An apparent agreement exists among bodybuilding aficionados regarding the advantages offered by free weights compared with machines for muscle building, to the level where machines have been defined by dedicated bodybuilders as essentially worthless for those seeking maximum muscle building. In addition, many of those same bodybuilders will claim that gyms outfitted with machines do so in order to cater to the lazy who desire sleek bodybuilding workout equipment, and who wish to avoid grueling, intense, muscle blasting workouts. This theory has been propagated so frequently and by such a wide variety of bodybuilders that there must be validity to such a claim; or, could this actually be yet another of the many muscle building misconceptions?

In reality, free weights are clearly not less effective than machines when used properly, as they allow a muscle complete range of motion, and require a level of coordination that is not necessary in machine equivalent exercises, therefore free weights will improve the possibility for muscle gain, but to what level? By adopting ideas from mainstream bodybuilding, the advantage free weights provide is so astronomical that a weight lifter would be foolish to use machines under any circumstances, yet, the muscle building edge free weights provide is actually far less than most believe. In fact, assuming a bodybuilder is using the same weight lifting techniques with free weights and machines, his muscle gains will be nearly identical, to the point where even an experienced bodybuilding personal trainer could not determine the disparity in muscle gains between the two methods. Yet, because the free weight superiority misconception has been regurgitated so often, by numerous bodybuilders, the idea is promoted as fact, no different than a many other bodybuilding theories that are, in fact, myth masquerading as wisdom.

Not only are machines a suitable option for those wishing to achieve substantial muscle building results, but machines may actually prove to be superior in long term muscle gain due to a lower risk of injury, and a primary reason why bodybuilders are unable to achieve their bodybuilding genetic limits is due to joint, tendon, and common muscle tissue injuries that interferes with consistency, fostering frustrating unexpected layoffs, which destroys momentum, and soon causes many to quit the muscle building process completely. Weight training workout consistency ranks as one of the most vital techniques in building maximum muscle mass, and free weights offer an extra risk of injury and joint discomfort that can be minimized by focusing on machines as a substitution for common free weight muscle building exercises.

In fact, following many years of free weight bench pressing, I reached a point where my shoulder was experiencing a prolonged period of discomfort, to the point where I was unable to perform flat bench press with free weights, so I chose to experiment with an alternative. After purchasing a Smith Machine, I started to once again perform the bench press, and the discomfort I experienced with free weights on a regular basis suddenly disappeared, and I have since been able to successfully use the Smith Machine for impressive results without the injury setbacks. My bodybuilding results did not suffer due to switching from free weights to the Smith Machine, but I was suddenly able to consistently perform one of the most effective upper body bodybuilding workout exercises without any shoulder pain, and this, alone, is enough reason to classify machines as a desirable and very effective alternative to free weights.

I believe that many of the bodybuilders who reject the idea of using machines for muscle building are caught in a "traditional vs. modern" crusade, where they feel free weights symbolize classic bodybuilding, while machines stand for the opposite of all that muscle building has historically entailed, defining the new era weight lifter who is unwilling to exert maximum muscle gain effort, but rather is only interested in fluff. This idea is not foreign to other industries, such as automobile enthusiasts believing that any individual driving modern clutchless transmissions is somehow less worthy of owning a high performance automobile, when in fact this is a personal preference, and one that allows the driver of a clutchless automobile to potentially perform far better in other aspects of navigating the vehicle. Free weights are considered the bodybuilder's clutch, so to speak, and for many, are frowned upon for superficial reasons.

So, if you visit a gym and have access to numerous machines, assuming you are using a powerful bodybuilding diet and weight lifting workout routine, you can achieve the same muscle gains as those who stubbornly rely on free weights, but with less injuries to interfere with your bodybuilding progress.