They are both highly useful.
Machines are great for:
- When you don’t have a spotter
- Are rehabbing an injury
- You want to thoroughly isolate a muscle
Free Weights:
- Build “real” strength
- Help build all the stabilizer muscles
- Help prevent injury by building joint integrity
For guys over 40, don’t get caught in the trap of just using machines. They are comfortable, but as we age, building the stabilizer muscles is critical if we want to perform well in real life as we age