Bowflex xtreme? (1 Viewer)

[James Slade]

Is anyone using this machine. I am pretty sure I am going to buy one shortly, but not 100%. I am not looking for ideas on other cheaper machines etc. Do you own a Bowflex have you used one adn what did you think?

Thanks

 

[AaronMg]

Do not buy a bow flex. You can do most of the same exercises with a decent set of dumbells and a good bench.

Here's a good article on building your own reasonably priced gym.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Agreed. There is little that cannot be accomplished with a few pair of barbells (start at @ 10lb. and work your way up in 5lb. increments) and a good guide to making the most of strength training. Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding is an excellent resource.

PS: What you will pay for one treadmill or bow-flex will cover the cost of a full gym membership for a year or more. And they have the same equipment there.

 

[James Slade]

I am not interested in free weights at all

 

[AllanN]

I have heard that the "spring" type resistance of the Bowflex is not as good as free weights or weight machines. I would go with a gym membership. There you will have access to both. If you are anything like me you will start on the weight machines and move to free weights eventually.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Personally I'm very suspicious of anything sold so hard in "infomercial" style. Bowflex seems like the Bose of home gym products. Maybe worse. I remember reading a post here about it before, try doing a search.

 

[Brandon_T]

Nevermind
Brandon

 

[Steve_Tk]

Machines are garbage. Bowflex is all marketing.

 

[AaronMg]

Why are you not interested in looking at free weights?

 

[Paul_Medenwaldt]

My only experience with a Bowflex was recently in a 2nd hand store.

I have a family member who told me a little about weight lifting. From my understanding is that when you lift weights, you want the same amount of force giving as taking (i hope that makes sense), but with the Bowflex when you make a curl the transition is smooth but when letting the curl go back, the Bowflex jerks your arm down, instead of a smooth transition back to the original starting point.

The curl should be one full rep with no jerking motion. This type of jerking motion will tear the muscle more and could cause damage to the muscle.

I noticed this when I tried it out at the 2nd hand store. It was very uncomfortable.

Paul

 

[James Slade]

I lifted a lot about 10 years ago using only free weights.
It was great, huge gains very fast in strength and size. Now it is 10 years later; I work long hours and have limited free time. I work at a large place and it has a full gym which is free for my use. In the last year I have never found my way there. So I guess time is a problem, I want to workout at home. I also don't believe for a second that free weights are safer than a machine like Bowflex.

At home I don't have the room for a bench and racks of dumbbells etc. I really am not looking to get big or anything like that. I just want to stay in shape, keep the pounds off etc.

Not one positive response for Bowflex, I am surprised. Free weights are great, I can't argue that. However, they just aren't everyones cup of tea.

 

[Steve_Tk]

If just trying to keep pounds off then why work out with limited time? Why not get a $100 dollar exercise bike and ride like hell for 20 minutes 3 times a week. That will accomplish a lot more than the 3 times a week, 20 minutes a day bowflex, and save you over $1000. You said you worked out before, then you know that what the bowflex advertises is garbage.

 

[Eric Samonte]

I had a Bowlflex a few years back. I used it for cardio and a little strenght training. While I don't have any experience with free weights, it was a good enuff machine that I got in shape and had stamina to run around the basketball court which I couldn't before. I paid around $700 for a used one. I don't have it right now but I could use one again.

 

[Robin Warren]

Well then if you just want to keep the weight off and stay trim, save your bucks and jump rope. Walk. Pushups. Run. Bike. More pushups. Crunches. Buy a stability ball and learn some exercises on those, they are great. The Blowfex is NOT what its advertised as. IMHO.

 

[James Slade]

What is Bowflex? A serious question for the skeptics. Does it have any use? Other than the obvious; to generate revenue.

 

[Steve_Tk]

If you want one then buy one, you don't need us to convice you to get one. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean you should care, go get one. It kind of sounds like you want to hear people say it's great to justify the huge expense.

 

[MattBu]

Why not? There are no shortcuts to working out, that includes the piece of overpriced crap that is the bowflex. No machine can take the place of freeweights. The bowflex takes up no less room than a weight bench.

 

[Jack Shappa]

I've used free weights, "rubber band" machines (like soloflex etc), the "weight stack" machines, as well as the boflex. In my opinion if you don't like free weights you'd be better off with a weight stack-style machine. They can do many exercises, are smoother through the rep, and cost a lot less. The most important thing though, of course, is getting one you'll actually use and stick with.

- Jack

 

[Greg Rakaska]

If Bose speaker company made excercise equipment, it would be Bowflex.....err, make that Boseflex

 

[Adam Bluhm]

Do you people knock Bowflex from experience or word of mouth? We have a bowflex and it gives excellent resistance. My brother has gone from 6'2" 260+lbs to 185lbs just from eating a few less calories and working on the bowflex. His arms are huge (he works them primarily).

I've been using it for a short period (off and on for about a half year) and results are good. There are many exercises that can be done with it and one can change between exercises in seconds.

It's not a bad machine. I is expensive, but not bad.