Both free weights and machines are good for exercising, the dilemma is how much do you want to push your body? Here are the benefits of both routines:
Benefits of gym machines
The machines can be very useful for bodybuilding and structural purposes. It does not mean that having support when doing an exercise is bad, the difference is that when you do free weight you are gaining strength and in most cases with machines what you are looking for is volume.
The advantages of working with machines:
– They are easy to use: Since most of them work on a fixed course and have diagrams of its use, it is also more difficult to cheat with the form of the lifts.
– They save time: It is usually easier to prepare to use a machine and change weights than it would be to do so with free weights.
– They are less intimidating: Trying to figure out what to do with some dumbbells or barbells can be crippling at first. With the machines you know exactly which muscles work and how to do the exercise correctly.
The good thing about gym equipment is that you decide the weight you want to carry and in this way you determine the volume you want.
Isolating the work of the muscles is not bad and neither is doing a little volume in the arms, legs and even the back, it only identifies what you want, so you will know what type of routines are best for you or if you can alternate them.
Benefits of free weights
A free weight is any object that can move freely, in the gym we find it as:
– Dumbbells
– Bars
– Adjustable pulley system
– Front pull cable or seated row
– The same human body
Carrying out a routine of this type is ideal to tone your body faster, since all your muscles are active when you exercise.
– Versatility: They can be used in a wide variety of exercises for the whole body.
– Functionality: The body moves following natural patterns and in different planes, replicating real-life movements such as squats, lifting things overhead or rotating the body.
– More complete development of strength: By supporting the weight with the body, specific muscles can be worked while engaging smaller ones such as the stabilizers. This also helps burn more calories when you train.
What if I don’t like any of them? Another exercise that also helps you tone your body without the need for machines is Pilates. An exercise that seeks to improve the muscles of the entire body in an integral way without the need for gym equipment and which you can practice at home.
Source: Esmas