What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Free Weights & Machines?

Free weights and machines have the same specific use -- to strengthen your muscles by creating a resistance. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, so although it's up to your personal preference to decide which to use, there really is no reason to avoid either one. Incorporating both into your workout routine adds variety and prevents your muscles from getting used to the same repetitive movement.

  1. The Freedom of Free Weights

    • Free weights allow for exercises to be performed in a full range of motion and give the option of working any muscle group you choose. They imitate everyday lifting movements, making daily activities feel easier. Free weights provide a whole-body workout, in addition to the muscle group you are using to lift, as you use your whole body to stay stabilized when performing exercises with free weights. They also use multiple joints at a time, allowing for more complex movements. Complex movements require the use of more energy, which uses, and therefore burns, more calories.

    Safety and Readiness

    • If you lack stability and especially if you're just beginning an exercise routine, then free weights may feel more difficult until you build up your balance and stability. Free weights are not as guided and straightforward as machines are, so it's up to you to determine how to do the specific exercises with correct form, in order to avoid injury. Strength machines are considered safer than free weights, in the sense that they do not require much body stabilization. When using a machine, it's very easy and quick to change the amount of weight you're using, while switching out free weights in between sets or while figuring out what weight works for you can take up extra time.

    Hindering Your Routine

    • While strength machines don’t require much balance or stabilization, that can also hinder that specific fitness goal and require you to spend extra time on conditioning your core -- the main stabilization muscles -- at a separate time. Without the ability of free motion, machines can also hinder proper movement and even effectiveness, since machines are created neutrally and not to accommodate each specific body type, which can also put extra stress on certain joints, depending on the specific machine being used.

    Personalizing Your Fitness Routine

    • It's up to you to weigh the pros and cons of free weights and strength machines to find what works better for you. If you are able to vary your routine by incorporating both types of equipment, then that's beneficial too. Body-weight exercises are always another option, such as squats, lunges or pushups, and are another effective way to vary your workout routine and get creative with your personal strength training.