WHAT WORKS BEST?
MACHINES OR FREE WEIGHTS.
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| The akmatidas halter |
The concept of free weights for training purposes can be traced back around 800 BCE. This was during the ancient Greek, where they developed some form of weights which were known as Halteres. They were hand-held with a hole at the middle for gripping.
Long jump athletes used them to gain momentum and distance as they practiced for Pentathlon (which was a sporting event in the ancient olympics). The halteres were also used by soldiers for strength training and physical fitness, which was highly valued for military readiness.
It's really important to acknowledge bodybuilders back in the golden error. This is based on the limited amount of machines they had and the appealing aesthetics they brought on stage. Thinking about it brings a nostalgic feeling especially for old-school bodybuilding fans. That said, it goes without saying how well a physique can be build with limited resources. This is affirmed by alignment of the key fundamentals i.e. nutrition and recovery.
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| A rough design of the first rowing machine by Father Bill in 1871. |
The use of machines for strength and endurance training can be traced back around 1871. This was when the the first rowing machine which used flywheel and ratchet system was invented by a guy named William B. Curtis alias "Father Bill". The purpose was to emulate the motion of rowing a boat, allowing athletes to maintain and improve their rowing skills and strength even when they couldn't be on the water. This paved way to other great innovations like introduction of the first ever treadmill in 1913.
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| A photo of Jack Lalanne in 1940 working on his invention of the squat machine. |
Speaking of machines used to build strength and muscle mass, you can't fail to mention a legend in the fitness industry by the name Jack Lalanne. He came up with the concept of cable-pulley machines,the smith machine and the first leg extension. This was in the 40s and 1950s when fitness was starting to gain momentum among the general population.
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| Hammer strength first generation plate loaded ISO lateral pullover machine. |
This resulted to the emerge of Hammer strength equipment by Gary Jones in the 80s. His concept was to create machines that would simplify biomechanics and match human movements when in use. They came up with machines that weights could be loaded on. This made it more practical and easy to afford.
There on, the emerge of multiple designs and equipment continued to evolve to what it is today.
The comparison between what works best has brought a huge bone of contention among fitness enthusiast for the longest time. The idea that free weights build strength while machine build definition seems to dwindle down.
Most modernized gym setups are heavily invested in machines, partly because of aesthetics but mostly because of space. I guess, this has played a big role in influencing people's perception that machines are the crème dela crème for quality gains. This begs the question, are they really?
What works best?
The best way to answer this is can be based on bodybuilding as a source of reference. Bodybuilding tends to be the epitome of the phrase "A perfect physique". Going through different comments, the argument leans towards what creates better results in terms of appearance.
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| Bodybuilders back in the 70s. |
It's really important to acknowledge bodybuilders back in the golden error. This is based on the limited amount of machines they had and the appealing aesthetics they brought on stage. Thinking about it brings a nostalgic feeling especially for old-school bodybuilding fans. That said, it goes without saying how well a physique can be build with limited resources. This is affirmed by alignment of the key fundamentals i.e. nutrition and recovery.
In a scientific point of view and from meta analyses conducted in 2022 and 2023 respectively https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34609100/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37582807/, showed that there is no difference in regards to hypertrophy, power and maximal strength. The conclusion was that both free weights and machines have the capacity to yield close if not the same result.
What works best could be diversified into various factors:
a) Preference - everyone is build different and our structures don't match. This plays a big role when making such choices. Others might find free weights to be a key factor but others might opt for machines because it's comfortable and they can capitalize on adequate training.
b) Specificity - as the principle states, to perfect on something, you must mimic the exact movement and gradually aim to improve on it over time. This play a big role when it comes to power lifters and strongman athletes. In their fields, free weights are the order of the day. You can't perfect your 1 rep max squat while doing leg press. As much as it has a role in working on the stabilizers, it won't serve the intended purpose.
c) Muscle stimulation - it all boils down to how best an individual can constantly challenge the muscle for growth. Use of either can help achieve this.
d) Availability - if free weights are the only items you have to achieve that desired physique then you must find ways to make it work to your favour.
e) Fitness level - from experience, it's easier and quite safe for newbies to understand how different muscles are trained by using machines as compared to free weights. Once they get the concept, transitioning to free weight would make more sense for they can be in a great position to distinguish between pain and muscle stimulation. This makes more sense if the training facility is heavily invested in machines.
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