Free Weights vs Machines for Muscle Hypertrophy (New Study)

Dude, you're silly. "For the xxx, both groups experienced statistically similar increases, however it's clear to see that percentage wise, one group was greater than the other...." uh, no. The point of statistical analysis is to avoid being deceived by how a graph looks. You're ignoring that.

Small sample size of individuals. One person with longer femurs in the barbell or smith machine group could skew the results. Moral of the story? Try both and see what hits you the best. I ditched free barbell back squat and started doing smith machine hack squats and had much greater gains in my legs since doing that,

Plate loaded machines are a game changer

I’m thinking without a spotter it makes more sense to use a machine if that means I can load it so my last set is to failure. Maybe do dumbbell bench after for stability work?

I like free weights because of the stabilization aspect which I think has better carryover to sports and grappling and such, but I don’t think that machines are bad for hypertrophy, it’s just that I’m not solely focused on muscle size, I want to strength that can win a wrestling match or tackle someone in a football game

If you have access to a gym and you’re not a professional weight lifter trying to practice form, I feel like machines are objectively superior. But the argument is similar to that of manual vs automatic for cars I guess, somehow as a man it just feels good to pick up heavy ass shit off the ground

THIS STUDY IS TERRIBLE AND INVALID. BY RANDOMLY ASSIGNING MEN AND WOMEN TO EITHER GROUP THE STUDY IS INVALIDATED.

There were 15 men and 21 women, E.g. supposes one group has 9 men and 9 women and the other group has 6 men and 12 women then THIS could be a huge factor in affecting the results.

To make this study useful, they would have had to at least made it so that each group had the same number of men and women each.
OR BETTER. SEPARATE THE MEN AND WOMEN SO THERE WERE 4 GROUPS, Machines women, Machines Men Free weights Women Free Weights Men.
Thats basic logic how can a "scientist" be too stupid or unprofessional to do this.

Whichever "Scientist" did this study is an absolute waster and "scientists" are even worse than "broscience" because people actual believe these so called "scientists" just because they are so called.
The reality is a lot of these "scientists" dont even know how to make BASIC control variable decisions to make their studies actually useful.

4 sets of each exercise to failure? Yeah right..

Learning the mechanics of my body, I attain better stimulus with machines. Plus, free weights, over time, have put a lot of stress on my joints.

I’m new to lifting but I think eliminating guesswork and focusing solely on your work out in a safe environment produces better results and well you are safe from unnecessary injuries,

It’s not about looking cool, it’s about the gains.

Some come slow,some fast

But All in all,you must put in the work for results,there’s no magic work out.

Smith machine allows me to fail and be safer, when working alone

smith machine squat or bench press is ultimately the most gay thing you can do......are you a lady?? you dont have the core strenght to use free weights? think

As I am approaching 60 I find free weights particularly on push days are trashing my joints.

doesnt instability caused by free weights leads to smaller muscle fiber recruitment?

This means if I want big muscles I have to use machines and if I want to dry out I have to use the opposite
Is that right?

Interesting how much specificity may a play a role. What I am saying is andedotal and has many confounding factors. I hadn't barbell bench pressed in ~ 10years, but I have done a good deal of Hammersmith Bench Press Machine,Tricep Press down, and Machine Incline Bench. Lifting off and on.... However, when I free-weight-benched press yesterday for the first time in ~8 to 10 years I only put up 235lbs. Which for someone who had almost never barbell benched in 10 years is probably pretty good. I have hiy as high as 365lbs in my early 40s. I don't barbell bench mostly becuase I don't have a spotter or partner. The barbell bench seemed quite awkward and bit weaker than I hoped to lift. I do think the combo machine and free weights could be a good comeback workout for my barbell bench. I think I could get some noob gains and be in the 300 plus club once again in several months of regular working the barbell bench while in my mid 50s as true natty, not even trt.. I guess I will see, I have bench press comebacks before, lets see if I can do it it in my 50s with the 300 club first.

alternate video title: harder does not mean better

machines are safer, usually can use more weight and get better connecton. I don't even bench press anymore, i do cable flys, less stress on my shulders, and get a way better connection to my muscles. I could bench all day, and only feel it in my arms and shoulders, but i can do 3 intense sets of chest fly with a cable machine and blow my chest out.
Some people don't feel the same, but all that matters is what you feel a muscle connection with, that's how you build muscle.

First exercise I use free weight then the rest use machine.

I feel a lot safer using machines and can achieve complete failure without any worries

Are squats as good for you as the weights at the gym

Are squat at home as good as the machine’s at the gym

machines are super expensive and take up tons of space. For home gym the dumbbell and adjustable bench and power cage is best way to go plus add some cable attachments.

What’s better for chest press bench smith machine or barbell

I do not think there is any point in citing a study with n=37. It may just as well be noise - and probably is.

I’ve heard that free weights are more effective for building strength since you need to build stabilizing muscles that wouldn’t normally be activated during an isolation type exercise on a machine

So I regularly do the chest fly machine at 120 kg (265 lbs) now.
I wanted to check out bench press today and found 60 kg (133lbs) to be already quite a load.
Isn't that weird...

Machines don't tap into your fear of death😂

Free weights - Strength

Machines - Isolation and endurance

It’s best to alternate between free weights and machines. Figure out the lower weight range for free weights without assistance from spotters. This will assure both muscle growth and balance.

Machines are weird I don’t like them at all I don’t understand why people like them

Cables first then machines last free weights people are brainwashed for over 70 years thinking u have to do this and that exercise and u have to use free weights and compound exercises it's all a lie cables and machines put more direct load on any muscle then any free weights will

🔥

You can't specialize the targeted muscle as much if you don't use a machine such as the legs for me. If I do heavy barbell squats, my core takes some energy not making my legs grow as big. If I do calves, holding weight somewhere takes energy and my grip can't hold as much weight for example. It wouldn't get as big. Everything else, I do not to look big so I just do free weights and cables.

It makes sense, the barbell press has a much tighter accepted range of motion that the back squat.

Doing in order of .... barbell, dumbell, machine, cable... is the best way for hypertrophy. Really work and exhaust the muscles this way.

Not enough recovery rest for a start. Machine group using smith machine as a machine is questionable as too close to free weights. Sure it gives confidence but it’s not what I’d call a machine exercise.

I've been in the gym for 10 years now and I think that both free weights and machines are equally good, but...

As you get older you start thinking differently. Free weights are good but the injury risk is also high. Bodybuilders and powerlifters do the exercise 100% corretctly and still get injured some times. People don't say "safety first" for nothing.

I don't think that it's worth it visiting a chiropractor in my old years just because i loved deadlifting 200kg.

Maybe I'm not as strong as I used to be but my spine and joints feel much better since I started to use more machines. My muscle mass didn't change a bit also. I even think my chest got better now.

Smith Machine Incline is the GOAT .

For a person who is looking to build strength AND size, a healthy combination of free weights and machines is necessary. Free weights being excellent for strength building and using the machine to isolate and build a specific muscle. 💪🏽

Thats strength measurement, not hypertrophy

In my opinion I’ve seen most Gains from free weights compound exercises also I think it’s best if you wanna build overall strength and athleticism but if bodybuilding is your goal then probably doing both machine and free weights is best .

Free weihht exercises at the beginning of the training:
Bench press, squats, deadlift

Everything else machine.

Its the age old wisdom of train for the specific exercise you want to get better at to get better, otherwise the cascading benefits are more general no matter what lift you do for that muscle group

I use machienes to isolate musclesnI want to focus on and free weights for overall strength in that specific movement.

I have to use mostly machines after frozen shoulder!

Real strength, only with free weight!

No. STABILISATION and FIBRE.

New sub. Really great material, mate. As someone who does a lot of bodyweight stuff, I really appreciated your bench press/pushup video.