By now you know that you need to include weights in your workout regime, but should you use free weights or the machines? If you are like me and rather intimidated by the hunks in the free weight area, then you may never have considered using free weights. But there are advantages to both, so have a think about which you should use and when.

Weight machines

Most people think that machines are good for people who are just starting to use weights because they do not need the co-ordination required when using free weights.

Each machine has a specific purpose which means that it is easy to use correctly. The weights are supported in tracks or lines and your body is supported in the correct position.

It is also easy to learn to use machines because each is built for a specific purpose, and many have illustrated instructions on them, with details of exactly which muscle group is being worked.

Machines are particularly good if you are training after injury. Because they isolate the muscle groups you are exercising and limit the pressure on surrounding joints and other muscle groups.

Free weights

The main advantage of free weights is that they exercise more than one muscle group. For example, if you are doing biceps curls while standing then you are also holding your posture with your back muscles, as well as other muscles in your body to support the weight of the curl, and other muscles in your arms as you go through the full range of motion.

Free weights are also more versatile and offer more flexibility in increasing and decreasing the amount of weight you lift.

You are also able to alter your exercises slightly. For example, you may want to change the angle of your elbow during a bench-press which would exercise a different group of muscles — the pectoralis minor (lying under pectoralis major), and deltoid and choracobrachialis more than a traditional bench-press, which concentrates the effort on the pectoralis major.

But beware. It is a lot easier to do exercises incorrectly and so injure yourself while using free weights. The mirrors in weight rooms are not just for the hunks to admire themselves! Their correct function is to allow you to check your position while lifting weights.

What to use at home

Home exercise equipment is gaining popularity in South Africa, and is widely used overseas. If you cannot get to a gym regularly, or even at all, this is probably the solution for you.

The advantage of free weights in the home are space and cost. A weight rack, a bench and some bars will fit fairly easily into a corner of a room. They are also a lot cheaper than the home weight machines.

A home weight machine generally takes up a lot of room. Most of the ones on the market cater for the major muscle groups, but to get a full weight workout you would probably need more than one machine, or maybe some free weights as well. They also cost a lot more than free weights, and are generally not as easy to use or as durable as the machines at gyms.

Advantages to both

There are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. Most people who have been lifting weights for a while use both free weights and machines.

Whatever you use, please make sure that you are using the weights correctly. Start out by finding someone who can teach you how to use both machines and weights and explain the principle behind each exercise.