THE FUSE

There’s a lot of debate about weight machines in the fitness world. Some people gravitate towards them because they seem a heck of a lot easier than cranking out some reps with a pair of dumbbells or a barbell. Others (especially some trainers) say that they’re not the best exercise tool for everyone, since they tend to work muscles in isolation, rather than with the kinds of compound, total-body movements you can do with free weights.