I really got into lifting seriously a couple of years ago and I have come to a conclusion that I think is almost irrefutable. If a person sticks to the basics, such a barbell and dumbell bench, barbell military lifts, barbell tricep lifts, barbell rows, dumbell and barbell curls, deadlifts, squats and maybe some tricep lifts you can put in less time per workout than trying to hit 50 machine lifts and accomplish a lot more. This has certainly been the case for me. I realize that there are those that need much more, such as competition bodybuilders and power lifters but most of us hardly fall into that category. The fact is I believe that most of us use machines because we can lift more and boost our ego...in other words it is easier. I used to do 1k on the leg press and I would walk out of the gym feeling like a real stud. Then, when I did 5 sets of squats maxing out at 340 I could hardly walk 4 hours later. ( I am up to 405 on the squat and 7 sets total and it is still a killer). I guess for me it was just a matter of getting real with myself as far as what I was doing and why. I just wish I hadn't wasted a year figuring that out. At 41 years old I don't have too many more to waste....LOLOLOL 
