Working Out With Weight Machines vs Adjustable Dumbbells

Oct 10 by GuestPoster

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Resistance training with weights is an effective method of building muscle mass and toning up weak or flabby muscles. Resistance training can be confusing for the beginner, especially choosing between a weight machine and free weights such as adjustable dumbbells; both methods have their pros and cons.

Weight Machines

Weight machines are supportive, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. While they provide support for your body and help you maintain good form when lifting weights, they can be too supportive.  When using a weight machine, you use only a few muscle groups at a time, and your workout may not be as effective as with free weights.

Adjustable Dumbbells

Free weights, like adjustable dumbbells, allow you to use heavier weights for one side of the body if it is weaker and needs to be developed. In most weight machines, you use both arms or legs to lift the weights, so both sides of the body are worked out equally.

Benefits of Free Weights Workouts

When using free weights, your body gets a more natural workout, as free weights simulate how we would lift something heavy under normal circumstances. You can use free weights for squats, lunges, overhead lifts and other movements that mimic the way you would move in real life. Since weight machines work on a fixed path, they offer a limited range of motion when putting your body through an exercise routine.

Weight Machines vs Free Weights Workouts

Unless you have access to a multi gym, most machines work out a single set of muscles, so you have to move from machine to machine to get a full body workout. Free weights are extremely versatile and can be used to perform a variety of exercises for full body conditioning.

There are many other factors, which might influence your workout method as well. If you are a beginner and unsure of how to begin, opt for using a weight machine; it is safer and saves more time. Machine workouts might also be a safer option if you suffer from injuries.

Choosing between free weights and weight machines is a personal preference and boils down to which method works best for you. You can also combine the use of both methods for the same exercise to get the benefits of both, by performing one set of repetitions using a weight machine and the next set using free weights.

Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?

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