Free weights versus strength training machines
Emilia Szymańska
2026-03-19
3 min. read
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Recently, it has been noted that weight training, including that with one's own body weight, has been gaining popularity. Some individuals claim that resistance training machines are inefficient and even useless. However, what are the actual facts concerning this topic?
Training utilizing free weights
Free weights, such as bars, handles, and kettlebells, are used during training. When utilizing free weights, you must balance both the equipment and your entire body and coordinate movements with the help of additional supporting muscles. From a biomechanical perspective, working with free weights provides the most natural and physiological trajectory of movement at maximum range. The primary advantage of incorporating exercises utilizing free weights into your training is the ability to engage a vast number of muscles. In addition to the target muscles being worked, auxiliary muscles and stabilizers are also recruited, such as during the underhand bench press, where not only the chest muscles and triceps are engaged, but also the shoulder muscles (anterior deltoids) and back, abdominal, and leg muscles as stabilizers.
Advantages and disadvantages of free weights training
The main benefits of training with free weights are: work aimed at developing muscle mass and strength. The absence of a fixed path of motion implies that more muscles need to be involved in the work. Small muscle groups are subjected to loads that are hard to attain during exercises on machines. Flexibility and variety. When using free weights, one can determine the most comfortable path of motion, while maintaining proper technique. Moreover, each muscle can be worked at different angles. Exercises with free weights can be performed at home. The purchase of exercise equipment is relatively costly and takes up more space. Free weights promote not only muscle mass and strength but also coordination and balance. However, training with free weights is not without certain aspects that should be taken into account: - the necessity to maintain a perfect technique. If multi-joint exercises with free weights such as squats, deadlifts, and others are performed correctly, they can be considered completely safe. For individuals with any functional impairments in the musculoskeletal system, exercises with free weights should be individually adapted and performed under the supervision of a trainer or physical therapist.
Workouts on exercise apparatus
Exercise apparatus is specifically recommended for individuals who are professionally involved in body sports and require special muscle isolation (e.g. during rehabilitation). However, it is crucial to understand that excessive muscle isolation can lead to overstraining of individual structures, which can result in muscle cramps and muscle dysfunction. Nevertheless, there are certain muscle groups that are difficult to isolate using free weights, such as the calf muscles or the two-headed thigh muscles during knee bending exercises. In such cases, using exercise machines is the most effective method. Therefore, exercise machines should not be condemned, but rather learned when they are most beneficial.
Benefits and drawbacks of training equipment
Benefits of using training equipment include: isolated muscle work and improved effectiveness during the rehabilitation phase after muscle and joint injuries. Certain machines allow for the maintenance of a constant tension on the exercised muscles during every movement, such as lifting a weight on an upper pulley that causes the muscles to work continuously, which may contribute to their growth. Drawbacks of using training equipment: not all machines are adjustable, which may mean they are not suitable for all users and exercises may be less effective and lead to injuries. Furthermore, exclusive use of training equipment limits the muscles' ability to work on different planes, and stabilizing and synergistic muscles are not engaged at all, significantly reducing the growth stimulus of muscle tissue compared to free weight training. Despite the apparent simplicity of the movements on the machine, incorrect technique and inadequate adjustments can lead to more harm than good.
