Free Weights Or Weightlifting Machines To Build Bigger Muscles?
Are free weights such as dumbbells and barbells are more
superior to weightlifting machines for building bigger muscles?
Well, both free weights and weightlifting machines have its own
pros and cons.
*Advantages of weightlifting machines
a) Excellent for beginners because it is not so intimidating and
the range of motion is fixed, so a bodybuilding novice need not
wonder whether he is lifting correctly to target a muscle group.
b) Easy to use as machines usually have instructions on them.
c) Safer - It won't drop on you in a middle of a lift.
d) Isolate your muscles so that you can rest your injured body
part and yet able to workout other muscle part.
*Disadvantages of Weightlifting Machines
a) Increase injury risks since the range of motion is fixed and
repeated workout will place tremendous stress on the same
joints, tendons and muscles because you are lifting on a fixed
pathway.
b) Because of its isolation of muscles, your workout hit only
the targeted muscles with little involvement of supporting or
synergistic thus your muscle gains will be slower and less
balanced.
c) Since weight lifting machines have fixed configuration, your
workout does not factor in your body frame and structure.
Whether you have a big or small built, narrow or wide shoulders,
you will be using the same pathway range of motion and width of
grip. This will raise your chances of being injured as well as
poorer muscle development.
*Advantages of free weights
a) More stabilizing muscles synergistic muscles are involved. So
you are actually exercising more muscles and therefore will
develop more muscle growth and strength.
b) Improve your balance and muscle coordination since you need
to balance the weights during your lift and this call on many
muscles to do so. So your muscle coordination and sense of
balance will naturally improve.
c) Convenient and inexpensive since you need not join a gym and
free weights are much less expensive than machines.
*Disadvantages of free weights
a) Increase injury risks if lifting with wrong form and
technique.
b) Time consuming because you need to bring the weights from one
area to another or physically taking time to adjust, add or
decrease weights.
So which is better for building bigger and well balanced
muscles? Yup, free weight takes the cake over weight lifting
machines for building muscles faster and bigger. However, since
both weightlifting machines and free weights have its own
advantages and disadvantages, you can then weigh the pros and
cons to use machines or free weights for your workouts or even a
combination of both to suit your personal requirements.