Many trainers (myself included) tend to steer people away from the machines in favor of free weights. There are a bunch of reasons machines aren't the best, but the main objection of pros is that they provide too much structure, cheating your core and other stabilizer muscles out of a much-needed workout. There’s one major exception to the “no-machines” rule, though, and that’s the cable machine. Here’s why:
It’s Functional Training
“The cable machine allows you to recreate all of your bodies’ basic functional movements with added weight: push, pull, squat, twist, bend, Performance life in “It allows you to do both isolation exercises focusing on one body part, and create compound exercises involving multiple body parts.” However, because movement can be so fluid, having good form is essential. Start light and practice getting a full range of motion, with good posture, before loading up the weight. The cables also have a tendency to yank you back, so it’s essential to build up good control before you go heavy.
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