Free weights is how weight lifting began. It’s made up of dumbbells and barbells. It is the most simple concept, when using free weights you are stabilizing the weight, which will force you to use other little muscles that you didn’t know you were using. Free weights also give you a more comprehensive training because many stabilizer muscles are involved.

Both elastic resistance and free-weight resistance (such as barbells and dumbbells) have several similar properties: a) both provide some form of resistance, b) both allow a free range of motion, c) both allow variable speed of movement, and d) both allow progressive resistance. All four of these properties are critical for the benefits offered by effective resistance-training programs.

Despite the similarities between elastic resistance and free-weight resistance, people would assume, due to the lightweight and “flimsy appearance of elastic resistance equipment such as elastic resistance tubing, that free weights are clearly the better resistance equipment. However, studies have shown that muscle activity and peak load during elastic-resistance exercise is similar to free-weight resistance exercise. This means that when comparing the same exercise performed with an elastic resistance device or with free weights, the amount of muscle fibers activated is similar and the amount of force provided by the muscle fibers is similar.

Studies on elastic resistance training have also shown that programs using elastic tubing, elastic bands and similar devices increase muscle strength and muscle size and decrease body fat in a similar manner to free-weight training programs.