You often hear people asserting that training on machines is a waste of time and that free weights alone build strength, power and size; while some feel that machines should be avoided because they force you to work only on a particular plane.
Research suggests that free weights are the best choice when it comes to building the big three — size, power and strength — but, it's incorrect to say that machines do little in developing any of the three. When a trainee works out using free weights, the exercises hit not only the targeted main muscle group but also the smaller stabiliser muscles.
Researchers at Illinois State University studied the activity of muscles such as the chest, front and the side head of shoulders, biceps and triceps during standard bench press exercise using a barbell and chest press exercise on a machine.
Test subjects were asked to train with a weight that was 80 per cent of their 1 rep maximum (i.e., 80 per cent of a weight with which they could perform only one repetition), and also 60 per cent of 1 rep maximum, both on the machine and barbell versions of the bench press.
The researchers found that when subjects used 80 per cent of their 1 RM, there was little difference in the activation of chest, shoulders, biceps or triceps between the machine and free weight versions.
However, when the subjects trained using 60 per cent of their 1 RM, more activation was observed in the front and middle head of the shoulders in the barbell version of the exercise.
Researchers say that because machines move along a fixed path, the shoulder muscles are not forced to work hard to stabilise the joint.
The lesson to be learnt from this: trainees should begin their workout with free weight movements. It makes sense to move on to machine exercises when the stabiliser muscles get tired after hard training. This will ensure that the muscles are exercised to an optimum level.
As regards safety, train using exercises that hit every area of a muscle from a variety of angles. Judicious use of machines when combined with free weights, resistance bands, exercise ball, and dynamic stretches need not limit a person's physical output.
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