Bowflex Tips

We’ve all seen Nautilus exercise equipment in the gym, right? Ever wonder what the difference is between those machines and the Bowflex exercise equipment you always see on TV commercials? Which is better?

Nautilus is the parent company for Bowflex. It carries a few types of exercise equipment, in addition to Bowflex. These include the StairMaster, Schwinn and Trimline brands.

Neither is really better or worse, they’re just different. For starters, most Nautilus strength machines are geared toward commercial (gym) use. Nautilus has a different machine for each body part or group of muscles. This is not practical for use at home. All that equipment would take up way too much space.

Bowflex, on the other hand, is exercise equipment for use in your own home. Bowflex strength products feature two total gym systems. A total gym means that you can perform exercises for all muscle groups with just one piece of exercise equipment.

Although Nautilus does carry a total gym line, another difference is the way each strength machine works. The total gym equipment from Nautilus is based on weight stacks. Bowflex total gyms offer resistance from either rods or Spriraflex technology. Spiraflex is a technology that provides resistance by wrapping elastic bands tighter around a coil.

Both Nautilus and Bowflex brands also carry cardio exercise equipment. Because Bowflex is exercise equipment for home use, Bowflex cardio equipment is priced lower than its Nautilus counterparts.

Bowflex offers basically three types of strength and two lines of cardio exercise equipment. The most basic strength equipment is the SelectTech free weight system. This line features the SelectTech dumbbells. These dumbbells are convenient for home use because one pair can take the place of fifteen sets of weights.

The other two strength lines from the Bowflex brand are total gym lines. They include the Bowflex Home Gyms, with rod-based resistance, and the Bowflex Revolution, featuring Spiraflex technology. Both are popular options for a home-based gym.

Bowflex total gym systems are low inertia resistance machines. This promotes a safer workout than free weights. In addition, a Bowflex machine takes up much less space than the amount of free weights needed to perform the same exercises.

Both the Bowflex Revolution and Bowflex Home Gym systems offer several configurations and models. This makes it easier for you to find a total gym that meets your exact needs.

Another great thing about the Bowflex total gym systems is that they come with a six-week money back guarantee. If you are unhappy after working out with your machine for up to six weeks, Bowflex will refund the purchase price of your exercise equipment less the shipping and handling costs. This is definitely one of the best guarantees in the fitness world.

If you’re looking for a piece of cardio exercise equipment for your home, Bowflex offers both treadmills and TreadClimbers. The TreadClimber is a unique combination of a step machine and a treadmill. You step both forward, like on a treadmill, and up, like on a step machine. This machine allows for a maximum of calorie burn while maintaining a low impact workoout.

Bowflex Treadmill Review

Bowflex is a subsidiary of Nautilus Fitness who have been in the exercise equipment business since 1986. Nautilus also owns Schwinn, Stairmaster and Trimline and they’re the second largest producer of exercise equipment in the world.

Bowflex is perhaps better known for their range of home gyms, however they have also come out with several treadmills that add competition to the already crowded mid-priced treadmill market.

Starting around $1100 up to $1999 (MSRP), Bowflex offers 3 treadmill models: the 3 series, 5 series and 7 series treadmill.

Are Bowflex treadmills a good value? Here is a review of the pros and cons of Bowflex treadmills to help you decide for yourself.

Pros:

Bowflex treadmills are sleek, attractive machines. They fold up to save space and have Softdrop decline which makes unfolding your treadmill easier. Built-in wheels also help you to move your treadmill around if space is tight.

Motor power ranges from 1.75 HP to 3.0 which is fairly average in this price range. All treadmills offer built in workout programs and heart rate monitoring so you can stay in your target heart rate zone while exercising.

Bowflex treadmills offer Strike Zone?? deck suspension cushioning to make your workouts a little more comfortable and the higher end treadmills also come with 3 speed built-in fans to keep you cool.

The best part about Bowflex treadmills are probably their warranties which cover the frame for 15 years, motor for 10 years, parts/electronics for 2 years and labor for 1 year. Although there are similarly priced treadmills with longer warranties, this is still a good warranty that will give you peace of mind just in case something goes wrong with your machine.

How do users rate them?

The most popular Bowflex treadmill features with buyers are the solid feel, professional look and ease of construction. (However it is only fair to point out that there are still very few user reviews.)

Consumer Reports also rated the Bowflex Series 7 treadmill a ‘Best Buy’ in their February 2006 ratings, giving it an “Excellent” rating in Quality, Exercise Range, and Ergonomics.

Cons:

Treadmill experts have reported noise problems with some of the treadmills due to the plastic parts. This can cause an extremely annoying rattling sound when using your treadmill.

Also, at this price range, competition is fierce and there are several other brands that offer you more for your money, especially in the terms of warranties, consoles and cushioning.

Conclusion:

Bowflex treadmills are getting very positive reviews and they do offer some great warranties. If you really love the Bowflex name, you’ll no doubt be happy with a Bowflex treadmill. However at this price range there is a lot of competition and you might want to do some more research before making your final decision.