Free Weights vs Machines – A Guide for Men Over 50

Contributing Editor: Tyler Mistretta. If you’re like most men over 50, you may look at the equipment in the gym and wonder; What workout should I do next? In this situation, most guys will do one of a few different things. Some stick to what they’re comfortable with, some will follow others, and some will use equipment for no reason other than they are available. As a personal trainer, I am often asked about whether you should use free weights vs machines when developing your exercise routine.

The answer, however, is not as simple as the question itself. Both have their place in nearly every exercise routine, but they are especially important for older men looking to maintain or pack on muscle mass. Simply put, when deciding whether to use machines or free weights, the answer comes down to what your individual fitness goals are.

The first step toward developing any training routine should be establishing your goals. With these goals in mind, I hope to offer enough information for you to decide how to utilize different methods of resistance training in your daily routine. Below I have listed various benefits and disadvantages to each method of training as it applies to men over 50.

Free Weights

Benefits

Strengthen/ stabilize your core

Unlike when using machines, the act of using dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, etc. force your core to remain engaged throughout your movements. This can challenge and train your core muscles without directly working to isolate them.

Functionality

Free weights make it much easier to train movements we use in everyday activities. This concept of training helps men over 50 sustain their athletic abilities as they age. The freedom you can move with free weights allows you to mimic such movements in a safe and effective manner with the benefit of added resistance.

Variation

For example, you can do hundreds of different exercises with dumbbells and kettlebells, while you are limited with the variation with which you can move on machines. This is synonymous with the idea of functionality associated with free weights.

Disadvantages and Dangers

Injury Risk

With the functionality and variation of free weights comes the increased risk for injury. The biggest danger of working with free weights is failure to use the correct form or weight which can lead to joint and muscular damage.

Ability to Isolate/ Overload

It’s much more difficult to effectively overload the muscle with free weights while maintaining proper form. Assuming a spotter is not present, you must continue to choose weights you feel comfortable lifting ‘x’ amount of times without reaching complete failure to lift and rack the weight safely.

Machines

Benefits

Easy to Use

Resistance machines are user friendly and simple to use. Most machines have a “how to” attached as well as pictures and notes to help ensure proper form is being used. This is a huge reason machines are effective for men over 50 as it becomes much easier to train around chronic injuries with a much lower risk for injury and aggravation.

Greater Isolation/ Overload

This idea is contrary to the disadvantages noted for using free weights. Machines allow you to add on much more resistance without running the risk of dropping weights. The guided motion and limited movement also allow for greater muscular isolation.

Useful for Beginners

Strength training machines are useful for those who are just beginning a training program. As it takes much more skill and coordination to use free weights correctly, the use of machines is recommended for someone who has limited experience with weight training.

Disadvantages and Dangers

Less Core/ Stabilizer Involvement

Because all the resistance is focused through one area of the machine, there is almost no core or stabilizing muscle involvement when using machines. The weight through machines focuses through one line of movement which puts the applied resistance on the primary movers.

Limited Functionality

The lack of variance of movement inherent to working out on machines leads to the fact that the movements are unlike those performed in athletic or everyday events. This is the biggest drawback of machines as a significant part of a training regimen is the limits on movements to improve mobility, athleticism, and strength.

Final Thoughts

A training program which includes a combination of machines and free weights is a great idea for developing a well-rounded level of fitness for men over 50. However, those who are training to improve athletic performance should rely more on the use of free weights.

Conversely, if your fitness goals consist more of isolating various muscle groups and gaining more strength and size, you may want to consider incorporating resistance machines into your program. Both methods have proven to be very effective and useful in improving fitness levels in older men, although, they should be used strategically to optimize your desired results while limiting your risk of injury.

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