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Will Using Free Weights Increase Testosterone More Than Machines? Ask a PT

In last week’s email, we took a look at overtraining and whether it existed. I talked you through the process of avoiding it, and the similarities that overtraining has with low testosterone. In this week’s email, I will be looking at will using free weights increase testosterone more than machines.

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Will Using Free Weights Increase Testosterone More Than Machines?

Question: Is it true that performing free weight exercises such as barbell squats and bench press will boost your testosterone levels more than machines like the leg press and chest press?

Answer: This is a great question, and one that I’m sure that many people have also wondered about. This belief is widespread among personal trainers, so much so that many avoid using machines with their clients entirely.

But is it actually true?

Well, yes! It is true that free weight exercises boost your testosterone levels more than resistance machine exercises.

Studies [1][2] have repeatedly shown that when you compare the two, free weight exercises come out on top. Not only are testosterone levels higher, but growth hormone levels are significantly elevated post-exercise.

What is the Recommended Rest Time Between Sets?

It seems fair to say that you should try to create a training program that is mostly made up of free weight exercises. But I am not convinced that resistance machines don’t have their place. What you need to remember is that your testosterone levels are affected by many factors. Exercise is just one of them.

Sleep, diet, stress avoidance, and supplementation are all just as important when it comes to testosterone as exercise.

Also, you train for many reasons, and testosterone levels are just one of them. When it comes to building muscle, increasing strength, and boosting endurance, resistance machines are just as effective as free weights.

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What Does the Science Say?

A recent (2023) study in the BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation Journal found that when it came to hypertrophy (increase in muscle size), strength, and power, free weights and resistance machines gave almost identical results [3].

The researchers concluded that if your goals are along these lines, then it should come down to personal preference whether you use machines or free weights. We also have to consider the fact that not everyone is well-coordinated, and many people suffer from mobility issues.

For example, I broke my wrist last year trying to save a goal in my 7-a-side football match (we were 8-2 down, so I don’t know why I bothered). For several months, I found gripping a dumbbell for the shoulder press too painful. It affected my ability to perform this exercise properly. However, on the machine shoulder press, I could use a neutral grip and was able to train properly.

How Can I Improve My Bench Press? Ask a PT

Which exercise do you think was better for me? The latter, obviously. By allowing me to train harder, it would have also led to increased testosterone production. While free weights are better than machines, training hard on a machine will get you better results than half-training with free weights.

If you’ve been reading these blogs since the start of the year, then not only are you amazing, but you’ve probably noticed a theme to my answers. That theme is, stop worrying about ensuring that your workout is perfect because no workout is. Just find what works best for you.

Final Thoughts

Should you prioritise free weights over machines? Yes, I’d say so. But if you find that the chest press machine works better for you than the barbell bench press, then that’s fine. Add it to your program.

Maybe perform one on a Monday and one on a Thursday for the best of both worlds. But don’t get stuck on the mindset that “free weights are slightly better for testosterone, so I will not use machines”.