Brains vs Bronze? Pulleys vs Free Weights?

Have you ever actually took the time out to think about the differences between cable machines and free weights? How about the benefits and the negatives of both? There are a lot about both of those two categories that you may not know. The fact of the matter is the choice is up to you. The equipment you choose depends on your level of experience and your exercise goals, and to some extent, your personal preference. An understanding of these factors will help you decide if free weights or machines  or a combination of both will help you reach your goals. First off we'll start with the advantages of both. Free weights incorporate the stabilizing muscles that enable you to perform the movements you choose to make and may be more effective in producing overall muscular strength and power gains. Free weights also are used by athletes more so because your body movements are more related to actual movements you would perform in game like situations. The biggest advantage to free weights would be their versatility and the lack of space they take up. All you need is a little area of the gym and a set of dumbbells and you can perform multiple exercises without having to switch machines or even dumbbells if the weight suits your needs. Just the simple way in which you hold a dumbbell can determine which muscle or part of the body you can/are working out with a simple change in direction your moving on to the next muscle group. As far as Pulley Systems go these are much easier to use and are perfect starters for beginners or even people how have been lifting for awhile but just don't like the feel or free weights. Some machines are far more efficient in isolating certain muscle groups then free weights. A big advantage and turn on to machines are that your form is almost guaranteed to be correct and working out with machines takes less time because your form is that much better and you can move easily from machine to machine.
The disadvantages of both. Free weights you need to quickly learn how to keep your body centered and balanced while trying to exert a force at the same time. This can be very hard for a beginner to do or even a vet just trying to lift heavier weight. Free weights can be used incorrectly by swinging the weights rather then pushing them which works the muscle better and the major down fall would be they are just plain dangerous. So when working with free weights you should always have a partner or don't be bashful and ask someone at the gym if they wouldn't mind spotting you for a few sets. One of the Pulley Systems major down falls is that it guides the muscle along a certain path regardless of if it fits the path of the person using it, which intern means the user is not getting the full effect of the workout he/she is doing. The biggest down fall of the machines would be ajustability. Machines are made for the average sized person. So if you are shorter or taller you will always have trouble using/adjusting to these machines.
As you can see their is an upside and a downside to both. In my own opinion I think you need to use both free weights and machines to get the full effect of weight training. I feel it allows for one to perform power lifts and tone at the same time which in the end allows them to experience the best of both worlds which is lifting a lot and looking good while your doing it, not to mention improving your overall health and wellness while lifting.

http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=289
http://www.fitnesspros.com/articles/machvsfree.html