Weight Machines for Strength Training

I don't think weight machines are bad at all. Especially if you have strength imbalances. Start your work outs on weight machines, but use your arms individually, and also your legs to begin to equalize. You can also do one legged squats with no weights to help equalize. I had a big imbalance, still struggle with it, but it was a full month on machines and body weight before I started training with free weights, and compound moves.

^^This.

The upside to the machines is, they are constantly resisting. Gravity is always pulling. With Free Weights you don't always get the constand resistance.

Given your medical history, I am completely not qualified to answer your question. Having said that...

Yes, machines will make you stronger, and no, they are not a complete waste of time. The issue that some people have with machines is that they do their job too well - they track your joint movement with so little variability, supporting muscles, etc., don't get the same workout as the rest of the muscle group. Free weights, by nature, move around more, and thus help you work more of the smaller, stablizing muscles as well, so it's a more complete workout for any given muscle group(s).

For your situation, I have no idea what the right answer is. I would like to be able to say, confidently, that if you just start with light enough weights, and build up slowly over time, and focus on always maintaining excellent form, that you'll be ok using free weights. But I just don't know if that's true. I think you need someone with very special training - occupational or physical therapist - to help you answer that one.

Best of luck, and good for you for getting started!

I did complete several rounds of physical therapy several years ago and at my last post-surgery checkup was cleared to 'do whatever you like and stop if you feel "bad pain"'. So I'm kind of setting up my personal routine based on paying close attention to my body. The personal trainers at my gym aren't real knowledgable about this specific situation either. I have thought about doing exactly what you said and starting free weights with the absolute lightest weight they have LOL and just doing it as carefully as possible. Maybe in October, I'll graduate myself to trying that. In the meantime, thank you for the assurance that I'm not wasting my time on the machines.

You're definitely not wasting your time. But one other thing to consider: when using a machine, you really don't have to ever learn correct form. So, regardless of what weight you're using on the machine, when you switch, go very very light. You really do have to learn the form with very light weight, and also keep in mind those stablizer muscles aren't as strong as the main muscles, so they won't be ready for the same amount of weight that you could use on the machine. When you do start with the free weights, it won't be like starting over, but you almost have to treat it that way at first. Focus on form with light weight, and build the weight back up as you feel ready.

Case in point: I'm doing the 5x5 routine, after doing about 2 months of P90-X, and lots of yoga. But I started all the exercises with an empty bar, because part of the program is to add to the weight every single week. Were my first 2-3 weeks incredibly easy? Not completely, because I hadn't done squat for years (or deadlifts), and I've realized that even back when I did them I was doing them wrong. So I focused on keep my form perfect, and kept adding weight with each workout. It was worth it to start slowly with light weight, because I'm confident about how I got here - I know I'm not over doing it, because I've built up slowly over time.

I had a back injury (3 ruptured lumbar disks) in 2007 that eventually required surgery in 2010. I have nerve damage in my left leg. Surgery improved things but some of the damage is permanent and doing stuff that strains my back still causes me problems, at least in the short-run.

Joined MFP 7/28/12 and I started exercising right away, cardio a couple times a week (like, walking and step aerobics dvds) and on other days bodyweight exercises like squats and pushups focusing more on form than anything else.

This week (the beginning of my 5th week) I decided to 'graduate' and start using my gym membership and working with weights. I'm sold on the idea that free-weights are FAR superior to weight machines, after over-researching the topic almost to the point of confusion. But I spent 5 very sedentary years because of the back and leg problems and I started MFP in the worst shape of my life and I'm honestly a little afraid of the free weights until I feel a little stronger. I'm afraid that because my balance is 'off' in my left leg, my left leg is noticeably weaker than the right, and I'm afraid of back strain, etc etc, that I might reinjure myself.

After all of my rambling, here is my question! :bigsmile:

Are weight machines REALLY just a complete waste of time? Am I not going to get any stronger/fitter/leaner using them for awhile? Has anyone reading this used them exclusively for awhile with decent results? Has anyone started with machines and then graduated to free weights? All the posts I've been reading are kind of discouraging.

Background: 33 years old, female, starting weight 217, current weight 207

I jacked up my back last year, though not requiring surgery, but it left me with some nerve damage and the muscles around the area still seem to suffer so I get where you're coming from. Just the other day it felt like somebody was driving a nail through my ankle bone. Fun...

Free weight compound movements force more control and muscle recruitment than machines. Technically, free weights are considerably more effective. If you're rehabbing yourself back into the gym then machines aren't a bad idea. If you haven't found a gym yet and are looking with some options available, try and find a gym that has plenty of free weights so when you're healthy you can get back into it but also a type or brand of machine called Hammer Strength. Hammer Strength machines are probably the closest to replicating the non-machine version of the exercise that you're going to get. Part of my self-imposed rehab was using the Hammer Strength Hack Squat machine to get my back and legs healthy and strong enough to squat again. I was able to use a regular squat range of motion but had the support of the machine. Eventually I did start deadlifting and squatting with free weights again and am stronger than I was pre-injury. Be patient with it and you'll get there. Another thing that I've found to have helped is targeting my lower back with exercise. Back hyperextensions have helped a ton, just start with bodyweight and eventually move up by holding a DB. Make sure to get some ab work in to compliment your lower back as well.

It's not that machines are a *complete* waste of time. It's that they offer only a fraction of the effectiveness of free weights. So you can get some benefit, just not as much.

That said, given your condition, there's no guarantee that machines won't hurt your or can be safely performed by you. I'd recommend you ask a doctor that is familiar with your medical history for a recommendation to a physical therapist. Have them outline an appropriate program for you. I bet there's plenty you can do, but I'd want a qualified professional to lay it out for you.

Best of luck!

The trouble is, like with so many things, people tend to get divided into opposing camps, where whatever the opposing camp is doing is "rubbish" or "useless." But generally, free weights ARE better than machines because of the stabilisation aspect. But moving a weight is moving a weight - the muscle doesn't know what it's lifting, it just knows it's under resistance, so using weights is far from "useless" as a lot of the "free weights-only" crowd would have you believe.

Indeed, some machine ARE better - I've always preferred the Pec Deck to dumbbell flyes, for example. And the (sadly hard to find) pullover machine is far superior to the dumbbell version, as the resistance is there throughout the whole movement.

Machines also have a number of other advantages, such as generally being safer if you don't have a spotter/training partner. They are easier and quicker to do drop sets on. They are generally more flexible in use - for example, some people can only do a couple of chins, yet with a pulldown machine they can alter the weights and rep ranges with the slide of a pin. And of course, they can take pressure off weak points - if you have a tweaky back, you may not be able to do barbell rows (a great move) or squats (ditto). But you CAN do pulley rows or leg presses, both of which are perfectly good exercises.

So as with most things, experiment for yourself, see what you prefer using, see what works for you. Start light and get your form right first. I imagine that you'll probably end up using a mix of both free weights and machines. But generally - try everything out, with good form, and avoid what aggravates anything, regardless of whether it's a machine or not.

Up until a little less than two months ago, I only used machines for strength training. I had some pretty darn good results.

I think there's a lot of benefits to free weights, but the machines certainly aren't a waste.