Are weight machines as good as free weights for building muscle?

Nikkiey explains that the mind-muscle connection is the most important part of growing muscle, and machines make it easier. Because the machine handles stability, you're not worrying about balance or setup, so you can slow down and put your attention into the muscle itself. Machines also make it harder to overcompensate. On a dumbbell shoulder movement she tends to pull in her traps, but the machine isolates the shoulder so the right muscle does the work.

In her joint-friendly workout for women over 40, she adds that machines are a smart choice if you care about protecting your joints. But a machine only works if you use it properly. Her main cue is to slow the rep down and squeeze the muscle at the top so you feel exactly where the tension is. Her go-to machines are the leg press, seated row, leg curl, lat pulldown and leg extension.

The nuance comes on Ep. 65, which is about bone health in menopause. There Nikkiey says many women in their 50s and 60s gravitate to machines because they feel safer, but free weights, barbells and resistance bands offer a different kind of resistance and build coordination, ab control and balance. She suggests machines make up a percentage of your routine rather than all of it, and calls the Smith machine a good way to build form and confidence before moving under a barbell.

So it isn't machines versus free weights. If machines are where you can feel the muscle and train without pain, that's real progress. Add free weights over time for the strength, coordination and stability they bring.