Bowflex Tips

Reviews on Bowflex Xtreme XTLU Home Gym BOWFLEX XTREME XTLU - Bowflex Whoah, spongebob_man! There's a lot of Bowflex's available! Yes, yes, there is. That is why I have reviewed so many. Essentially, they are a...

Reviews on Bowflex Power Pro The BEST home exercise equipment on planet Earth, next to free weights. The Bowflex power-pro is quite a feat of engineering. The exercises the equipment allows you to do are staggering, and if you have the will...

Background:

I purchased the Bowflex Power Pro in May 2002. The machine comes standard with 210 lbs. of resistance but can go up to 410 lbs for an additional fee. I decided on the standard model because I wanted to use the machine before investing any more money. At the time, they were running a special where you get the leg extension free, thereby getting the XT for the price of the base Power Pro. Personally, I felt I would get more use out of the lat tower than the leg extension. I asked Bowflex customer service if I could get the lat tower in lieu of the leg extension as the attachments were of equal value. As such I will be writing about the XL model here. I am including this review under the XT model in case anyone might see greater personal value in the lat tower and is unaware they can get it at the same price.

Cost, shipping, customer service and setup:

- Cost is obviously somewhat high.

- Shipping took 8 weeks on the nose, which was a bit long in my opinion.

- Customer Service was fine. Order placement was easy by phone.

- Setup requires a couple of your own tools. I believe I used a Phillips screwdriver and a standard ratchet/socket set. It was not difficult to assemble. Took about an hour.

The Machine Itself:

Space:

The machine takes up a good deal of space. The XL model is taller (> 6 ft.) but not as long as the XT. You can fold it up, however I find that to be a hassle as I use it every other day.

Quality:

The machine is sturdy. When I started I was over 300 lbs and there are still no problems after nine months of continuous use.

Noise:

During some exercises you can hear minor creaking noises, especially when using more resistance.

The Exercises by part:

NOTE: If you are taller than 6 ft., make sure you get the CHEST BAR EXTENSION. I am 6′3″ and the chest and shoulder exercises do not feel right without it. I believe it was an additional $50.00.

Chest:

I find the chest exercises to be easy to learn as they are positioned similar to free weights. I do the bench press, incline press and chest fly. I can really feel the burn after two days which tells me I am getting the isolation the machine promises. The first few times you use it you will notice the use of stabilizer muscles to control the weight.

Back:

I love the back exercises. Like the chest, they are easy to learn and isolate the muscles well. Wide Pulldowns (lat tower) and Seated Lat Rows are my favorites. I really like that I can isolate my lower back safely (with correct form) with the Functional Lower Back Extension.

Shoulders:

No problems with Shoulder exercises (with chest bar extension). I do military presses for overall shoulders as well as front, side shoulder raises and rear deltoid rows to isolate each of the deltoid heads.

Triceps:

Workout is good. Cross triceps extension, triceps extension and triceps pulldown (lat tower) are my favorites. I don’t like triceps kickbacks on the machine. Since I am tall, I can’t get the range of motion I can with dumbbells.

Biceps:

I only feel comfortable with two of the Biceps exercises on the bowflex, bicep curls and reverse curls. The seated biceps curl is in an awkward position and, as with the triceps kickback I have range of motion issues. I find the concentration curl awkward as well. I supplement my biceps workout with free weights by doing bar curls and concentration curls with dumbbells.

Forearms:

I like the standing wrist curl for the forearm flexors. You have to stabilize your arms to do the exercise correctly. I can really feel the burn from this one. Conversely, the wrist extension is difficult to adjust to and doesn’t give me near the workout of a good old free-weight tied to bar and rolled upward.

Abdominals:

These exercises work, however I find many of them to be uncomfortable. Instead I do a traditional ab workout using free weights.

Legs:

You can do a lot of exercises for your legs on the Bowflex. Many require a degree of balance that can be hard to adjust to. I find the Bowflex to be great for toning my legs but not for a strength workout as the weight is limited. I have upgraded to 310 lbs. and will likely go to 410 lbs. in the next couple months. For people who are looking to tone legs the machine is great. You can work all of the muscles in your legs without the leg extension. Get the lat tower instead.

Additional Information on Exercises:

You can download the Bowflex manual (by model) from the Bowflex website in the customer service tab: http://www.bowflex.com/how/HCust.asp

My Story:

I have lost 65lbs and >4% body fat using the Bowflex as indicated above combined with a high protein, low fat reduced calorie diet.

I prefer to workout at home as I hate the travel time, waiting and social distractions found at most gyms. To be happy with any piece of in home exercise equipment you must be self-motivated and use it consistently.

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