Official Newbie Bowflex Search

[T4MPA]

esssweet

[wutz]

i like my bowflex ultimate 2 it's pretty

[wutz]

i like my bowflex ultimate 2 it's pretty

no really though, i bought it two and a half weeks ago on craigslist for $750. one of the cheapest i've seen (plus free delivery), so i figure if/when i want to sell it, i can probably make all of the money back plus a little profit. but that is unnecessary backstory

i like it. whatever the case regarding effectiveness, i enjoy working out on the bowflex much more than i ever enjoyed free weights. it's much less of a hassle and for a lot of exercises the rod resistance actually feels more appropriate.

i work from home. my office and bed are in the same room as my bowflex. so whenever i'm sitting around in my boxers working at my computer and i feel like being productive, i just stand up waddle on over to the bowflex and it's ready for whatever sort of exercise i want to do. it's the ultimate 2, so it's ready for all sorts of different exercises, leg stuff back stuff chest stuff whatever stuff you want. the rowing is fun too, although i don't know if i'm doing it right because my arms get sore very quickly. they don't really tell you what to do or how much resistance to use when you're rowing. but anyways, the machine feels very solidly made.

i also keep crazy hours and so it's very helpful that the machine is practically silent. no clanging weights or metal on metal. i like that i can work out 24/7 without having the excuse that i could be disturbing my housemates/neighbors in the middle of the night.


but i'm no workout master, i'm a schlub. i know that sooner or later i will surpass the usefulness of the machine for certain exercises. but for someone who is a gross blob, by the time they get to the point of outgrowing the machine, it will have provided them with the enthusiasm and confidence to want to go out and purchase some more intense equipment. which is motivation that they probably don't have currently, and which will be lowered even further if they come here and become convinced that they were swindled into purchasing a useless machine.

maybe i'll post progress pics at some point. i know it sounds silly after 2.5 weeks but i have already noticed increasing muscle and decreasing fat since purchasing this machine. slight, in both cases, obviously. but pretty crazy that i'm already noticing it.

so i think the party line shouldn't be that bowflex is worthless / a scam, just that it is over priced and not for hardcore body builders.

which everybody already knows anyways

jus sayin jus sayin

(also ftr a lot of the people who sit down and max out the machine on their first try are probably not doing the exercises correctly anyways. you gotsa be slooww. gentle.)

[100Reps]

wutz,

One good thing is you didn't pay full price. $750 seems high as several people in this thread got them for $300. I looked at one in yard sale going for $50 a few weeks ago. Most of the price goes towards advertising, and profit. Like most fitness equipment it is way overpriced, but it does sound like it meets your current exercise needs and its important to have a good feeling about your workout gear.

Anyways, my understanding is that this forum is for everyone to pool knowledge about the most effective, and typically the most cost effective, equipment. Not everyone can afford even a used mass market -total gym- product when starting out but there are innumerable alternatives.

At a beginner's fitness level for example, one could use the following equipment:
1. Never worked out before: squats with no added weight, partial bodyweight exercises (eg. pushups on knees), elastic bands (usually under $20 a set)
2. After some toning: add more bodyweight or add bands + bodyweight (full pushups, planks, etc) (cost = $0)
3. When bodyweight + bands get too easy: add light weights like dumbells or kettlebells ($100), or milkjugs filled with water ($0 + price of milk).

If you need to jump up and down during warmups without disturbing neighbors below, a 3/4" thick rubber stall mat ($40) will insulate the vibration a lot.

Now, if you give me the remaining $630 I'll put this stuff in a box with an instruction video and links to a website full of superfit models who will make it more exciting.

[wutz]

wutz,

One good thing is you didn't pay full price. $750 seems high as several people in this thread got them for $300. I looked at one in yard sale going for $50 a few weeks ago. Most of the price goes towards advertising, and profit. Like most fitness equipment it is way overpriced, but it does sound like it meets your current exercise needs and its important to have a good feeling about your workout gear.

i paid $750 for a bowflex ultimate 2. they're always more expensive than other older bowflex models because they're better quality, provide far more exercises, more resistance, and are newer.

you don't have to switch the cables at all at any point, to switch to completely different exercises. that's a big benefit of this model in terms of convenience.

also i just looked up the product specs so i could give you a feel for the weight of the machine and how solid it is. i looked up the classic bowflex home gym and the weight of the machine is 123 lbs, which seems about right. then i looked up the ultimate 2 and the machine weight is 407 lbs. which also seems about right. the machine is SOLID. aint no joke

if you buy new (which would be crazy for $2500 or whatever it costs) you at least get a full 12 year warrenty and lifetime replacement on the resistance rods in case they wear out.

i did a mass craigslist search for all the cities in the us and the cheapest ultimate 2 i could find was like $650. one was for sale for $350 but it was broken. mostly they sell for $800-$1200

you should check them out they're pretty cool


for the record i bought mine without ever having seen the commercials for it. i saw some infomercials back when i used to watch tv on a tv like a chump instead of on the internet, but that was like 10 years ago and i obviously didn't believe anything it said, because it's an infomercial.

but then i was looking on craigslist and i saw the machine and kinda fell in love with it

[1WARMZ]

i have to tell my bowflex story, I bought one brand new about 7 years ago after i had let myself go from working too hard and drinking too much to deal with working too hard. it helped me get back into shape/lower my blood pressure, of course cutting back on drinking helped also. but i used it for a year and then i moved where i couldnt use it so i let a buddy store it for me and i joined a gym. fast forward to today and i thought it got lost cause i stopped talking to that friend for a while and so i decided after doing a few rounds of p90x and insanity i was going to quit my gym and build a home gym. i was going to buy another bowflex but after reading on here i decided to get a full cage,300 lbs of weight, and an adjustable bench. im so glad i did, plus my buddy told me he still had the bowflex the other day and so now i have the cage and a bowflex. the cage is my primary workout but its nice to have a cable type workout to compliment my free weights.

[fishingeek]

brrb

[it4solution]

Has anyone tried the bowflex revolution, i was thinking of adding one to the gym just to have a variety of equipment and exercises to do.

[JJ-]

Has anyone tried the bowflex revolution, i was thinking of adding one to the gym just to have a variety of equipment and exercises to do.

Your 100k gym??

[it4solution]

Your 100k gym??

Sure? Is there something wrong or unbelievable about that.

[Mandinko]

Bowflex is like Bose. Marketing to sheeple.

Bowflex's company motto: There's a sucker born every minute.

[100Reps]

A common reason cited for selecting a Bowflex instead of free weights is that people have small children. I don't understand how free weights would be more dangerous to infants or toddlers. Is it that the kids will rack up 200 lbs on the bar without a spotter and get in over their heads?

[ProtienandIron]

This is a great thread, the sooner this company goes out of business the better. There is no way in hell that this thing is safer around children then a tidy weightsroom.

[leonlecouer]

Haha. I just got out of the Marines in december. I came home to a unused Bowflex. I started using it because I went from a free gym in Cali to no job in Washington State. As far as working out goes it works. Though, you don't get that raw baby eating intensity you get at the gym using free weights. Nice toy till I can get my membership going again.

[rippx]

Lol...never liked those things. I like to lift real weights.

[ThatGalZoey]

Exactly I bet at least 2500 out of the 3000 purchase price goes to pay for all those television commercials.

Yeah, I do agree with you. I think Bowflex is the brand that has the most number of TV commercials. But according to one news article I read a couple of weeks back that featured Bowflex, the company says that their main channel for reaching target customers are its infomercials; so I guess that's why they're banking so much on infomercials.

Sometimes I also think if the makers of Bowflex also earn profit given its huge marketing expenses. Then again, Bowflex is a brand under Nautilus and the company has 4 other brands that sells like hotcakes apart from Bowflex.

[sherman]

Here's a twist:

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/spo/2988474087.html

[JJ-]

here's a twist:

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/spo/2988474087.html

wow

[Detrus]

Reading this thread and seeing the actual resistance being closer to 150 lbs than the advertised 400 it seems the marketing goes too far into dishonest territory. I clearly remember seeing a commercial where a very fit actor benched 160 lbs of bowlfex resistance and couldn't lock out. So in reality that would have been ~60 lbs of resistance and 160 at the very end for lockout. Lawsuit worthy false advertising.

I guess the target market won't know or care.

That said, I don't see why a machine like the bowlfex revolution with something other than springs, rods, or whatever couldn't provide actual heavy resistance, equivalent of 400 lbs of freeweights, consistent resistance throughout the motion, while taking up less space and not weighing 600+ lbs like a power rack setup would. Maybe they don't bother because the target market doesn't know better or care.

[jamesovercome]

Reading this thread and seeing the actual resistance being closer to 150 lbs than the advertised 400 it seems the marketing goes too far into dishonest territory. I clearly remember seeing a commercial where a very fit actor benched 160 lbs of bowlfex resistance and couldn't lock out. So in reality that would have been ~60 lbs of resistance and 160 at the very end for lockout. Lawsuit worthy false advertising.

I guess the target market won't know or care.

That said, I don't see why a machine like the bowlfex revolution with something other than springs, rods, or whatever couldn't provide actual heavy resistance, equivalent of 400 lbs of freeweights, consistent resistance throughout the motion, while taking up less space and not weighing 600+ lbs like a power rack setup would. Maybe they don't bother because the target market doesn't know better or care.

When I had my Bowflex and started being "dedicated to strength training", I was using that Bowflex 5 days a week and in a matter of months I was using ALL 300lbs on the bench press. So i ended up selling it and I remember I got just a basic little weight bench and I did 150lb bench press. Complete and total bull****. That fit "actor" was doing just that, acting. I was young then and it didn't connect in my head that the actor struggling with the Bowflex didn't get big by using the Bowflex, he got big with free weights(and prolly steroids but that's besides the point).

I'm not sure if there's any logical reason to own a bowflex outside of ignorance as free weights ultimately are safer and more adaptable, they can help anyone achieve weight loss and strength train better than any "machine" out there.

[Kaptn Krunch]

When I had my Bowflex and started being "dedicated to strength training", I was using that Bowflex 5 days a week and in a matter of months I was using ALL 300lbs on the bench press. So i ended up selling it and I remember I got just a basic little weight bench and I did 150lb bench press.

I had the same experience on my old Bowflex too. Worked out on it for a few months and got to the point where I could bench 250 lbs of power-rods. One of my friends invited me to go to the gym with him, and since I could 'bench 250lbs' on the Bowflex, I thought I was hot $hit. At the gym, my friend loaded up the bar with 135lbs to warm up and I couldn't do more than 2 reps. That was the last time I ever used the Bowflex.

That's not entirely true. The Bowflex still got used......As a clothes rack. I also had sex on it a few times when me and the GF were really drunk. It was pretty sweet to have sex on the Bowflex and pretend to be working out. I'd buy another one for $50 just to do that again.

[Detrus]

Do Bowlfexes ever show up in crappy gyms? They'd be more compact than a bunch of seldom used machines. I saw one Bally gym and they had 3 floors. One for cardio with steppers and running. One for machines where a bunch of fat aged ladies were pushing 10-20 lb weights. And one for freeweights where all the fit people were.

So with that kind of division in audiences bowflexes could be useful.

[SquatandBench]

you dont know what your talking about.shut up

the only thing bowflex is, is a overpriced gimmick that is an insult to people that work hard.SRS

[Paddington]

Lol, I've actually seen that on Craigs List before, selling great freeweight equipment to "upgrade" to a bowflex.

Totally unaware...

What's bad about Bowflex and Soloflex?

[Paddington]

lol






I hear ya Sam. Like I've said before, I have less of a problem with the concept of a bowflex, than I do with their quality, insatiable advertising, and ridiculous prices. They are absolutely not for me, but I can understand why some people are drawn to them. That said, for $2000-3000, you can buy a really sweet home gym from a reputable company that will have the look and feel of something that might cost a couple grand. People that buy it just don't know better products are available cause the advertising aint there.

I was just saying I hope he got it used. You shell out a couple hundo on a used but good condition bowflex and its probably worth it if you use it. A couple thousand and its more like the raping that Rage was speaking of

Can you give me some names of some good home gyms?

[twodog]

Can you give me some names of some good home gyms?

The best answer to your questions are addressed in this sticky:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=113942001

[BenJAMIN2141]

i fully agree that a bowflex will never amount to actual free weights, but i have owned 2 bowflexes, a motivator 2(paid $200) and a pr 1000(paid $150), i use free weights as well... in my opinion the bowflex is useless compared to a real bench press or any other free weight exercise but they do have some pros as well... they are a low stress machine, which was nice for my rotator cuff problems... they are compact and easy to move, and provide numerous exercises for the times when you are unable to get to the "real" gym... i personally love my bowflex when its working... the negative side to bowflexes is the rods do break and bowflex only warranties them if you have the original receipt for the machine, who does? i bought mine cheap and used and i use the **** outta it... ive broken rods and wanted to scrap it at times, ive never broken a 45 lb bar and i dont think i ever will... but until i have enough money to expand my personal gym ill keep my lil bowflex around... so bottom line, the bowflex should be used by people who need a low impact lower stress work out... for body building/ muscle gain, stick to the weights boys...

[Fuzzylumkinz]

use the bowflex but also have a set of dumbells. i can adjust the bflex bench to do incline db curls if not for anything

[legendofthewolf]

I always see a bunch of these being advertised in the used gym equipment section onlne on craigslist. I used to want one of these badly but now that I've used free weights there's no going back. Plus I'm worried that the rods might snap and whip across my face. I saw a welder crossbow for dirt cheap a month ago for like $40. Was really tempted to get it just to add some extra exercises but I didn't trust how studdle the rods would be so passed on the deal.

[tmhan]

I brought an oly set home one time. My dad asked "why didn't you get a bowflex? They're better." I told him this was better, and briefly explained why. He still doesn't believe me, and says I should have bought a bowflex all the time.. Their marketing has brainwashed indivudals all across the globe.