about asking other people to spot me and the machines have helped me build some strength.

    Nothing like laying a barbell on your chest that you THOUGHT you could handle (and had the session before but with a different order of exercise)... to QUICKLY eliminate any shyness from asking for some help.... (and help was freely given)... On the plus side, it was not a total fail so I was not injured... and it sort of reduced my anxiety about increasing weight...
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
    What you like is a matter of preference; what works best might be situational. When I started back working out I used free weights because I had a set, needed to get syaryed and frankly was too out of shape to do much in the way of body weight execises. I progressed to machines beacause of age related joint issues and a need to rapidly build muscle, not necessarily all the muscle groups.

    Now I use all three to round out my program; whatever works!
  • KYT1121
    KYT1121 Posts: 58 Member
    Thanks for all of the replies!!

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