Exercise Machine Variations

Think of resistance training exercises as tools. Just like a builder wouldn’t use the same tool for every job, we shouldn’t use the same exercise for every training goal. Even as someone who’s completely “handyman illiterate,” I know that the right tool makes all the difference!

When designing a workout, we ask two key questions:

1. What is your training goal?

2. What is your level of experience?

Your answers determine which “tools” — or exercises — will serve you best.

The Main Categories of Training Tools

In the gym, exercises fall into two broad groups: machines and free weights.

Machines

Most gyms feature three main types:

• Pin-loaded machines

• Plate-loaded machines

• Smith machines

Each offers a different level of freedom, control, and complexity.

Free Weights

This group includes barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and cables. Free weight exercises allow your body to move more freely through space, engaging stabilizing muscles alongside the main movers.

Bodyweight

Finally, we have bodyweight exercises, a unique category where your own mass provides the resistance.

Why Free Weights Recruit More Muscle

Research shows that when your body can move freely — as with free weights — you engage more total muscle. That’s because your muscles must act not only as prime movers (to lift the load) but also as stabilizers (to control it).

Machines reduce this stabilizing demand. This isn’t good or bad — it simply means that different tools suit different goals and experience levels.

Pin-Loaded Machines: The Beginner’s Best Friend

Pin-loaded machines are typically the best starting point for beginners. Their movements are fixed and guided, reducing the risk of injury. The limited range of motion also protects joints that may not yet have full flexibility or strength.

Because they isolate a specific muscle, they help new lifters “feel” which muscles are working. For safety and learning purposes, I usually recommend working in the 15–20 rep range on these machines when starting out.

Plate-Loaded Machines: A Step Up in Complexity

Plate-loaded machines are a little more advanced. Instead of changing a pin on a weight stack, you manually load plates to create resistance.

These machines often allow the weights to move on a sled or along an arc rather than strictly up and down. This creates a more natural and varied loading pattern for your muscles and joints.

They sit between pin-loaded machines and free weights in terms of stability and skill requirement — a great option for intermediate lifters.

The Smith Machine: Structure and Safety

The Smith machine, which has been around for over 75 years, is another fixed-path tool. It allows a barbell to travel vertically on a guided track.

The Smith machine reduces the need for stabilization and can be a safer way to perform movements like squats, bench presses, or deadlifts — particularly when lifting alone.

Critics argue that because the bar path is fixed, it can increase compressive stress on the knees or spine during multi-joint lifts. But again, this isn’t inherently bad. It’s simply a matter of matching the tool to the goal — sometimes, increased loading on these structures can build resilience and bone density.

Vertical vs. Angled Smith Machines

Most Smith machines move on a vertical path, meaning it doesn’t matter which way you face.

However, newer models have an angled path. The direction you face changes the exercise emphasis:

• Facing away from the angle makes the movement more hip-dominant, emphasizing glutes, hamstrings, and adductors.

• Facing toward the angle makes it more knee-dominant, targeting the quads and calves.

This applies to both squats and deadlifts. As always, experiment with both directions to find what feels natural for your body and your goals.

Bringing It All Together

In summary, we have two main categories of resistance training tools:

1. Machines — including pin-loaded, plate-loaded, and Smith machines.

   • Best for isolating muscles, controlling movement, and training safely within a fixed range.

   • Ideal for beginners or anyone managing joint pain or injury.

2. Free Weights — including dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and cables.

   • Require more balance and stabilization.

   • Engage more total muscle and offer greater freedom of movement.

Machines are invaluable for building confidence, learning proper technique, and targeting specific muscles safely. Free weights, on the other hand, are essential for developing full-body coordination, strength, and stability.

At the end of the day, exercises are simply tools in your training toolbox. The key is knowing which one to use — for your body, your experience, and your goals.