80% machines 20% free weights works the best for me. I used to do a lot more free weights but since I started to put more emphasis on machines I have grown so much bigger and fuller. Machines are the best for hypertrophy
When I was young and into bodybuilding I found about a 50/50 mix of free weights and machines to be most effective for growth. I especially liked plate loaded hammer strength machines. Now at 50 I only do free weights, body weight, and cables. No lever machines. I value functional fitness more now so I want to balance the weight.
Wow, man! Great video. This is exactly the type of specific content I was looking for-easy to digest and very well explained. I'm glad to have found this channel.
In fact Machines help growing the muscle you wanna train, BUT free weights help growing all the help-muscles for the exercise, too. So if you wanna grow overall , not just the (e.P.) chest ,then do it free-weight
Why do you want to go all the way till you die? Have a coach in case you want to go such weights..else do little weight in free Wrights and heavy on machines.. Do combination of both @@FabianDialer-vw1zk
This is the first one of your videos I ever come across. I find your information very accurate, well-researched, and is well presented. Subscribing immediately
I think that for pure hypertrophy the machines are clearly superior. They offer greater stability with which you can train more safely to failure while causing less fatigue. for hypertrophy all this is a godsend. what I see that works for me is doing the first exercise with free weight, and all the other exercises of the day with machines.
Stability does not lead to more muscle growth it just gives less demands to other muscles which isn’t a good thing. Technical failure offers similar results as absolute failure so why not just go to technical failure on a free weight and get the stability benefits? I’ve also found that said if you do mostly free weights they are not much more fatiguing because outside factors such as the core and calves can support your body better.
There’s no evidence max stability leads to more growth. All we know is you can’t be flying all over the place. If max stability was king then rings which use far less weight due to the instability would be ass yet we have advanced guys making gains from rings. There’s no reason you can’t fail with free weights not that hard to control If you asked me who’s getting a higher stimulus between someone smith pressing and someone doing 1 arm push ups I’d take the 1 arm push ups. You can’t even do 1 rep until you have enough strength which shows how high the stimulus is
I have trained for well over 50 years with a mixture of machines and free weights and my routine has changed with aims, age and injuries. Now in my 70s it’s mostly machines but with some other methods eg cables. I think this is an excellent analysis and explains not just what the differences are, but also why. One thing I have found is that you improve at exactly what you do and the way you do it. Just changing an exercise slightly can make a difference to how much you ache afterwards. Also being able to do a particular cardio exercise doesn’t mean you can do a different one just as well. I have therefore tried to vary what I have done to a great degree. Doing this might mean you don’t improve on one specific exercise as much but you do get a more rounded fitness in terms of strength, cardio ability and even body shape.
I find all of your videos so motivating and so educational, i love that all your information is well researched and that you always cite yourself. i cannot tell you how greatfull i am for your videos. i have recently been getting into using pre workout to help with my workout as i usually train in the evenings. i am a person that does not drink caffee or consume caffeine and never had a habit of it so i feel it really helps for me. though i haven’t found a video of yours to explain this, i hope that you can soon make a video about the effects of using preworkout supplements before a workout and possibly during as well, i would love to know if it has an effect if you take it before or in comparison to during. Cant wait to see more of your content!! much love and respect ❤❤❤
I started bodybuilding young age of 15 (natural) with heavy free weights and got all sorts of injuries like labral tears and joint problems now I’m 30. I do only machines light weights higher reps nowadays and my problems have not gotten worse and I look as good as ever. As far as building muscle machines are just as effective imo you just won’t be as strong but I don’t really care about strength anymore
Definitely. That's the good thing about hypertrophy training, there are many ways to provide a good training stimulus which can keep our joints healthy long term 👍
I am a beginner too (1 months) and it seems like no one in my gym does any compound exercises. I have seen it in action couple of times but that's all. This makes me really sad because this also means when I finally begin to do compound exercises, no one is going to help me or show me technique. With dumbells, it is really not that possible to injure yourself. I feel like working with free weights is more beneficial for your overall body. Having that stability and control moves the exercise to another level. And it is also more important for outside of the gym, since you lift objects and not weights attached to cables.
As someone who suffered from shoulder injuries for years and learned a lot about the causes and the biomechanics from experts to get me out of that, I'd like to inform you the danger of using fixed machines way more than free weights, not the other way around. let me explain... ~ This might be a long comment, but bear with me if you care about longevity and staying away from injuries ~ When you use Fixed machines (machines that have a fixed plane of motion, lets take an example of chest press, your Joint Stabilizing muscles (infraspinatus, teres minor, Supraspinatus, serratus anterior) gets too weak compared to the chest (since the stability is already provided by the machine and thlese stabilizers wont be strengthened along with the main muscles). With time, big unbalances around your shoulder joint start to develop, in this example the shoulder will get excessive internal rotation and will cause continuous wear and tear caused by bad mechanics in the joint. The amount of shoulder instability is already existed since most men focuses more on the manly muscles (chest front shoulder, lats) which are internal rotators of the shoulder and neglect adding exercises that balances such as ( serratus anterior, lower traps, rear delt, infraspinatus, Supraspinatus, teres minor), so using fixed machines without addressing these issues will make it even worse. Don't get me wrong, Machines are still great for hypertrophy in terms of adding more volume = more muscle growth since they don't require much CNS fatigue, meaning after you've done your majority of workouts targeting all muscles (including the stabilizers) you finally add one or two machines at the end since you're already exhausted and machines don't exhaust the body as much. I recommend rethinking your choices. Same if not better hypertrophy can be achieved with free weights - by using techniques such as loading the muscles at full lengthened position- there's many studies about this, many Machines can't provide that.
As someone who suffered from shoulder injuries for years and learned a lot about the causes and the biomechanics from experts to get me out of that, I'd like to inform you the danger of using fixed machines way more than free weights, not the other way around. let me explain... ~ This might be a long comment, but bear with me if you care about longevity and staying away from injuries ~ When you use Fixed machines (machines that have a fixed plane of motion, lets take an example of chest press, your Joint Stabilizing muscles (infraspinatus, teres minor, Supraspinatus, serratus anterior) gets too weak compared to the chest (since the stability is already provided by the machine and thlese stabilizers wont be strengthened along with the main muscles). With time, big unbalances around your shoulder joint start to develop, in this example the shoulder will get excessive internal rotation and will cause continuous wear and tear caused by bad mechanics in the joint. The amount of shoulder instability is already existed since most men focuses more on the manly muscles (chest front shoulder, lats) which are internal rotators of the shoulder and neglect adding exercises that balances such as ( serratus anterior, lower traps, rear delt, infraspinatus, Supraspinatus, teres minor), so using fixed machines without addressing these issues will make it even worse. Don't get me wrong, Machines are still great for hypertrophy in terms of adding more volume = more muscle growth since they don't require much CNS fatigue, meaning after you've done your majority of workouts targeting all muscles (including the stabilizers) you finally add one or two machines at the end since you're already exhausted and machines don't exhaust the body as much. I recommend rethinking your choices. Same if not better hypertrophy can be achieved with free weights - by using techniques such as loading the muscles at full lengthened position - there's many studies about this, many machines can't provide that.
Switched back to hybrid-50/50 bar and machine/cable/free weight at 40 years old-lifting for 20+ years. I find its the best of both building muscle thickness and definition.
All the information given in this video is true. As a certified Trainer I will suggest that one should learn form and technique related to each muscle growth to prevent injury and gain more hypertrophy in the muscle growth.... 😊😊
Do what works for you. Your muscles aren't like people. They won't be able to tell if you lifted 5lbs of gold, vs 5lbs of rusted steel. If people can achieve great physiques while locked up, lifting any weight they can find, you can to in any gym. Simply, the magical factor is consistency, and challenging your body when it naturally learns to make things easier to do the same thing over and over with... consistency.
I'd say smith machine and cables should be the other way around at 1:34. Smith machines have a fixed movement pattern, the bar can only go up/down in a straight line. Cables can be moved freely.
There's another benefit of free weights that people usually don't think about. If you use free weights you can compare your strength to people who don't go to the same gym as you. Knowing someone's strength on machines is useless unless he's using that same machine.
I have been using free weights for bicep curls for the past couple of months, and it always felt quite bad. A couple of days ago I used the machine for biceps, and now I dont want to go back. The pump from one set was better than any set I have ever had trying to go 3x8 on free weights. I am definitely going to be viewing machines in a more positive light from now on.
I use both, and both seem to help. I'm very grateful for your evidence based approach and level-headed advice. Too many fitness youtube channels try to portray themselves as THE ONE TRUE SOURCE of all advice, and you have so many that basically use their own experience as the basis of their recommendations - which, when you think about it, is no different from anecdotal evidence. So - exercise is exercise. Free weight or machine based will help you do what you want, provided you do it safely. Thanks!
A study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" found that while both free weights and machines can effectively increase muscle size, free weights often result in higher muscle activation and greater functional strength gains. Another study indicated that free weights are superior for activating the stabilizer muscles, which can contribute to overall muscle development and functional strength.
Thanks for sharing. Yes, I think free-weights are usually a little better for functional outcomes. However, I don't like to rely too much on muscle activation data, as it is not always indicative of the outcomes we are trying to achieve (hypertrophy, strength, athletic performance etc.)
Let me put it simply, machines are for beginners, people recovering from injury, and professional bodybuilders. If you are new to the gym use the machines to learn your mind muscle connection but once you start to gain size you no longer qualify and you need to pick up free weights and earn your way back to using machines when you've actually build something honestly. You need muscles that you can use in the real world and being pinned down in a machine to isolate is not useful except when you are trying to go from intermediate to Advanced or from Advanced to Elite. Using your hip flexors to pull more weight down instead of learning to pull your body up with a kettlebell between your legs is not useful, except in isolation but again these machines are for newbies injured folks and professional bodybuilders. These machines should not be used by anyone and everyone when there is a lot more value of doing things on your own two feet in space
Functional muscle, and therefore compound movements with free weights, is always more important than training for looks. Most people only care about looks but most people are stupid.
@@IusedtohaveausernameIlikedgo build a house or work in a field for functional muscle omg 😂😂😂 wasting your energy in the gym for no productive outcome and being proud you’re not training for looks hahah
free weights 100%, been doing this over 20 years, ive stayed away from machines and gained lot more muscle then people i workout with that use machines...
Machines automate the movement, making it easier to have proper form, but at the same time making you lazier because the machine is doing part of the work. Free weights depend entirely on you doing the whole thing, which makes them better for gaining strength and building muscle, but they require you to properly manage your form.
I have osteoporosis, so it's machines all the way for me. I've not sought advice on how safe (or not) free weights would be, but I'm 100% sure I'm doing my joints and bones a favour by using machines.
I like both. When it comes to benching, I prioritize free weight just to have a realistic view of what I can lift. I use the smiths machine for benching as well, but I don't use it to gauge my ability, but just to get the workout in.
I'm new to this and really appreciate this video, they are informative and I like the animated figures over the beefed up shirtless dudes you normally get. Good for my slim teenager's body image.
Im really uneasy about squatting since i tore my ACL a while back, deadlifting is great but squatting scares me a bit now. Its good to know the leg press might be just as good
Depends what your goal is, if you training to look good and stay healthy then do a bit of both and trial error your way to the ratio that pleases you. If you an athlete for example training for a sport like rugby and basketball, you’ll find your self better off favouring free weights because those little muscles needed for stability that make it hard. You specifically want to train those because they help you with movements fort your sport. Then again machine have their uses still.
I used to do a mixture of both, but lately I prefer machines. I feel safer and therefore I can push harder. My feeling is that whichever allows you to progressively overload is what is better for you.
Free weighs are usually always better, but for stability and ease of use, machines are a good alternative. Especially if you are starting off or like most gyms, if the weight room is packed and you can't use anything anyway.
You overlooked the phenomenal difference in core strength development between the two variants. Free weight lifters are going to have stronger core bcoz core is always recruited in free weight training and that becomes significant in atheletic performance especially cross training and professional weight lifting. If it's only aesthetics one is concerned about then machines would do.
but HOW do they have access to so much protein to build muscle ??? are they fed with so much protein or is it the companies want us to take so much protein ??? SOMEBODY IS DOING THE DIRTY WORK I GUESS ?? has the prisoners have corrupted jailers ?
As someone who suffered from shoulder injuries for years and learned a lot about the causes and the biomechanics from experts to get me out of that, I'd like to inform many beginners and intermediates of the danger of using fixed machines way more than free weights. let me explain... ~ This might be a long comment, but bear with me if you care about longevity and staying away from injuries ~ Using Fixed machines (machines that have a fixed plane of motion, lets take an example of chest press, your Joint Stabilizing muscles (infraspinatus, teres minor, Supraspinatus, serratus anterior) gets too weak with time compared to the chest (since the stability is already provided by the machine and thlese stabilizers wont be strengthened along with the main muscles). With time, big unbalances around your shoulder joint start to develop, in this example the shoulder will get excessive internal rotation strength and will cause continuous wear and tear caused by bad mechanics in the joint. The amount of shoulder instability is already existed since most men focuses more on the manly muscles (chest front shoulder, lats) which are internal rotators of the shoulder and neglect adding exercises that balances such as ( serratus anterior, lower traps, rear delt, infraspinatus, Supraspinatus, teres minor), so using fixed machines without addressing these issues will make it even worse. Don't get me wrong, Machines are still great for hypertrophy in terms of adding more volume = more muscle growth since they don't require much CNS fatigue, meaning after you've done your majority of workouts targeting all muscles (including the stabilizers) you finally add one or two machines at the end since you're already exhausted and machines don't exhaust the body as much. Many free weight exercises devoop better hypertrophy - by using techniques like loading the muscles at full lengthened position- there's many studies about this, and many Machines can't provide that. in addition, the strength you gain from stabilizers muscles will have a carryover on hypertrophy along the road. At the end of the day, both machines and free weights must be done for maximum hypertrophy, but balance is key guys. We should understand the pros and cons of each and the biggest disadvantage of machines is the imbalances it creates. Don't learn the hard way
These days 70/30 machines/free-weights. I have all the stability I need. After 30 years, I’m much more focused on mind-muscle connection than being able to just lift stuff vertically against gravity.
Yes, I can see the benefit of free-weights for the purposes of translating to performance or functional outcomes. Although I think machines can be just as effective for local muscle hypertrophy 👍
1. All machines are different. However, if you bench press 100 kg you can do it at any gym. 2. Machines are perfect for dropsets. 3. Machines are great when you train with a partner who has a big difference in strength.
I would not be able to train my legs with free weights because i could not hold or carry the weights for my leg workout (100kg) with my arms or upper body
Although what you say about the resistance profile is very important, generally speaking machine is way better than freeweight for the simple reason that: it is safer. It is safer to evaluate your RIR, it is safer to go to muscle failure, it is safer because you're more stable. Obviously you would need to learn how to set up the machine for your morphology but that's the same issue with freeweight, you need a specific technique to handle the weight even before starting the set, safely. Also, what a HUGE gain of time with machine (which is rather again of energy).
for the study at 4:15 with the incline curl vs preacher curl. Could the disparity between the two groups be partly due to the fact that its easier to cheat with incline curl? or did the study account for that with PTs correcting any bad form?
It is definitely possible that the preacher curls were superior as they are forced to be more strict. The subjects trained alone, but send technique videos to the researchers each session to ensure technique was good 👍
Since free weight training requires more effort for stability, could it be that machines, on the contrary, lead to fewer reinforcement of stabilizing muscles? Leading to joint pain due to insufficient strength of smaller stabilizing muscles if few free weight exercices are performed compared to machine exercices ?
I've never used free weights simply because I dislike them and I fear injury due to being a bit of a knob. I'm no Sam Sulek, but I'm more than content as to where it got me
I have noticed that some machines cut the ROM short for taller or shorter individuals. For example, the leg press in my gym hits the bottom while I am just around parallel.
Definitely. Machines aren't designed for your individual anatomy, so they are often not ideal. Also, I'd assume machines are built for safety too, so they might intentionally cut ROM short on a leg press or hack squat for example to ensure it is safe for all users
they both expend energy and can both be helpful for fat loss. Rowing machine might be a little more systemically fatiguing if you are going at a higher intensity 👍
There's a place for machines - it's the gyms that serve pizza on Friday. I mean who gives a damn about bicep strength? Squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, dips, pull-ups, rows are ALL YOU NEED. All else can be helpful for experts, but are usually just a distraction. And yes, the basic big lifts will get your biceps nice and sexy...
well, unilateral, within-subject studies account for genetics, nutrition, sleep, lifestyle etc. This is when the subjects perform one protocol with one limb, and a different protocol with the other limb, and compare results between limbs
@@FlowHighPerformance1 dude I'm not bashing your content, I think it's great. I'm just making a point that research isn't everything. It simply cannot account for all the variables and uniqueness of people
I understand. I am just responding to you claim that no studies account for genetics, when many of them do. I agree however, that research has limitations too
