For overall strength and conditioning, free-weight exercises—especially those that use compound movements—should be the bedrock of any strength-training plan. Using weight machines is definitely fine especially if you are a beginner, but they should never fully substitute free weights. In other words, once you have experience in lifting weights, prioritize free weights and treat weight machines as supplements or finishers for your workout.

1. FitnessFlash.org
Weight Machine vs
Free Weights

2. Weight Machine vs Free Weights
1 Weight Machine
2 Who should use weight machines?
3 Free weights
4 Who should use free weights?

3. Weight Machine
PART ONE

4. Pros
•Easy to learn and use
•Isolate muscle groups more efficiently
•Allow you to train with heavier weights without assistance
•May be useful for elderly populations and/or rehab
Cons
•Non-functional
•Neglect smaller stabilizing muscles
•May cause injury directly and
•Fill up during peak hours

5. Who should use weight
machines?
PART TWO

6. Who Should Use Weight Machines?
•Beginner – Someone who is very new to the gym and doesn’t know how to
properly utilize the free weights just yet. Even though there are pictures on the
machines I recommend asking for a personal trainer’s advice for proper use.
Of course, you won’t stay a beginner forever!
•Bodybuilders – When size and aesthetics is your main goal there is a lot of
efficacy to using machines to pump up those muscles! For a better more well-
rounded physique I do recommend a combination of both weight machines
and free weights though.
•Rehab – Machines may be an easy way to rehab an injury if you don’t have a
physical therapist or trainer to work with you. Once you are feeling better it
may be better to move to bodyweight exercises and take preventative
measures.

7. Free Weights
PART THREE

8. Pros
•Allow you to train functional movements
•You can use full range of motion
•Place a greater demand on stabilizing muscles
•Allow for endless variation
•Train anywhere
•Less expensive
Cons
•Takes some skill to learn proper technique
•Greater risk of injury when not done properly
•Need a spotter to lift heavy weight on squat or bench press exercises

9. Who should use free
weights?
PART FOUR

10. Who Should Use Free Weights?
•Most people/experienced lifters (non-beginners) – Pretty much anybody can
benefit from using free weights properly to build a strong and lean body. It is
important to build functional strength and muscle to be able to do the things you
enjoy and stay active later in life, provided the free weight movements are
performed with good posture and form.
•Athletes – To compete at high levels and remain injury-free, athletes’ bodies have
to move synergistically and the best way to achieve this is to train the same way. A
combination of free weights and bodyweight exercises is the way to go!
•Bodybuilders – The best way to get bigger is to get stronger and the best way to
get stronger is through free weights. Once you build up your strength, you can add
in some weight machines to isolate and ‘build’ specific muscle groups. I recommend
the bulk (no pun intended) of bodybuilding training to come from free weights but
it is ok to add in some isolated machine work too!

11. CONCLUSION
In the end, for overall strength and conditioning, free-weight
exercises—especially those that use compound movements—
should be the bedrock of any strength-training plan. Using weight
machines is definitely fine especially if you are a beginner, but they
should never fully substitute free weights.
In other words, once you have experience in lifting weights,
prioritize free weights and treat weight machines as supplements or
finishers for your workout.

12. THANK YOU!