Functional trainers vs free weights

[Coconut]

Can anyone comment on there use of a functional trainer.

I have lots of free weight, bars, benches etc. Looking to add a functional trainer to my home gym

 

[Vortex]

Everything is a tool. It would depend on your goals and what you want to accomplish.

 

[Coconut]

Everything is a tool. It would depend on your goals and what you want to accomplish.

My goals are to hit muscle groups from different angles to keep stimulating muscles. I am getting older, so lifting heavy all the time hurts all my joints ,tendons etc.

 

[Corey5150]

I agree with vortex, one is not necessarily better than the other - they both have their good and bad points. 

and what you describe can be done with either or. 

Concentrate more on the eccentric portion of the lift, time under tension, add more volume while lower the intensity slightly - and just all around make sure to structure your workout and training program to allow adequate recovery. 

 

[Bulldog2379]

The good thing about functional training is re-teaching your body to use synergist muscles in compound movements instead of isolating. This results in higher metabolism and overall better balance, coordination and overall body function. You will notice everything physical becomes easier. When they say muscle has memory they aren’t talking about the ability to re-grow faster. They are talking about the muscles ability to memorize movements like walking for instance. When you participate in functional training, you are teaching your body to use all the muscles you have for a movement.