Machine Or Free Weights Training On A Fat Loss Plan: Which Is Better?

Are free weights better during training when trying to lose fat? Or Machines?

Barbell and dumbbell exercises have become a staple in most people’s training routine. And for a good reason. Some popular exercises, such as the dumbbell bench press and the barbell bent over row are most known compound movements that will make your muscles grow.

Machines are often overlooked, or second to free weights. Some people think these exercises don’t stimulate as much muscle growth. Is this true and the right way of going about training? Especially on a fat loss plan?

The difficulties of training when losing fat

During a (long) fat loss phase, our energy in the gym tends to become less and less. We often push but also struggle to maintain the same strength and energy levels that we are used to when we are bulking. Your capacity to recover from hard training becomes less over time as well.

 There are ways to go around this!

 Keep the muscle, keep the energy with machine training

 Why choose machines in the first place? 

Because these machines will often take the heavy work of your central nervous system and secondary muscles out of the exercise. This will allow you to zoom in on the exact muscle, maintain more strength, recover quicker and even risk less injury. Some exercises will even allow you a greater range of motion than their barbell counterparts!

Not all machines are created equal. But there are several options to choose from when trying to preserve muscle on a fat loss plan. It is important to check which machines can fit into your schedule to allow you to create enough stimulus as not all the machines do this. This stimulus will signal to the body that it needs to preserve muscle and instead get rid of body fat in a calorie deficit.

It is important to approach these machines with the same mentality as the compound lifts: progressive overload, 1-2 reps short of failure. During a fat loss phase 1 exercise per body part, containing 3-4 sets are enough to keep most your muscle

We have listed several of our favorite machines you can try, as an alternative to heavy compound lifts:

 - Hack Squat, Instead of a Barbell Squat

- Incline (or flat) Hammer Strength Press, instead of a Barbell Incline Bench Press

- Hammer Strength Shoulder Press, Instead of a Barbell Shoulder Press

- Seated Leg Curl, instead of a Romanian Deadlift

- Machine Preacher Curl, instead of an EZ Bar Curl

- Dip Machine, instead of a Close Grip Bench Press

- Seated Hammer Strength Rows, instead of Barbell Rows

But remember: Training always comes down to preference. Try it all out and see what works best for you!