Strength training free weights

Free weights

— systems where the load is changed by adding or removing additional weights — usually pancakes for the barbell. Actually, a classic example of machines where this option is used is Smith machines (see "Product type"); however, the matter is not limited to them, free weights are the second most popular type of load after the weight-and-block systems described above. This is primarily due to the extensive possibilities for setting the weight: in such machines, in fact, there is no fixed adjustment step, the matter is limited only by the presence of a set of pancakes with a particular weight at the athlete's disposal. On the other hand, the need to use separate weighting plates can also be attributed to the disadvantages of this option. In addition, in most free weights models, the force of the weight is usually directed downward (vertically or at a certain angle); systems of cables and blocks — like those used in weight-and-block machines — are extremely rare in such machines.