Functional Training Machines vs Traditional Machines and Free Weights: Which Is Better?

Functional training has gained significant traction in the fitness world, and for good reason. This training approach, which focuses on movements that mimic everyday activities, helps improve strength, stability, and mobility in a way that's directly applicable to daily life.

Functional training machines play a key role in this fitness revolution, offering versatile and effective tools to enhance workouts. In this blog, we explore what functional training machines are, delve into the many benefits they offer and compare them to other forms of gym exercise.

What Are Functional Training Machines?

Functional training machines ?are a type of fitness equipment designed to improve your body's ability to perform real-world movements. Unlike traditional weight machines that isolate specific muscle groups, functional trainers typically involve multi-directional movements that engage multiple muscles simultaneously.

These machines often feature adjustable cables, pulleys, and other components that allow for a wide range of exercises, from pushing and pulling to lifting and twisting.

Popular examples include cable machines, smith machines with added functional features, and suspension trainers. These machines are engineered to adapt to various fitness levels and goals, making them suitable for anyone from beginners to elite athletes.

The Benefits of Functional Training Machines

Better Performance In Everyday Tasks Functional training is all about improving the way your body moves in everyday life. Whether you're lifting groceries, playing sports, or simply bending down to tie your shoes, functional training machines help you build the strength, coordination, and stability needed for these activities. By mimicking real-world movements, these machines ensure that your workouts have practical, tangible benefits.

Increased Muscle Efficiency Unlike traditional machines that focus on isolating muscles, functional training machines require multiple muscle groups to work together. This not only builds strength but also improves the efficiency and coordination of your muscles. The result? A body that moves better as a whole, with improved balance and a reduced risk of injury.

Versatility in Training Functional training machines offer incredible versatility, allowing you to perform a wide range of exercises on a single piece of equipment. Whether you're aiming for strength, endurance, flexibility, or a combination of these, these machines can adapt to your needs. The ability to adjust resistance and angles also means you can continually challenge your body, preventing workout plateaus.

Core Strengthening Many functional training exercises engage your core muscles, providing an excellent workout for this critical area of the body. A strong core is essential for overall stability, posture, and injury prevention, particularly in the lower back. Functional training machines help you develop core strength through dynamic, full-body movements that are more effective than traditional ab exercises alone.

Improved Range of Motion and Flexibility Functional training often involves movements that require a greater range of motion than traditional exercises. This helps improve your flexibility and joint mobility, which are crucial for maintaining overall health and preventing injuries. Functional training machines, with their adjustable settings, allow you to safely increase your range of motion over time.

Engagement and Motivation The dynamic nature of functional training can make workouts more engaging and enjoyable. With the ability to mix up your routine and try new exercises, you're less likely to get bored, helping you stay motivated and consistent with your fitness regimen.

Tailored for Rehabilitation and Recovery Functional training machines are often used in physical therapy and rehabilitation settings due to their ability to target specific movements and muscle groups. They allow for controlled, low-impact exercises that can be gradually intensified as recovery progresses, making them ideal for individuals recovering from injuries.

What age group are functional training machines best for?

Functional training machines are highly versatile and can benefit a wide range of age groups:

1. Young Adults (18-35 Years):

If you are in this age group, your goal is often to either build strength, improve athletic performance, maintain overall fitness or a combination. Functional training machines provide dynamic, full-body workouts that enhance muscle coordination, stability, and flexibility, which are key for those engaged in sports or looking to improve their physical capabilities. For professional athletes, more focused training methods will also be required to ensure high performance such as in powerlifting or bodybuilding.

2. Middle-Aged Adults (35-50 Years):

As people enter middle age, they often become more concerned with maintaining their fitness levels, preventing injuries, and preserving mobility. Functional training machines are ideal for this group because they offer low-impact, effective workouts that can help build strength, improve balance, and enhance joint mobility. This helps in maintaining overall health and preventing the physical decline that can begin in this age range.

3. Older Adults (50+ Years):

Again for older adults, functional training is especially beneficial as it focuses on movements that mimic daily activities, helping to maintain independence and reduce the risk of falls. This age group is less likely to be pushing their body to the limit and risking serious injury making functional training machines a useful alternative to lifting heavy free weights. Functional training machines can be adjusted to provide safe, low-impact exercises that strengthen muscles, improve balance, and increase flexibility, which are crucial for healthy aging. Additionally, they can be used in rehabilitation settings to aid in recovery from injuries or surgeries.

4. Teens (13-18 Years):

For teens, functional training can be a great way to build foundational strength and coordination, especially for those involved in sports. With bodies still developing it is better to focus on exercises that are not too demanding on the joints of young teenagers. Functional training machines help improve overall fitness and support the development of proper movement patterns, which can reduce the risk of injuries during athletic activities.

Will A Functional Training Machine Build Muscle?

The short answer is yes. A functional training machine can be used to build muscle, however, they are more often associated with improving overall fitness, stability, and coordination in addition to muscle building. Here’s how they contribute to muscle growth:

Engagement of Multiple Muscle Groups

Functional training machines often require the use of multiple muscle groups simultaneously, which can lead to increased muscle activation and growth. For example, exercises like cable rows or chest presses on a functional training machine involve not just the target muscles (like the back or chest) but also the stabilising muscles (like the core and shoulders). This comprehensive engagement promotes muscle hypertrophy (growth).

Progressive Resistance

These machines typically allow for progressive resistance, which is key to muscle building. As you increase the weight or resistance over time, your muscles adapt by growing stronger and larger. The ability to adjust the resistance levels on functional training machines ensures that you can continue to challenge your muscles as you progress, leading to continuous muscle growth.

Variety of Exercises

Functional training machines are versatile and support a wide range of exercises that can target different muscle groups. This variety allows you to perform compound movements that are effective for building muscle mass, such as squats, lunges, presses, and pulls. The diversity in exercises helps in hitting muscles from different angles, which is beneficial for muscle development.

Improved Muscle Coordination and Balance

While functional training machines emphasise overall body movement and coordination, they also contribute to muscle growth by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your workouts. Better muscle coordination means you can lift more weight or perform more reps safely, both of which are essential for building muscle.

Core Strength and Stability

Functional training machines often incorporate core-strengthening exercises. A strong core is crucial for heavy lifting and maintaining proper form, which in turn helps you lift more weight safely and effectively. The stronger your core, the more weight you can lift in compound movements, leading to greater muscle gains.

While functional training machines are excellent for improving functional fitness and overall conditioning, they are also highly effective for building muscle. By allowing for progressive resistance, engaging multiple muscle groups, and offering a variety of exercises, these machines can help you achieve significant muscle growth when used consistently as part of a well-rounded strength training program.

How does a functional training machine compare to using free weights?

Functional training machines and free weights each have their own advantages and can be used effectively depending on your fitness goals. Here’s a comparison of the two:

Versatility

• Functional Training Machines are highly versatile, often allowing for a wide range of exercises using adjustable pulleys, cables, and attachments. They enable users to perform both upper and lower body exercises, often in a more controlled and guided manner. This versatility is beneficial for those who want to perform compound movements, functional exercises, and even rehabilitation exercises with varying levels of resistance.
• Free Weights: Free weights (dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells) offer almost unlimited versatility as well. You can perform a wide variety of exercises targeting every muscle group. However, free weights require more knowledge of proper form and technique to avoid injury and to make sure you're working the intended muscles effectively.

Muscle Engagement and Coordination

• Functional Training Machines: These machines typically engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, helping to improve overall muscle coordination, balance, and stability. They often mimic real-life movements, making them excellent for functional fitness and improving everyday performance.
• Free Weights: Free weights also require significant muscle engagement, especially stabilising muscles, because they are not guided by a fixed path. This can lead to greater overall muscle activation and coordination. Free weights are especially effective for improving functional strength because they replicate natural movement patterns and require the body to stabilise itself throughout the exercise.

Control and Safety

• Functional Training Machines: These machines offer more control and safety, making them a great option for beginners or those rehabbing an injury. The guided nature of the machines reduces the risk of improper form, which can lead to injury, while still allowing for dynamic and varied movements.
• Free Weights: Free weights require more control and can be riskier, especially for those new to strength training. Without the guidance of a machine, it’s easier to perform exercises incorrectly, which can increase the risk of injury. However, with proper form and technique, free weights can be very effective and safe.

Range of Motion

• Functional Training Machines: These machines generally allow for a good range of motion, especially compared to traditional fixed-path machines. They can be adjusted to accommodate different exercises and body types, promoting flexibility and functional strength.
• Free Weights: Free weights allow for the fullest range of motion possible, as the movement is not restricted by any machine. This unrestricted range of motion can be beneficial for improving flexibility and engaging muscles more fully.

Muscle Isolation

• Functional Training Machines: While they allow for multi-directional movements and engage multiple muscles, these machines can also be adjusted to isolate specific muscle groups when needed. This makes them versatile for both compound and isolation exercises.
• Free Weights: Free weights can effectively isolate specific muscles as well, especially with exercises like bicep curls or tricep extensions. However, they also engage stabilising muscles, making them more challenging for isolating only one muscle group.

Accessibility

• Functional Training Machines: These machines can be more accessible for beginners, older adults, or those with physical limitations due to their controlled nature. They are also helpful for those who might be intimidated by free weights.
• Free Weights: Free weights are accessible in terms of availability, as most gyms have a range of dumbbells and barbells. However, they might be less accessible for beginners who are not confident with their form or unsure about how to perform exercises correctly.

Conclusion

Both functional training machines and free weights have their place in a well-rounded fitness routine. Functional training machines are excellent for improving functional fitness, muscle coordination, and offering a safe, versatile workout environment. Free weights, on the other hand, are promote full muscle engagement, natural movement patterns, and a broader range of motion.

For optimal results, many fitness enthusiasts and trainers recommend incorporating both into your routine. Using functional training machines can help build a strong foundation, especially for beginners or those focusing on functional fitness, while free weights can further challenge your strength and stability, leading to greater muscle growth and improved functional strength.

Functional training machines are suitable for almost any age group, from teenagers to older adults. The key advantage of these machines is their adaptability—they can be modified to suit the fitness level, goals, and physical condition of the user, making them a valuable tool for a lifetime of good fitness habits.