Body weight training and working out with fitness equipment both offer many benefits. When done correctly, each method can offer a great workout. As someone who is always traveling, I find that having a vocabulary of body weight bearing exercises that requires minimal equipment has really helped me. But I also have seen great improvement from using the machines correctly.
Here’s some of the main differences between the two methods and what they can offer you:
Body weight exercises such as planks, push-ups, lunges, and hip raises, require the body to use more muscle groups. In these exercises, you are not targeting a specific muscle group. Instead, you are challenging the body to work cohesively to execute the exercise.
Unlike body weight exercises, gym machines really focus on isolating a muscle group and forcing that muscle group to exclusively perform the exercise. The body will respond by increasing strength and size of the targeted area.
The use of gym equipment will lead to faster and more visible results. Body weight training, however, will increase functional strength that allows the body’s muscle groups to perform in harmony. The benefits of each are different and finding a workout routine that incorporates both will give you a great comprehensive and thorough workout!