Free weights vs Machines is a debate that has been going on for years.
Gym bros and normal gym go-ers banter on social media about which one is best.
Maybe you’re new to strength training and are like “holy shit. Where do I start?”
Or, maybe you’ve been lifting for awhile now and generally want to know who wins the battle: free weights vs machines?
Some will say free weights are best because they are the most “functional” and efficient at getting results.
While others will say that that doesn’t matter because machines build more muscle bro!
Ok, well how do you know what to do? And which one, if any, is best?
Listen, I get it because if I wasn’t a coach, I would not know what in the hell to believe.
I used to think machines were the best. All I would do was high rep machine based work.
Then, I over-corrected, thought machines sucked, and free weights were the best.
So, I only did big compound movements.
Luckily, I’m here to sift through the BS and hopefully answer which one is best for you.
Make sure you don’t skip around and read until the end because there are a ton of caveats in this article.
Grab a cup of coffee and let’s dive in!
Free Weights vs Machines: Strength Training 101
I’m not going to dig too deep into the weeds on this article regarding strength training. I’ve already done that for you HERE.
Any exercise is better than nothing, but if you want the best results for your body composition and health, strength training is one of the best things you can do.
Strength training quite literally means applying resistance to your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones to help them get stronger and bigger.
Imagine this – would you rather have a car that looks nice and runs well?
Or, would you rather have a beat up car that’s loud, has dents all over it, and needs maintenance every week?
Both get you from point A to point B. However, one looks nicer and runs more smoothly.
I’m guessing you’d choose the nicer car which is what strength training does for your body.
More specifically, here are a few strength training benefits:
1. Builds Muscle
Before you freak out, I’m not talking about being a meathead who walks onto a stage in front of judges.
I’m talking about the person who looks fit and you wonder how the hell they can look like tha and be so “lean”” all of the time.
The reason being is that muscle takes up less space than body fat.
So, while the saying that muscle weighs less than fat is false, what’s true is that muscle is more dense than fat and takes up less room.
Which means you can weigh the same by losing 5 lbs of fat and gaining 5 lbs of muscle, but look noticeably leaner.
Because muscle tones out your body.
2. Get Strong AF
Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t want to get stronger?
Yeah, me neither.
When you lift heavy weights, your strength goes through the roof.
Think about it… you can be the person who moves shit for people.
Or, that friend of a family member that people go to for advice.
Or, you can just brag about how much you lift because that’s fun too.
Not to mention, the more weight you can lift, the more muscle you can build.
3. Become More Confident
Lifting heavy is fun and empowering.
Talk to anyone who has been strength training for a long period of time and they’ll tell you the same thing: strength training carries to life outside of the gym.
You’re more confident, more disciplined, and you now know what you’re capable of doing when you put in the hard work to do so.
When you set out to get your first chin up/push up or hit 2x your body weight on deadlifts, all of the work leading up to that changes you both physically and mentally.
You now know, quite literally, that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
4. Slows Down Aging
You can think of it as the fountain of youth.. Quite literally.
Have you ever noticed older people complaining about how much in pain they are and can barely move?
Maybe this is you as you’re reading this but I have some good news.
Strength training slows down the aging process and allows you to still fully function as you grow older.
One thing I loved when training in person was getting older clients who just wanted to be able to play with their grandkids, or move around without pain or having to worry about falling.
I even once coached an 80 year-old multi-millionaire who still played basketball. Just insane!
And this was all done because he was able to move around because of strength training.
Free Weights vs Machines: What’s Your Goal?
The reason why determining your goal is so important for free weights vs machines is because there are exercises that are better for that goal than others.
For example, if you want to deadlift a certain amount of weight, the only way to get stronger and better at a deadlift is to deadlift.
Because, strength is specific. You get strong at what you do. Just like a baseball player wouldn’t practice shooting hoops, they’d practice hitting baseballs because it’s specific to their sport.
Let’s turn it over and say that your goal is to build muscle. Well, deadlifting still helps because it builds strength and the stronger you are the more muscle you can build.
But, to build muscle, you must create tension in the target muscle and go close to failure.
Therefore, increasing your stability matters because you want to place as much tension on the muscle you’re trying to build as possible.
More support = more stability = more tension placed on a muscle = going closer to failure for that muscle = GAINS!
This is one of the benefits of a machine. It provides a shit ton of support and allows you to place tension on specific muscles more easily.
That said, you can also do this with free weights too by adding more support from a bench or holding onto something.
For Example:
Instead of doing a Standing DB Side Lateral Raise where you have to use your core and stabilizer muscles to help out, it may be better to do a chest supported DB side lateral raise because you have more support and more tension can be placed on your side delts.
Or, instead of doing a bulgarian split squat while holding weights in both hands, you can hold onto something for support to add more stability.
But what if you’re new to lifting with no clue and just want to have a strong, fit, and healthy life outside of the gym? Well, that matters too.
A combo of free weight, machine, and cable machine exercises are going to be your best bet.
As you’ll see it’s not as cut and dry as free weights vs machines.
It’s a matter of which ones fit your goals and how you can use both to your advantage.
Free Weights Vs. Machines: The Pros and Cons
I’ll start with this – it’s not a free weights vs machines debate.
I’m not a politician where I’m going to convince you to “vote for what I believe!”
Both have their place in the fitness game. It’s a matter of exactly the ratio to which they should be used.
Free weights are the weights that are free to hold.
They can be categorized into dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, sandbags, medicine balls, resistance bands, etc.. They’re not attached to anything – hence why they’re called “free” weights.
On the opposite hand, there are machines that, for keeping it simple, can be categorized into two separate subjects: machines and cable machines.
There is an important distinction here because both are vastly different.
Machines are made for you to follow the movement of that machine and are what you see around the gym that typically look like robot aliens – at least in my eyes they do.
They may have little stickers that give you directions and some even light up when you use them to tell you how far to go.
On the other hand, cable machines use an adjustable cable system that goes through different pulleys and is attached to a weight.
Free Weights:
This, in my opinion, is what most people should be using the majority of the time- especially if your goal is to get strong, build muscle, and lose body fat.
For one, they’re so versatile and you can pretty much do anything with them.
And if you’re the average person who wants to look fit, get strong, and be able to perform daily activities outside of the gym, this is huge.
You should master the 6 basic movement patterns because they will be the foundation to your strength training.
Squat/Lunge (Bending at the knees to sit down and stand up) |
Deadlift (Picking up something off the ground) |
Vertical Pull & Push (pushing or pulling something above you) |
Horizontal Pull and Push (push or pulling something in front of you) |
Carry (Carrying something at your sides, above you, in front of you, etc. |
Just like you want a solid foundation when building a house, you want a solid foundation of good form for your body.
I wrote more about these HERE.
When you get the movement pattern down first, you can better connect to and load the muscles which lead to more strength and growth.
By just doing this, you’re going to get amazing results at the beginning.
Free Weights vs Machines: Pros of Using Free Weights:
1. More Bang for Your Buck
Free weight movements work multiple joints and muscles at once.
Think of a squat compared to a leg extension.
With a squat, you’re using all of your leg muscles, your glutes, your core and back muscle to keep the weight on your back and body safe.
Since you’re using all of these muscles at once, you’re going to be able to lift more weight.
And by lifting more weight, you’re going to get stronger and build more muscle quicker.
BOOM. So now, you can get MORE done in LESS time and get BETTER results.
Compared performing all of these muscle groups separately… such as leg extensions for your quads, leg curls for your hamstrings, calf raises for your calves, and glute kickbacks for your glutes..
Working more muscles in less time means you only have to go to the gym 3-4 days/week around 45-60 minutes at a time vs being in the gym for 2 hours 6 days a week.
2. You’ll Gain More Strength
Like I said before, who doesn’t want to get strong as fuck?
If your goal is to get really strong, using free weights is going to be your best option because there is (almost) no limit to how much weight you can add.
Plus, the stronger you are, the more you can lift to build muscle on a machine.
It’s a win-win.
3. Free Weights Carry Over To Everyday Life
Think of a deadlift – you’re picking the weight up off the ground. This will carry over to you picking up furniture or groceries since you’re building your grip, core, and back strength in the gym.
Or think of doing a single leg movement like a split squat. That’s going to help improve your balance, coordination, and stability so that in everyday life, you can pick things up without falling.
I once had a client send me a video of her picking up a bag of her gerbil food because that was something she wouldn’t have ever been able to do if it wasn’t for strength training.
So yeah, these are some of the benefits that using a machine doesn’t give you.
4. You’ll Have A Stronger and More Appealing Core
Your core is the connection between your upper and lower body.
Unfortunately a weak core is what leads to a lot of injuries – mainly back injuries.
When you use free weights, more of your core muscles are used for better balance and stability so that you can lift the weights safely.
So, having a strong core is very important.
Think about it like this: with a strong core, you can lift that couch up or carry those grocery’s inside without injuring yourself, which is all too common unfortunately.
I’ve seen it too many times myself.
Plus, a strong core is very appealing at the beach as well. 😉
5. They’re Versatile
One of the biggest advantages to using free weights is that you can fit almost any exercise to work for you.
For example, let’s take a look at performing a DB bench press.
When you’re laying on your back, you can position your elbows and wrists so that the movement feels good for you and your body.
For example, if you feel shoulder pain on a DB bench press and your elbows are flared out like you’re trying to fly, simply tucking them in will place your shoulders in a safer position so that you can now press without pain.
Also, using free weights can be done anywhere at any time with hundreds of exercises.
6. Can Improve Joint Health
When you use free weights, you have to rely on your stabilizer muscles to keep your joint safe and prevent things from moving around and popping out of place.
The stronger these muscles are, the stronger and healthier your joints will be.
Which means potentially less aches, pains, and injuries.
7. Technically Burns More Calories
While it’s not much (about 5% of total daily calories burned), you’re going to burn a few more calories using free weights vs machines.
The reason is because you’re using more muscles and moving around more. Therefore, your body needs to use more energy.
So, if your goal is fat loss, why not? Again, the majority of this comes from nutrition, but it doesn’t hurt.
8. Less Expensive
Machines are very expensive.
And since you need multiple machines to work different muscle groups, you’re probably looking at a few thousand dollars – at least.
On the opposite hand, for free weights all you need is a bench and a pair of adjustable dumbbells to get started.
Yes, having more equipment is ideal (which you’ll see later), but to begin you can do more with less.
All of those basic movement patterns can be done with a pair of dumbbells and a barbell.
This means you don’t need much to workout your whole body.
I actually have a few clients right now who workout from home with only a bench, a pair of adjustable DB, resistance bands, and they get insane results.
Now, joining a gym is still your best option to get the most badass results. (If you struggle with this, I wrote about that HERE.)
But, if you don’t want to go to a gym and want to save money on equipment, free weights are your answer.
9. Improved Performance
The cool thing with free weights is that you can also improve your performance in other areas than strength.
And I’m a big proponent of not only being strong and building muscle, but also still being athletic.
Ever heard of the term “use it or lose it”?
With machines, you only work in one motion typically – back to front.
With free weights, you’re able to work back to front, side to side, and rotate as well.
So by strength training with different movements, you’re teaching your body how to also fire the muscles quickly and efficiently and to move in multiple directions.
Which are important for health, function, and longevity.
Free Weights vs Machines: Cons of Using Free Weights
Even though free weights are the gold standard equipment for strength training, they’re not always the best depending on your goals.
1. Longer Learning Curve
Free weight movements take longer to learn because there are so many muscles being used and your brain has to learn how to use them in coordination.
Take a deadlift for example: you’re using your lats, erector spinae, core, glutes, hamstrings, quads to lift the weight up.
And because of this, there is a lot of room for error like your lower back rounding, hips shooting up, etc.
This takes a shit ton of practice and repetition in order for your body to become skilled at the movement.
Just like a basketball player practices for games to perfect his craft, working on compound movements takes practice as well to learn how to stabilize, feel the right muscles working, and safely continue to progress.
Shit, I’ve been lifting for 10 years and I still work on my technique to this day.
It’s not something you can do one time and master it.
2. Less Stability
I know, I just got done saying that this can be beneficial for your core and joints.
However, that’s not always ideal for building muscle.
To build muscle, this requires you to place maximal tension on specific muscles and go close to failure (not being able to do anymore reps).
This 100% can still be done with free weights – especially if you’re a beginner.
However, as you get more advanced, it can be harder to isolate specific muscles.
This is because the bigger muscle groups will take over for the smaller ones.
Plus, having to stabilize takes tension away from the muscle you’re trying to work.
Instead of one specific muscle getting all of the tension, that tension is dispersed between multiple muscles.
While the muscle is still getting work but not as much work as it could be getting.
Now, you can add things like a bench for support to help with this but generally speaking, free weights require more stability.
3. Could Lead to Joint Issues
If you’re constantly loading up the heavy weight because of your ego, you’re asking for some joint issues.
Because the heavier you go, the more you sacrifice form which is where a lot of joint problems stem from.
Ever notice people in the gym – mostly guys – half rep their weight because they want to look impressive?
Yeah, stupid idea unless you’re ok with injuries.
This is why a variety of exercises, rep ranges, and full range of motion training is important for your joints.
4. Can’t Go To Complete Failure As Often
Since so many muscles are being used and you’re lifting very heavy weight, it’s very fatiguing on your body.
Which means it’s harder to recover from.
This is important because recovery is a huge part of making progress. If you can’t recover, your body can’t adapt by building muscle and strength.
Plus, the risk of injury goes up too because the heavier you lift and the closer to failure you go, the more your body has to compensate to get the weight up.
The reason being is your body has one job: survival.
It’s going to do everything it needs to in order to get that weight up even if that means sacrificing form.
Therefore, if you’re under the bar and your spine is like a crinkled up bendy straw you’re asking for an injury.
This is why practicing good form and learning how much weight to lift is crucial.
Cable Machines
Cable machines are very similar to free weights because they’re adjustable and require a lot of stability.
With cable machines, you can target specific muscles more by adjusting where the cable is pulling from, your grip, and be able to place constant tension through a full range of motion on your muscles.
This 100% would be my second choice because a lot of the same benefits apply.
Free Weights vs. Machines: Pros of Cable Machines
1. Constant Tension Throughout The Whole Range of Motion
You’re going to allow more constant tension throughout the whole range of motion of a movement which is beneficial for building muscle.
When you use free weights, there is only one spot where your muscles are working the hardest (RDL at the bottom and Glute Bridge at the top).
With a cable machine, the tension is constant so your muscles are getting the same amount of tension throughout.
And because of this constant tension, the muscle building factors accumulate more in your muscles, and then can send a stronger muscle building signal.
2. You Can Line the Cable Up With the Muscle You’re Trying to Work
This is sort of majoring in the minor, but can still apply if you want optimal results.
You can make the cable work a specific muscle better by focusing where you’re pulling from and having something to stabilize your body.
Let’s take a cross cable tricep extension.
You can do it the classic way of pushing a bar down in front of you which is still going to destroy your triceps.
But, if you want to be optimal, you can better “align” with your triceps if the cable is in the same line.
This is where a cross cable tricep extension comes into play.
Instead of pushing down in front of you, both cables are now directly opposing your tricep muscles so that there will be even more tension placed on them.
3. Easier on The Joints
It’s more of a smoother movement and places less stress on your joints.
Almost like driving on a bumpy road vs a smooth road.
Therefore, you can go closer to failure more often without burning yourself out or placing a lot of stress on your joints.
Free Weights vs. Machines: Con of Cable Machines:
1. There Is Only So Much You Can Lift
Once the weight stack tops out, you’re done.
For bragging rights this is badass, but for getting as strong as possible it’s less than ideal.
Plus, it could be hard to do some of the basic compound movements like a squat and deadlift.
Machines
Even after all of that, I promise machines still have a place.
Machines vs. Free Weights: Pros of Using Machines
1. Easier to Use and Can Be Safer For Beginners
Machines have instructions and basically do the movement for you. All you have to do is follow the directions.
So, it can be good for beginners looking to get used to the gym atmosphere and getting used to working their muscles.
2. More Stability = More Targeted Muscle Growth
I’ve already talked about this so I’ll keep it short.
By having more stability, you can better target a specific muscle group, go close to failure and create mechanical tension, and build muscle.
Take a look at the smith machine. You can manipulate it so that you target more quads by allowing your knee to travel forward without having to worry about stabilizing the barbell on your back.
The smith machine track already does that for you.
3. Potential Rehab Benefits
Since machines are easy and more safe to use, they can be used for someone coming back from an injury.
Free Weights vs. Machines: Cons of Using Machines
1. You Have To Fit Into The Machine
You have to fit the machines structure vs being able to fit the structure to you.
If you’re 7 feet tall, good luck getting into a machine.
It’s like trying to fit an NBA player into a small car like a Honda Civic. It ain’t going to happen.
Also, someone that is overweight may have a hard time getting in and out of one too.
Or, someone who has very poor mobility is going to struggle sometimes starting the movement.
Plus, you can’t change the path of the movement. So, if it doesn’t feel right for you, there’s not much you can do.
2. Potentially Not As Much Range of Motion
Some (typically your older ones) but not all machines don’t allow you to train a muscle through a full range of motion.
For some, like someone who is rehabbing an injury, this can be a good thing.
But, for people like you and I who want to build muscles, get strong, and be healthy, that’s not going to lead to good progress.
3. It’s time consuming
If all you use is machines, it’s going to take a long ass time to make sure you get enough volume for each muscle group.
Since machines only target one muscle group, it’s not very efficient.
Therefore, you may be in the gym for 2 hours and 6 days a week to be able to hit each muscle group.
Free Weights vs. Machines: Summing It All Up
You’re probably like holy shit that was a lot and you’d be correct.
This is why it’s so important to have a proper strength training program to get you the best results based on your goals.
The matter of fact is if you’re a beginner or intermediate, using both is going to be best and that there is no one best answer as you can see.
But, placing more of an emphasis on free weights when you have the most energy at the beginning of your workouts, and machines towards the end is going to be ideal when you’re more fatigued.
The reason is simple: free weights require more energy than machines.
Depending on your goal, I would say do at least 50-75% of your training with free weights – this could even be up to 100% if you truly wanted to.
And then sprinkle the extra 25% on machines or cable machine exercises to target specific muscle groups that you want to grow.
Look at it like a cake. The actual cake is your big free weight movements that we talked about earlier.
The icing is going to be your accessory movements that can be with free weights or a machine to compliment your main movements.
Then, to top it off, the sprinkles are some extra flavor to work specific muscle groups you want to build which is where cables and machines play a huge role.
Free Weights vs. Machines: Sample Template
1. Start With Compound Movements Using Free Weights. (1-2)
This is because these require the most energy and technique so you want to get these done first and again, give you the most bang for your buck in terms of results. If you start with isolation movements, these can be affected.
Squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press.
Aim for the 3-8 rep range.
2. Move Onto Accessory Movements Using Both Free Weights and Machines (2-4)
I would still use mostly free weights here. Some cable machines are ok for certain movements like a lat pull down or a leg press.
This way, you’re able to bring up any lagging muscle groups that the compound movements aren’t efficient at building or targeting.
Aim for the 6-12 rep range.
3. Top It Off With Isolation Exercises (2-4)
Single joint exercises allow you to create tension in a smaller muscle which leads to better results.
For these, you can use mostly machines to really help isolate a muscle and work it from different angles.
And since these require less energy, you should still have enough by the end of the workout to try your best and go hard on these which is why using a machine or cable is a good idea.
Aim for the 8-20 rep range.
All in all, the most important thing is that you strength train and enjoy what you’re doing.
I hope this gave you a better idea that no one wins the battle of free weights vs machines.
What matters is including both and figuring out what your main goal is.
Once you do that, it all comes down to pushing yourself hard in the gym.
-Coach Bob
Ps. If you want a quick start on getting more defined, strong, and confident, download my FREE Fat Loss Cheat Sheet HERE.
Pps. If you want to take it to the next level and get a more personalized approach specifically tailored to you and your goals, apply for 1:1 Online Coaching HERE and we’ll see if we’re a good fit.