Strength machinations: can hi-tech do the job?

Andrew Sheaff explores whether machine strength training can really deliver the goods for athletes

Over the past 75 years, strength training has become a widely accepted part of the training programs of many athletes. While the endurance community has been slower to adopt these practices, strength training of some kind is almost universally present in the preparation of elite athletes, as well as validated by scientific literature. However, the actual process of ‘strength training’ encompasses a lot of different styles and applications. From free weights to machines to bodyweight to elastic bands, the options are almost endless.

Are free weights the best?

In the eyes of most members of the strength and conditioning community, free weights are generally considered to be the superior choice of training modality, and the most effective way to develop strength and power. In contrast, machine training is generally considered to be inferior. However, not all individuals have access to free weights, or the knowledge and experience to effectively use them. Hiring a trainer many not be an option, either. For many endurance athletes, strength training is at the periphery of their athletic interests, and as a result, are less likely to feel as confident and competent implementing a free weights program.

If that’s the case, should these athletes not bother strength training at all, or should they use an ‘inferior’ option? Fortunately, rather than accepting the dogma the machine training is inferior, a group of researchers choose to investigate the conventional wisdom that free weight training yields greater strength and power improvements as compared to machine-based training.

The research

Researchers from Rowan University in the United States decided to perform a meta-analysis of all of the studies that compared strength and power training outcomes between free weight-based and machine-based strength training programs⁽¹⁾. To conduct this analysis, they looked through the literature and found every study that directly compared the strength benefits of free weight and machine weight training. They only included the studies that met their standards of scientific rigor (since some studies are not performed as well as others). They then pooled all of the subjects together so that they could analyze the results of all the studies at the same time.

When going through the studies, it became obvious that the tests used in each study were not the same. Some studies used a strength test employing free weights, some studies used a test employing machines, and some studies employed a neutral test that employed neither. If you recall the principle of specificity of training, strength gains can often be very specific to the mode of training, and you’ll see higher test improvements in the mode you’re using to train. If you practice using machines and then are tested using free weights, you’re not likely to see the same benefit as compared to when you’re using free weights all the time. The same is true when training with free weights and testing with machines.

What they found

What the researchers found was fascinating. It turned out that the results of the studies often depended on the type of testing that was used. If free weights were used to test strength, free weight training was found to be superior. If machines were used to test strength, machine training was superior. If a ‘neutral’ method of strength testing was used, there was no difference in the benefits produced by machine or free weight training! Furthermore, it was shown that strength and power outcomes were similar between training styles.

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 Two-time Dakar winner and and two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz, machine strength training for the Dakar Rally 2020 in Saudi Arabia.

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If you are an endurance athlete reading this, what’s important to recognize is that your ‘test’ - endurance performance - is totally different from both free weight-based and machine-based outcomes. Measuring the impact of strength training in terms of endurance performance is effectively a ‘neutral’ test; therefore, you can be confident that the impact of either type of strength training will be similar.

It seems that when targeting strength, power, or hypertrophy, endurance athletes can rest assured that they should expect equal outcomes, regardless of the type of strength training performed. This is a valuable result because it demonstrates that your personal preference or personal circumstances (eg not having access to or knowledge about free weights) can dictate the choice of strength training equipment, rather than you being being forced to choose one option for superior results. In short, you have options!

Practical applications

Anyone looking to develop strength or power can be confident that strength training using machines is time well spent. Many athletes find themselves traveling for work, on holiday, or to visit family, and unable to train in their normal locale. They may desire to continue their strength training, yet only have access the machines available at a hotel or local gym. If given the choice between using machines and not strength training at all, don’t hesitate to hop on the strength machines to ensure that you maintain or even develop your strength for when you return home.

For the endurance athlete unfamiliar with strength training, it can seem daunting to begin strength training, particularly with free weights. You may not be familiar with the exercises or sure which exercises to use, you may be worried about getting injured, and you may even be concerned about looking foolish. Machines can be a lot less intimidating on all of these fronts, and they serve as a perfect introduction to strength training, opening the door to using free weights further down the line. Even better, the meta-analysis above demonstrates that you can begin using machines without any concern that you’re compromising the performance benefits you’ll see.

If you’re injured, one of the benefits of using machines is that it allows you to isolate a given area of your body. For instance, if you have a calf or ankle injury, many lower body exercises with free weights become impossible. However, there are machines that allow you to train the different muscles of your legs without loading your lower leg. Likewise, if an upper body injury prevents you from holding free weights, machines can still get the job done for your lower body. Rest assured that you will be able to maintain your hard-earned strength and power.

If for whatever reason you face yourself with the prospect of using strength training machines, you can be confident that not only is training using these machines not a waste of time, it’s just as effective as training with free weights.  So, get after it, and get stronger!

References

1. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2021 Oct 5. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.21.12929-9. Online ahead of print