Free Weights vs Home Gyms

Free Weights vs Home Gyms

Free Weights vs Home Gyms

Weight lifting equipment is the foundation of any strength training program. Most of us that discuss barbells or free weights imagine 7 time Mr. Olympia Arnold a.k.a. "Terminator" in his heyday.

The truth is that free weights have beenaround since the beginning of time for strength and muscle growth, remember Hercules?

The more serious lifters combine weight machines with free weights to supplementtheirworkout programs sincethey complement each other so well.

For this article, free weights refer toboth weights and related equipment to free weights. Free weights do not depend on cables, chains, hydraulics, or weighted stacks and may include: barbells, dumbbells, and kettle balls. Exercise equipment used with free weightsinclude: weight-benches, squat racks and curling benches as examples.

A big advantage of free weights is the versatility it offers you. Withaset of dumbbells and a flat bench, you can perform literally hundreds of different exercises and target dozens of muscle groups.

Another advantage offree weights isthenatural range of motion provided. You canwork your muscles more thoroughly with free weights than on amachinethat is on a fixedrange of motion. A quick way to see thisis to perform a simplebicep curl; first with amachine andthen with a dumbbell. You shouldnotice a difference in the muscle groups used when lifting; notice howyour hand rotateswith thedumbbell versus a machine when you bring up the weight (thisis called supination).

Free weight home gyms can be any workout spacecontaining traditional dumbbells, barbells and benches; yet also include machines that mimic the range of motion offree weights.

Free Weights vs. Home Gyms Pros and Cons.

Home gyms tend to be safer when lifting heavy weights and you usually don't need a workout partner to assist. Another benefit of weight machines is that balance and strength are more controlled by the machines fixed motion anduse ofbuilt insafety catches. Machines are easier to use when starting out ifyou are unfamiliar with the variety of excercises available to you (all of these home gym exercises are possible to do with free weights, kettle balls , and even resistance bands).

Free weights have been preferred by avid strength-training types including bodybuilders because they allow for the greatest range of natural motion and heaviest lifting possible. With machines you are often limited to a fixed plane of motion, and fixed poundages for lifting. For most of us, the weight stack limitation is not an issue. Most of us do not throw around 300 or 400 pounds of metal daily.

Free weightsuse core stabilizer muscles since youinvolve more muscle groups forbalancewhile lifting the weight. Free weights are safe as long as the user takes precautions with safety while lifting. It may take a little getting used to if jumping from the weight machine to free weights at first.

Today,technology has advanced to a point where the home gyms allow for a much morenatural range of motion that was once reserved forfree weights. Another plus is that many of these systems come with exercisecharts and instructional DVDs to help the novice learn the skills and variety of exercises possible on these machines.

No home gym is truly complete without both weight machines and free weights since they complement each other perfectly.

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