Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym
“What if you could have that lean, muscular body that you can feel good about and be proud of?”
Home gyms can be enormous pieces of fitness equipment that take up an entire room. Or they can be a single piece of equipment that fits nicely into the corner. Some Bowflexes don’t require their own addresses in your home, and yet it’s one of the most powerful home gyms on the market.
People who use the Bowflex for twenty minutes a day, three days a week have claimed amazing results in the strength and tone of their bodies, as well as improved weight loss. The low impact Bowflex Power Rods reduce or eliminate the joint pain that often occurs when lifting free weights. And they provide even resistance for a consistent workout.
Bowflex offers an unconditional money back guarantee for people who are skeptical of the exclusive Power Rod system for weight training. You can use the Bowflex in their homes for up to six weeks, and if you’re not happy with it for any reason, return it for a full refund. (But you pay the shipping and handling on the return. It’s supposed to go back in the original box with EVERYTHING returned to get your refund)
The Machine
The Bowflex Ultimate 2 is Bowflex’s best selling product. Bowflex and Nautilus Inc. have been manufacturing Bowflex home gyms for over 20 years now. The Ultimate 2 is a real improvement in comparison with it’s predecessor the Bowflex Ultimate.
The Bowflex Ultimate 2 is the “ultimate” home gym that Bowflex has to offer. With over 95 exercises and 310Ib of resistance so there is little chance of outgrowing it anytime soon (upgradable to 410Ib) it has everything a person could ever want. This is the most complete ‘Health Club Alternative Gym’ in the Bowflex lineup and the most decked out gym currently available in the Bowflex lineup and sits atop the Extreme 2, Revolution, and all other Bowflex models.
When you train on the Bowflex Ultimate 2 you’ll have 400 variations of exercises, an exercise training DVD, and everything you need to transform your body. When you train you’ll improve arms, back, chest, shoulders, legs, abdominals, and more.
It’s very easy to use. There is no other machine that gave results as fast and effectively as this machine. Unlike free weights, the Bowflex Ultimate 2 provides just as much resistance at the start of your exercises as it does at the top. Your muscles will experience intense stimulation and faster gains.
Does It Take Up A lot Of Space?
This is the ideal home gym for anyone that wants to workout in the privacy of their home while leaving a small footprint. You can fold if for easy storage. There is no reason you should have to fill your house up with big clunky weights to get a gym quality workout.
Key Specifications on the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym
- 310 pounds of Power Rod standard – upgradeable to 410 pounds
- Lat tower with angled lat bar
- Leg extension/leg curl station
- Preacher curl attachment
- Integrated, biomechanically correct squat station
- Built-in adjustable pulley system
- Cable Change Pulley System – go from one exercise to another without changing cables making your workout faster
- Ultra smooth built-in rowing machine for cardiovascular warm-up and cool-down
The Ultimate 2 gym is a good value when you consider how many machines this gym replaces. It’s easy to move from exercise to the next with the ‘no cable change’ feature, and you can adjust the bench to different angles or simply remove it when you want to do squats on the built-in station.
The Bowflex Ultimate 2 has about any type of exercise you’ll ever need to, or want to perform on a home gym.
It’s easy to move from exercise to the next with the ‘no cable change’ feature, and I like the fact that you can adjust the bench to different angles or simply remove it when you want to do squats on the built-in station.
The Ultimate 2 is a lot of gym (even for the higher price tag) and is relatively small considering all you can accomplish on it.
Like the Bowflex Revolution, the Ultimate 2 will certainly scare some people off with the price but you can get financing directly from Bowflex, or there are other options to consider like the Bowflex Extreme 2.
Pros
Movable – the horizontal bench folds up into the machine, which allows you to store it where ever you like.
Tip – the Ultimate 2 is a little heavy, so it will roll on a solid floor much more easily than it will on carpeting.
Leg Press – the horizontal bench allows you to do leg presses. This is a major benefit, especially for those who find squats difficult.
Rowing Machine – the horizontal bench machines can also be used as a rowing machine. This is very nice for warming up or cooling down after a workout.
Cons
Space Needed – the Bowflex Ultimate 2 is about 4 feet longer than the vertical bench machines.
Attachments – moving the Bowflex Ultimate 2 can be a chore due to all it’s attachments like the leg extension etc.
The Best Features of Bowflex Ultimate 2
1. Preacher curls attachment. Preacher curls enable you to isolate and develop the biceps. Because your arms are resting against the pad, other muscles can’t help your biceps “cheat” in the exercise (like letting the elbows come forward, instead of keeping them tight against your sides).
2. Squat station. Squats are the “Grand Pooba” of ALL exercises. They are the most taxing resistance exercise there is because they use so much of the body. The problem with squats is balance and flexibility. It’s hard to go down and come up while having good posture.
The Ultimate 2’s squat station solves this problem. It automatically puts your body in proper position which enables you to receive the utmost benefit from this “super” exercise.
3. No cable changes. This seems like a minor feature but after training for a couple of weeks you’ll definitely appreciate not having to change cables for different exercises.
4. Ab crunch attachment. This isolates and trains your abdominals
