What is the Difference Between Free Weights and Resistance Machines?
When you enter the gym, you’ve got two main types of equipment available to use - free weights and resistance machines.
Both free weights and resistance machines are used to help you gain strength and build muscle by providing resistance for your skeletal muscles to work against. When you overcome the resistance provided by either the free weights or machine, it causes small tears in the skeletal muscles, known as microtears. These tears stimulate adaptations in your muscles, causing them to grow in strength and size.
So, when it comes to free weights and resistance machines, they can both be used to achieve the same fitness goal. However, there are key differences between the two.
The Equipment
The most obvious difference is the equipment itself. Free weights consist of dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells. Resistance machines are either pin-loaded or plate-loaded machines that enable you to easily adjust the weight that you’re using.
The Planes of Motion
Resistance machines are very restrictive in that they are created so that you can only move your body in a certain plane of motion. Free weights are a lot more flexible, and you can move the same set of dumbbells in multiple planes of motion during one exercise.
Flexibility and Ease of Use
Machines are set up to ensure that you have good form throughout the exercise. You can only move the machine in a certain, fixed direction. Although this restricts their use, it makes them much easier to use for beginners.
Free weights have more versatility and can be used for a range of different movements and styles of training. However, due to their versatility, they are a little more advanced than resistance machines. They require a certain level of baseline fitness knowledge to use properly.
If you are unsure how to properly use a particular machine in the gym, ask a personal trainer to give you a demonstration. If you are worried about injuring yourself with free weights, consider hiring a personal trainer to run through a basic training program for you.