Machines vs. Free weights: Modern vs. Old School

Introduction

Resistance training, in its earliest form, was purely free weights: The only tools that were available were dumbbells and barbells with some calisthenic exercises (body weight movements: pull ups, push ups etc.).

As time progressed and weight training started becoming more and more popular amongst general masses for general health, companies willing to invest in this potential pool of profit started to channel their cash in. Along with better quality supplements and performance enhancing drugs came some cutting edge equipments a.k.a. machines that soon became essential equipments of modern day weight training.

These machines opened up a whole new dimension to weight training; variation of the line of resistance to hit the muscles differently. With free weights, the line of resistance was always vertical; with machines, the line of resistance can be set at an angle or even circular (pullover machines anyone?), thus effectively keeping a uniform resistance along the entire range of motion. Such variations allowed an individual to better isolate a particular muscle than was possible with free weights, and add some variations to the training.

However as good as these machines are, are they really that good to take the place of free weight training? This question has been asked numerous times to various strength athletes and bodybuilders, and everytime the answer was the same: NO! Though these machines are really good and give results, they are just not good enough, or probably will never be good enough to replace free weights. The results with free weights can never be achieved with machines. Read on to find out why.

Why free weights are better than machines, and possibly will always be so

Both machines and free weights cause hypertrophy in the muscles by forcing them to do certain movements against an added resistance, so theoretically, their principle of action is the same. However, the evolution and adaptation of human species over the period of thousands of years has designed our bodies to lift things that are “Heavy”, rather than push/pull things that offer resistance. Lifting and carrying heavy logs of cut down trees, hunt down animals, boulders….all these activities involved lifting, carrying, balancing and coordinating heavy things against the pull of gravity.

Because of doing such activities over and over and over for thousands of years, nature has developed the CNS (Central Nervous System) of our body to respond optimally to resistances that actually are heavy, free weights: weights that are not supported by anything else. This adaptation reflects in the way our body responds when we train with free weights: the neuro-muscular activation, the elevated core temperature, the cardiovascular exhaustion, the muscular fatigue, everything that happens with free weight training is a clear indication of how much the body is struggling to lift the heavy weight against gravity. Such effects are seldom seen with machine training.

Coordination and balance is another important factor that speaks for free weights. With free weights, its not just the lift, we also need to balance and coordinate the weight. Such coordination and balance recruits a lot of additional stabilizer muscles and connective tissues (tendons, ligaments, etc.), making them stronger as well and thus, creates a physique that is actually strong in all aspects, rather than something that is all show and no go. In machines, the weight is always racked in a groove, so coordination and balance flies out of the window. You do not need to coordinate and balance the weights, the machine does it for you. This situation is far from practical, real life scenarios, and does not serve the purpose of overall development.

There is another factor to consider in resistance training: free flow of the movement. When two persons curl a dumbbell up, they always will follow a slightly different path. This path is dependent on the length of the bones of their arms, and there always is a slight difference in two paths.

The machine manufacturing companies design the machines with the average person in mind, and if under or over qualify to be that “average” person, you are not going to fit into the predefined movement of the machine, and there is no way you can change the line of movement; it is fixed. Such a situation will render usage of that machine practically useless for you, with uncomfortable movements taking a lot of the effect away.

Need of “some” machine training

While free weight training prevails as far as complete development of the physique is considered, there is need of some machine training in our training schedule, as detailed in the below points:-

Variable line of resistance: The fact that one can actually vary the line of resistance is a big plus point for machines. With free weights, the line of resistance is always along a vertical line, but with machines that can be changed to an angle (as with cable and pulleys), or can even be circular (as with the chest flyes machine or pullover machine). Such variation of the line of resistance stresses the muscles in an unusual fashion, thus stimulating the muscles from a completely different angle and shocking them into further growth.

Continuous tension along the range of motion: Machines (especially cable-pulley machines) generate and maintain continuous tension along the entire range of motion. For some free weight movements, there a limited range of motion where the weight actually stresses the muscles. Chest flyes, for example, puts tension on the chest muscles only from the point where the chest is stretched completely and arms are spread out to the sides, to the point where the dumbbells are in line with the shoulders. As soon as the dumbbells cross that point, the tension vanishes.

Its different though, when doing the same movement with cables. Since cable resistance is working at an angle and not along a vertical line, it keeps the tension even at the extremes. This constant tension all along the movement is a good way to change the training regimen and shock the muscles, which have become stale with the same movement patterns and resistance.

Rehab training: Machines form excellent substitutes when someone is rehabilitating from an injury, and trying to get back to lifting weights. Since one doesn’t need to stabilise the weight, the joints are spared from the task of stabilisation and can recover, while the muscles can be worked with light resistances.

Conclusion

There is a reason why it is recommended to do 70-80% of the workouts with free weights. Machines form a necessary part of modern day weight training. The different types of advantages mentioned with the usage of machines cannot be neglected in where weight training stands today. Just the mere fact that one can change the line of resistance gives the machines a slight advantage in some cases. However, machines simply do not stand a chance in front of free weights when actual structural, strength and muscular development is considered. The quality of physique that can be achieved with lifting, coordinating and balancing of huge masses of iron is simply not achievable with only machine training, and it is a fact.