Bowflex Revolution
The Bowflex Revolution Home Gym is made by Bowflex, manufactured by Nautilus Inc. Nautilus is building Bowflex Home Gyms for almost two decades now. There is no disagreeing that Bowflex is a well-regarded company that manufactures quality home gym. They have been around a long time and stand behind their products.
The Bowflex Revolution is a home gym system that is designed to be the only piece of equipment that anyone will need to get a complete workout. This system is designed for those who would prefer to work out in the comfort of their own home instead of waiting gym lines for prime machines and paying steep monthly fees for their use. While the Bowflex does represent a large investment, the reputation of the company, the variety of exercises it supports and the generous warranty have made it a staple of home gyms for years. Anyone who is considering starting a fitness regime at home or those who are just hoping to rid their current home gym of its clutter should consider purchasing a Bowflex Revolution.
One of the main goals for most workout regimes is a flat, well-defined stomach. In addition to the aesthetic benefits, a strong core will improve posture and reduce back pain. The Bowflex Revolution offers a number of different options for working out the core at different levels of resistance, giving users faster results than those seen with crunches alone. The padded bench can be used by beginners for crunches, while those at higher fitness levels can use the SpiraFlex plates to add resistance and increase the intensity. The trunk rotation set-up will help get rid of love handles, and work oblique muscles that are often overlooked.
Features of Bowflex Revolution
- The Spiraflex Resistance Technology; the Bowflex Revolution comes with a 220 lbs. (100 kg) standard resistance. It is upgradeable to 300 lbs. (136 kg) Extra costs $99. Upgradeable to 600 lbs. (272 kg) for lower body results.
- Over 100 exercises come with the Bowflex Revolution; with these 100 exercises you can make up to 400 variations.
- Preacher Curl Attachment for strong biceps.
- Freedom Arms; especially designed for the upper body workout, the freedom arms have a 170 angle and are adjustable.
- 5 Position Foot Harness; improvement in comparison with the XP.
- The usual hand grips for good and flexible training are included.
- Built-in rowing machine; for calorie-burning, cardiovascular warm-up and cool-down.
- Leg Press Plate; for a good lower body workout.
- Leg extension/curl; is included, you can get built some muscles but do not expect a lot of varieties in the exercises.
- Instructional Manual and a DVD workout video to perform all exercises on the right way.
The Bowflex Revolution does not have the ab back pad, squat harness and lat tower available on this home gym. Because of its design the Bowflex Revolution is folding to a 55″ by 38″ footprint what makes it ideal for people with an apartment or little space available to work out. The guarantee is 10 year on materials and workmanship and 10 years on weights. The maximum user weight is 300 lbs. (136 kg).
The Bowflex Revolution would be a good fit for you:
- have a home office and or if you want convenience
- dislike fighting the primetime crowds at the gym, which begin to amass at about 5:00 PM and go until about 7:30 PM
- have ample room in your home
- are an intermediate or advanced user – or you have a professional trainer get you started; I’ve been lifting weights for years and it took me a little time to get used to it
- are either strong or don’t plan on moving the machine: this machine is heavy and it’s bulky. It does have a foldaway feature, but it does require a fair amount of strength. Moving and folding away the machine can be dangerous for most people, my suggestion to you is not to move it or fold it up unless necessary – even then, be careful.
Pros
- The overall range of motion was quite smooth, there was constant resistance throughout the exercise, for many of the exercises I found it to be comparable to professional gym equipment
- Versatility – if you are an experienced weight trainer, the amount of exercises and variations is only limited to your imagination
- Convenience – no, the Revolution can’t compete with going to the gym, but if this is what you’ve got to work with, it’s the next best thing
- The machine makes little noise
- Customer service was friendly and easy to reach
- The plates are compact and extremely lightweight
Cons
- Bulky, heavy machine, don’t move it or lift it unless it’s necessary
- Switching attachments and adding plates can be a little bit of a nuisance but you can get quicker with this over time. Don’t be fooled by the commercials and DVD, it’s not that easy to move from exercise to exercise – but you will get faster over time.
- There is a learning curve with the exercises, have some patience when you first get the machine. It took me about 2-3 work outs before I started to feel comfortable and efficient
- The markings on the plates should have been more obvious. The graphics look good on the plates but the numbers should have been larger so they are readable from a distance. Perhaps they might have color coded them.
- I often had to check to see how much weight I had on each side of the machine – too bad there wasn’t a display on the front of the machine that told you how much resistance there was on each arm
- Bowflex is slow in sending out the order, they indicated they would provide an email and a phone call when the unit shipped – they did neither in my case
- Putting the Revolution took about 1.5 – 2 hours to do. It does require some ingenuity and elbow grease to get everything assembled. When I was done I needed a shower and a long break.
- The bench has only 2 positions: incline and flat, no variations in between
- Attaching the footplate leg press accessory is a pain in the rear. It’s bulky and it’s heavy. For some people, attaching the footplate can be dangerous.
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