Free weights vs machine based training: Is the bias justified?

What is the reasoning across our industry that machine based training is inferior to that of free weight based training? The influence of bodybuilding could bias practitioners towards the higher effectiveness of free weights when it comes to strength and hypertrophy adaptations. Traditional bodybuilders trained using mostly free weights, which may have led coaches and physical trainers to hypothesize that machine-based resistance training would be less effective in maximizing muscle growth and, therefore, strength. Another aspect that bolsters free weights for hypertrophy is the allegedly high...