Free
Weights VS Machine Exercise
Something
you need to keep in mind and never forget is that when you exercise, you are
training for life. You may spend an hour
a day in the gym, although that will still leave another 23 hours or so for
your muscles to function without using any fancy equipment.
Whenever you
do any type of exercise, the movement of your body during the exercise is known
as the range of motion. The more
difficult the range of motion is, the more effective the exercise will be, because
your body has to work twice as hard to perform the movement.
For instance
the classic dumbbell bicep curl. If you
aren't familiar with the exercise, it is performed by standing up straight with
your palms facing forward, and a pair of dumbbells held down by your
sides. You'll contract your biceps to
bring the dumbbells up to your shoulder height, then, repeat the exercise as
many times as you wish.
Using that
same movement for exercise on a bicep curl machine, you should sit down, brace
your upper arms on a pad, grasp 2 handles that are in front of you, then,
perform the same movement as above to move the handles in an upward motion.
Now, looking
at the muscle contractions in this exercise, you are contracting essentially
your biceps if you are using the curl machine, and that is pretty much all you
are doing. When you use the machine you
are sitting down, which will limit just how much your shoulders give. The machine has several muscles used in this exercise
limited to the biceps, as well as the muscles in your forearms and fingers.
Most of the
time, when using machine weights, you will always be limited as to what type of
exercise you can perform. You must
always follow a strict procedure, which is pretty much the same with free
weights. Unlike free weights, machine weights
offer a certain degree of resistance.
A lot of
people argue in the fact that free weights are the best for your body. While this is normally true, many people out
there feel that machine weights are the best.
There are pros and cons with both machines, although free weights have
been around a lot longer and have been proven time after time to achieve
dramatic results.
Body
builders for example, have used free weights over the years to build very
impressive bodies. If you ask most of
them about machine weights, they would probably laugh at you and tell you that
you need to quit joking around.
In a
nutshell, free weights will use more of your muscles than the machines do,
which makes them more effective overall.
This doesn't mean that the machines are a waste of time, as they offer
some great advantages. In some cases, it
is best to stabilize the muscles that are being used in a movement, which is
where machines are the best to use.
The decision
on which to use for you should be based on what you hope to achieve with
lifting weights and where you plan to use the equipment, such as home or at a
gym. Both systems are great for your
body, although the free weights are best to use if you want the best possible workout,
and always ensure that your muscles are getting the right workouts they need.
