What Kind of Weight Training?

What Kind of Weight Training?

Weight rooms in gyms are equipped with two kinds of weight-training equipment: free weights and weight machines. Free weights are simple, consisting primarily of dumbbells and barbells. Weight machines include various types of complicated-looking apparatus. Multistation machines use a combination of weights, pulleys, and cables to challenge the muscles. The amount of weight is adjustable. Other machines use resistance—either hydraulic or pneumatic—to challenge the muscles. Nautilus machines use spiral-shaped pulleys to provide constant resistance, therefore working the muscles equally as they extend and contract. Various types of apparatus are covered in Chapter 7, “Making Weight Training Work for You,” and home versions are discussed in Chapter 16, “Where to Work Out.”
Some people get hooked on a particular type of strength-training apparatus, while others enjoy workout variety. The good thing is that free weights versus weight machines are not an either-or choice. You can do both at different times. Perhaps you’ll use a particular brand of machine at the gym and have a set of free weights at home.
Perhaps you’ll do different weight workouts for variety, or you’ll grab free weights if you are in a hurry and there’s a wait for the machines at the gym.