5 Benefits of Free Weights (And Why You Should Use Them)

Working with home and gym free weights

Free weights like dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and weight plates are incredibly popular and are used by millions of people to gain strength and muscle.

Let’s discuss five unique benefits and real-world examples of how they can help in your training.

1. Balance and coordination

During my first six months of weight training, I exclusively did Smith machine squats and worked up to a respectable 185 lbs for sets of 10 reps. Then, I had to switch gyms and discovered that my new training facility didn’t have a Smith machine.

I started doing barbell squats and quickly realized that, while my quads were strong, I lacked the balance and coordination to squat 135, much less 185 lbs, when the bar wasn’t kept on a stable and straight path.

This was when I realized that muscle strength wasn’t everything. Sure, my quad strength carried over to the leg press, another movement where stability isn’t a prime concern, and I wasn’t a complete newbie. But, when it came to free weights like the barbell, I had yet to develop the skill to squat it safely and without shaking like a newborn deer learning to walk.

None of this is to say that machine exercises are bad––they certainly have their place in a good gym program. However, when looking beyond pure muscle strength and the ability to complete real-life tasks (say, carrying furniture or playing sports), free weights have a greater carryover and are more functional.

This is because free weights don’t travel on a fixed path, so it’s up to you to balance them and keep them moving on the right path. Making an effort teaches muscles how to work together to keep you stable and in a safe position.

2. An excellent overload

Free weights allow you to continually overload your muscles by lifting heavier weights and doing more reps. But why does that matter?

By placing a greater stressor on your body over time, you keep it from becoming fully adapted––that is, being perfectly capable of handling the amount of training you’re doing and not having a reason to improve further.

Since you have a virtually limitless potential to increase the weight, if you maintain good form and don’t rush the process, you can progress for a long time.

This works for muscle building and strength development; the main difference is how much weight you lift relative to your 1RM and how many reps you do. For instance, someone looking to build strength might lift 80%+ of their 1RM for sets of 3-5 reps, whereas those more interested in muscle growth could lift 65-75% of their 1RM for sets of 8-12 reps.

(Of course, this is an overly simplistic look at workout programming. It’s important to look at your plan to determine how many sets and reps you should do for each movement.)

The overloading potential is most noticeable on compound barbell lifts like the bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, and row. A barbell allows you to lift more weight and makes it easier to add load over time.

For instance, it’s not uncommon for beginners to steadily add 2.5 kilograms (roughly 5 pounds) to their barbell lifts early in their training. Progression slows down after the newbie phase, but you can continue to add weight and build muscles for a long time.

Dumbbells, kettlebells, and even weight plates are also common gym weights you can use to do many exercises. You can still increase the load, though in smaller increments.

3. Good range of motion (ROM)

Free weights typically allow you to train through a full range of motion so long as your strength, flexibility, and anatomy don’t limit you in any way.

The advantage of a longer ROM is that it can improve muscle activation, build strength that carries over to everyday life, and even improve your flexibility––the ability of muscles to lengthen unrestricted.

For instance, when using workout weights to load the squat, you can descend as much as your mobility allows. This builds strength through the entire range of motion and stretches the involved muscles more at the bottom position.

Since we know from research that the stretch under load is highly beneficial for growth, we can see how a longer range of motion could be better for people looking to build muscle.

Dumbbells are typically better in this regard than barbells, but not always. For example, when using dumbbells for the bench press, you can lower the weights more (provided your shoulders feel comfortable) and experience a greater chest stretch at the bottom.

However, when using a barbell, you’re more limited because it eventually touches your chest, and you cannot lower it further.

4. Freedom of movement

Free workout weights allow greater freedom of movement, which means you can tweak exercises to suit your anatomical and mobility needs. This helps reduce joint and connective tissue stress and leads to more natural movement.

To use the Smith machine as an example again, when doing squats on this machine, you’re forced into a specific movement pattern because of the bar’s fixed vertical path. This could feel natural and comfortable for some people but may push others into a compromised position that puts too much stress on the lower back, hips, or knees.

For instance, a trainee with longer femurs (thigh bones) might need a greater torso lean to squat comfortably. However, they couldn’t adjust their torso angle when squatting on a Smith machine, which could force their knees out too much or lead to lower back rounding.

In contrast, if the trainee used a free exercise weight like a barbell, their body would naturally adjust to a comfortable position because the bar wouldn’t be restricted into a straight path.

It’s also worth noting that not all gym strength machines are designed ideally. If you’ve trained long enough and have tried multiple training facilities, you’ve probably noticed that seemingly identical machines feel different.

For example, one chest press machine might feel amazing and light your pectorals on fire, whereas a similar machine might feel off. It’s not that it isn’t effective or doesn’t work, but maybe you don’t feel the same muscle activation, or perhaps it puts more stress on your shoulders.

Again, this isn’t a knock against machines because they have a place in a well-balanced training plan. It’s just to illustrate how free weights can be beneficial and might be a fantastic alternative to consider if a machine at your gym simply doesn’t feel right.

5. Countless exercise options and modifications

The great thing about working out is that you have a virtually limitless pool of exercises, especially when using free fitness weights. Regardless of your equipment (even if it’s just a pair of adjustable dumbbells), you can come up with good exercises to train almost all body parts.

Now, add barbells, kettlebells, weight plates, an adjustable bench, and a squat rack to the equation, and you can do hundreds of isolation and compound exercises.

Plus, thanks to the freedom of movement discussed just above, exercise weights allow you to make subtle tweaks to most exercises to make them work the target muscles better. Subtle tweaks include:

• Use a neutral grip for hammer curls
• Use a neutral grip during dumbbell shoulder or chest presses
• Raise your heels on weight plates for squats
• Switch to a sumo stance for deadlifts
• Tuck elbows closer during a bench press
• Widen your grip for bent-over barbell rows
• Rotate the dumbbells during curls
• Press from the floor (floor press)
• Use deficit (stand on plates) during Romanian deadlifts
• Press with one dumbbell only (unilateral training)
• Do dumbbell rows with your chest supported on a bench
• Vary your stance length during Bulgarian split squats

This flexibility means you can always do movements that feel best for you and help you train for your goals.

For example, let’s say you want to train your forearms alongside your biceps. In this case, rotate your wrists out and do hammer curls instead of regular ones. Or what if you want to bench press but don’t have a bench? In this case, do dumbbell or barbell floor presses for chest growth and strength.

Also, let’s say you want to hit your upper back and rear delts more during rows. Simply widen your grip and flare your elbows more to shift the emphasis away from the lats to a degree.

Similarly, you can stand on a weight plate or two to create a deficit for Romanian or regular deadlifts to train your posterior chain more effectively and stretch the hamstrings and glutes as the bottom position.

Where to Go From Here

Free weights have countless applications and are highly beneficial for almost anyone who wants to build muscle and strength that carries over to everyday life.

So, whether you want to launch a gym, upgrade an existing one, or get some versatile gym free weights for home use (hint: adjustable dumbbells are a fantastic investment), head to our store and browse the categories. You can even shop by brand.