What is more beneficial: free weights or machines?
This is an age-old question that has long been disputed by bodybuilders and recreational gym-freaks alike. The simple answer is neither one is that much better than the other; it all depends on your individual fitness goals.
Free weights are a great way to build muscle mass and strength. When working out with free weights, you significantly recruit more muscle fibers due to the balance aspect of the exercise. In other words, even as your chest is working to press those dumbbells, many other smaller stabilizer muscles are working to keep the weight balanced and under your control. In this way, you fatigue the muscle fibers slightly more completely when lifting with free weights. Also, there is almost no end to the amount of exercises you can do with a set of dumbbells. You can hit virtually every muscle group.
As far as the cons go, there are a few. First, free weights do nothing to promote good lifting form, which is far and away the most important aspect of any lifting routine. If your form stinks, so will your workout. Also, lifting heavy with free weights requires a spotter; to lift without one, even with moderately light weight, puts you at a severe risk for injury.
Now, to the machines. Lifting with machines is good because it incorporates a set range of motion. The form is generally pre-set, so it's usually more difficult to cheat or have improper form when working with a machine. Also, because a machine is a set range of motion, you don't need the assorted stabilizer muscles to balance the weight. While this may seem like a negative aspect to some, many people are looking to more effectively isolate a muscle. Machines are well suited to this task. Another convenience is the fact that, with machines, a spotter is not required. That is not to say that you can't get hurt using a machine; it's just that you won't have the risk of dropping 65-five pounds on your face when an arm gives out. And, since the range of motion is limited, a machine may be a better choice for physical rehabilitation of an injury - you can focus on rehabbing the individual muscle more easily.
The cons of a machine are pretty much similar to the pros. The lack of stabilizer muscle recruitment leads to a workout that less completely tires the muscles. The set range of motion does not force the issue of proper form; with a machine, it's done for you. Also, in the interest of expense, a machine is much more costly than are free weights. To effectively simulate all the exercises that one may perform through the use of free weight exercise, an assortment of machines are needed. In other words, to get a good workout from machines, you will be running from one machine to another the entire workout.
The differences between free weights and machines do not imply that one is better than the other. Choose your method of lifting based on what you aim to accomplish in the gym that day. Oftentimes, the most effective workout is a combination of both.
Dumbbells or Barbells?
Again, the differences here is of preference. Dumbbells force deeper muscle recruitment by enabling a fuller range of motion. You can focus more on an individual muscle with dumbbells, like with concentration curls (one-handed bicep curls) or triceps kick-backs. However, since each muscle is being worked individually, dumbbells are not the most conducive to muscular symmetry. Barbells, on the other hand, force muscles to work in pairs (like in bench-pressing or barbell curls), thereby helping muscle symmetry. Also, barbells allow for lifting more weight; this helps fully fatigue the muscle. As with machines and free weights, the choice between dumbbells and barbells is simply one of individual goals in the weight room that day.
