You don’t have to be a barbell maximalist or free weights supremacist. Cables, barbells, dumbbells, machines—they’re all just tools in your toolbox to create resistance. And when it comes to building muscle, there’s no tool that’s inherently better. Your muscles don’t know the difference. They only respond to tension. Free weights are more accessible, easier to standardize across different gyms, and feel more “hardcore.” The right machine can replicate almost any free weight lift-sometimes in po