Free weights or Machine Weights

Lifting free weights represents a true reflection of your strength. This is because they offer you no help; you simply have to pick them up and complete an exercise.

Free weights are the dumbbells and barbells that you see either stacked up by walls or littered over the floor in gyms (and private garages).

Through some research, we examine the pros and cons of both types of equipment.

Resistance machines, on the other hand, are normally designed to facilitate your ability to lift a weight at the point where your joint needs the most assistance.

These machines are the big, complex-looking metal structures you see in the gym. They compensate for the fact that your lifting ability will be limited by the amount of strength at a certain angle.

The machines work to help you through the ‘dead’ spots of a lift, unlike free weights. So you can usually lift a lot more on machine weights than you can on free weights. But this can be deceptive.