Exercise machines
were made to make some workouts easier. However, sometimes free weights produce better results as opposed to exercise machines when used with the same weight.
Bodybuilder Doug Walker explains: "Exercise machines were invented to make exercising easier, more convenient. What started out as good intentions with Nautilus & Universal machines has evolved into a billion-dollar industry of fads, gimmicks, quick fixes, bun & thigh rollers, ab lounges and infomercials."
Significance
Exercise machines and free weights are both great ways to get a workout. The major difference is the balancing needed with the free weights, which produces greater results. Many exercise machines are also made so that people can use the same amount of effort in a workout, yet put three time as much weight on the machines. That is the case with squats vs. 45-degree leg presses.
Free Weights
Free weights have to be kept stable by your muscles. For example, to do bench presses, you have to keep the bar steady so that it does not fall on you. This gives your muscles a better workout than using the same weight on a machine, because your muscles are constantly adjusting to keep the weight balanced.
Exercise Machines
Exercise machines are good because they are safe. Some machines effectively work muscles that free weights cannot. One of the pros of machines is the mentality. Sometimes when you are doing free weights and the bar moves, you shift your focus from lifting the weight to leveling the bar. With machines, all you have to focus on is pushing as much weight as you can.
The Workout
Each type of workout, either on a machine or with free weights, has its pros and cons. Biceps can be worked in more variation with dumbbells, whereas the exercise machine that works biceps has only three different positions. On the other hand, the lat pull-down machine can produce more variation for a back workout vs. pull-ups.
The Best Choice
Both are great ways to get a workout. Almost every person at the gym uses both free weights and exercise machines systematically. However, there are some exceptions if you have joint pain or osteoporosis. In a case where somebody has weak knee joints, squats or leg presses would be the worst workout. Instead, that person should do leg extensions and separate workouts for the glutes instead of straining his already weak knee joints.
