Hammer Strength or Free Weights

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I’m a newbie to lifting but I’ve been athletic all of my life, Basketball, baseball and football. Most of the posts I’ve read on this site suggest free weights as the primary tool for building mass. I’ve found that I can use much more weight on Hammer Strength plate machines and I’m not afraid of trying to get that last rep as I would be using free weights without a spotter.

Should I leave the hammer strength alone and just use lighter weight or should I continue pressing the heaviest I can with machines? …This is my sixth week of training but I’ve learned more on this site today than in my entire six weeks at the gym. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

Mix em up.

On days you can get spots stick with the free weights, on days you workout alone and dont feel like asking random people to spot you go ahead and use the machines.

3

deuce,

Stay with the free weights for the most part. The 3 hammer supported row machines are great, and i use them whenever i can, but chins are just as great. As a newbie, you are getting tons out of stabilizing the weight as much as lifting it. If you can’t stay away from the hammer machines, do them as your second exercise for a bodypart after the free weight exercise.

jmo
jack

4

I use Hammer Strength (seated row, seated press, overhead etc.) as a warmup. I usually lift them with max. (the most I can handle) because if I slip, it just makes a lotta noise. After that I use free weights for another six or seven exercises. Free weights are better because you are forced to balance/concentrate on form.

5

I occasionally do the decline bench with hammerstrength instead of weighted dips… but only occasionally. It’s good to press a lot of weight, but you don’t get as many stabilizers involved.

6

I think machines like the Hammer Strength line and the like definitely have their place.

For instance, I choose freeweight back, front, and single leg squats a lot in my workouts, but once a week I like to hit the leg press REALLY heavy, simply because I can put my all into simply pushing the weight and get my whole body into it, not thinking as much about technique but still stimulating a hell of a lot of muscle mass.

7

I use machines on occasion for one main reason: To cut boredom!

Free weights are superior, but so what? If you are bored with your routine mix it up.

Even the Smith Machine is better that sitting in an easy chair because you don’t feel like lifting.

8

Thanks for all the advise, seems like the consensus is to mix it up with maybe on day a week going heavy on the Hammer Strength. I’ll try searching the site for a workout that includes some machine use … Thanks