If you want to gain muscle and get fit, lifting weights is the best option. In general, using free weights is considered to be the most effective way to add muscle, since free weights are good for doing compound lifts such as the deadlift and squat – which work out your core quite effectively.

However, not everyone has the option or the knowledge to use free weights. The good news is that you can add muscle with machines too. The old perception that free weights are the only way to add muscle mass is outdated. Machines have improved a lot in recent years and you can add muscle with them safely and effectively. Lets take a look at the best gym machines for muscle gains.

The smith machine is a versatile machine that allows you to do a lot of the major lifts, while ensuring that your muscles move within the right plane. This helps to keep your form correct, and reduces the risk of injury while you are learning the lifts. To put on quality muscle mass, you should squat, bench press and deadlift. A smith machine can help you with some of those.

Other lifts, such as rows and flyes, can also be done with machines. Cable machines are great for intermediate lifters because they offer a wider range of motion, and this means that they can help to activate more of the stabilizing muscles. In the long run this will make you feel stronger and will help to strengthen the your secondary muscle groups. This will add functional strength and help your body to better cope with the demands of day-to-day life.

Machines are great for isolation exercises – things like preacher curls and leg extensions can be done very easily on machines, building up strength in the biceps and in your legs in a highly targeted fashion. Once you have a good strength base it is well worth working on these exercises to build symmetry and mass. However, most beginners should not focus on isolation exercises.

As you can see there is no one best machine for muscle gains. Which machines you use the most will depend on your goals and the muscles that you are working on. You should look for a gym that has a wide range of machines, and build a program that covers all the major muscle groups.