Free Weights Vs. Armand Tecco, M.Ed. You probably already know that weight training offers many benefits, from strengthening and toning the body to building muscle and battling osteoporosis. Several different companies, including Cybex and Nautilus, manufacture weight machines. Although the machines differ in design, they all incorporate a system of cables and pulleys to lift weight along guide rods.
Weight machines allow safe, straight-line movement of external resistance.
The only effort required is to move the weight in a straight path away from or toward the body. Machines also allow for the resistance to be applied in various planes, which can target different parts of a muscle that could not be efficiently targeted using free weights. Free weights, on the other hand, can train muscles through several degrees of movement, not just in a straight line. Because there are no guide rods to keep the weight in line and no pulleys to assist with the lifting and lowering, free weights require more overall balance and coordination. Using free weights will generally result in better strength gains and neuromuscular coordination since more muscles are called into play.