I'm a 27-year-old female who's just started working out at a gym. I've been wondering, which is a more-effective method of resistance training: free weights or Nautilus machines?

Chrissy

It's great that you're doing resistance training, Chrissy. It doesn't matter which method you use as long as you're using something.

Many people believe that machines are safer to use. Some machines allow you to perform certain exercises from a more stable, secure position -- like using a shoulder-press machine instead of performing a traditional overhead military press.

There are also exercises you can perform on machines that are hard to duplicate with free weights -- leg extensions and leg curls, for instance. But some people use machines improperly -- either negating the value of the exercise or causing injury. Obviously these folks aren't gaining anything over their free-weight hauling counterparts.

Free weights aren't without their own benefits. Since you must control the resistance (the weight) along its entire path of movement, free weights force you to concentrate on proper technique. Doing so makes other muscle groups act as stabilizers, so more muscles are strengthened. Using dumbbells also reveals muscular imbalances that a machine would mask. This overall greater kinesthetic awareness is especially helpful for people using weights as training for specific sports.

When I have free weights and machines available to me, I use both. For my legs, I religiously do leg extensions and leg curls on machines to protect my knees. I prefer using a properly designed leg-press machine to train my quads and glutes rather than doing squats.

I love squats (they may be my favorite exercise), but I avoid them now because of my knees and back. If there's no leg press available, I work the quads and glutes by doing lunges, holding dumbbells in each hand.

I love the Nautilus pull-over machine, so I use that for my back. If one isn't available, I do one-arm dumbbell rows. I also use the lat pull-down machine for a second back exercise.

For my shoulders, I like the Cybex shoulder-press machine. I use dumbbells for lateral raises, though. As you can see, my workout is a mixture of both machines and weights. There's no reason to restrict yourself to one or the other.

When you joined your gym, you should have received an orientation with someone pointing out the various machines and explaining the specific muscle group each works. Why not go back and ask one of the trainers to show you which free-weight exercises correspond to a particular machine? Then you can decide which works best for you: the machine or the free-weight version. Customizing your workout ensures that it's the best workout for you or, at the very least, the most enjoyable.

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