The Diet » Workout

The Bowflex Home Gym

Johanna — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:55:18 +0000

Of all the fitness equipment on the market, Bowflex home gyms are likely the one brand name that most of you are well-known with thanks to the long running TV commercials. You might also be familiar with the parent company, Nautilus, and the home gym systems it makes.

Bowflex Home Gym is typically one of the most excellent equipment that you will find. When you are in the marketplace for used exercise equipment, Bowflex Home Gym is usually much more inexpensive than when you purchase it new. Even if the equipment has been used relatively, you will find that it is most likely in excellent condition. Bowflex Home Gym’s are made actually well so they will stand the test of time through numerous exercisers a good deal of the time.

When you shop exercise equipment Bowflex Home Gym you will find that there are some different models to select from. Some of the more common models that you will see are the Bowflex Ultimate, Bowflex Ultimate 2, Bowflex Extreme, Bowflex Extreme 2, and the Bowflex Blaze. These are simply different models that were released at different times. For the most part the technology is the same, though if you can choose one of the newer models you will find that it comes with more of the accessories and it is much easier to use. In addition, most of the newer machines do not require you to change anything out, you can just move from weight to weight without adjusting, which is really good.

One of the best places to get used Bowflex Home Gym models is in used sports stores. There are several chains across the world that offers a wide variety of sports and fitness supplies and equipment. Many of these stores carry the Bowflex Home Gym models because they know they will sell. You can often find them for less than half of their original price, which means you can get a $1200 machine for just $600 and sometimes less. This is a great deal, because as was stated before Bowflex machines normally stand up well over time. The most difficult part of the transaction may be getting the equipment home, but if you or a friend have a pickup truck or SUV with plenty of cargo room you generally won’t find it difficult.

If you cannot seem to find used exercise equipment Bowflex Home Gym in your local area you may want to look over the internet. You might be surprised to find how many people sell their used goods, including exercise equipment online. If you can find a really good deal and you are also able to see pictures of the product all you need to do is check on the shipping charges. As you might imagine, the Bowflex Home Gym equipment is relatively heavy and can cost a lot to ship. If you choose to buy used exercise equipment online then you should be sure that you aren’t being charged too much to have it shipped to your home. Make sure you are still saving money when all is said and done, and also be sure that the package is insured just in case it is damaged during shipping.

BowFlex Revolution

Current Price: US $1,200.00

BOWFLEX UPGRADE ROD BOX-Xtremes,Sports,Ultimates,Blaze

Current Price: US $23.95

The Bowflex Home Gym is definitely one of the best used exercise equipment deals you will find on the market. You may find a lot of infomercial type equipment that is being sold used, but when you come upon a Bowflex you will find that it is in stellar condition and really worth its resale price and then some. If you have quite a few used sports gear providers in your area you may want to check with all of them for the best deal, though most of the time you can bet it is a good deal.

You may also want to check newspaper classifieds for used exercise equipment Bowflex Home Gym advertisements. Many people do not want to transport the equipment to the used stores so they advertise it for sale. Much of the time the owner is simply looking to get the equipment out of their garage or basement and will let you have it for a really good price. Of course, you should ask to see and even try out the machine before you buy, just to be sure that the equipment is still in good working order. If it is, then take your new yet used exercise equipment home and get in shape, the Bowflex can work wonders.

If you got no choice but to purchase a new one, remember these things that you must consider:

Initial Assembly: The initial assembly of the Bowflex Extreme SE home gym took approximately 1 and a half hours with the help of a friend. The directions are easily laid out and were simple to follow. All of the tools required for assembly are included, but have a good set of vice grips available to make the tightening of all of the bolts a lot easier. This is definitely a two man job though.

Resistance Weight Included: My Bowflex Extreme SE home gym came with 210 pounds of resistance weight, and this was definitely enough for the first few months of training. It is important to point out that the Power Rods do have a different feel in comparison to free weights. The great thing about the Bowflex is that it can grow with you in terms of resistance weight. The Bowflex is upgradable to 410 pounds of resistance.

Lat Tower: The Bowflex Extreme SE home gym comes with an incorporated lat tower that makes performing back exercises a breeze. You can use it not only for back exercises, but also for triceps pull downs and additional chest exercises.

Cable Pulley System: The Bowflex uses a cable pulley system to connect the Power Rods to the various workout set ups, and they are of very high quality. They provide a very smooth and very wide range of motion that really permits you to get the most out of each exercise you perform.

Overall Quality: The Bowflex Extreme SE home gym is made of high quality materials like steel, and aircraft rated aluminum cables and pulleys. There are no weak points of the unit, and everything is still rock solid on it.

Space Requirements: This requires 8X8 ft space to ensure proper functionality

Safety: The Bowflex is one of the safest home gyms you can buy. There is no need for spotters because the Power Rods eliminate the need for lifting heavy free weights that could potentially fall and injure the user.

Bowflex Revolution

Johanna — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:44:26 +0000

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).

BowFlex Revolution

Current Price: US $1,200.00

BOWFLEX UPGRADE ROD BOX-Xtremes,Sports,Ultimates,Blaze

Current Price: US $23.95

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.