Bowflex

organ

Anybody ever try out one of these machines? I'm thinking about ordering the "Extreme" when I max out my free weights or if I don't reach my desired size by the summer.

I see that it pretty much acts like free weights but was wondering if anybody tried it or own it. I'm sure it's more efficient and will save me a lot of time. Working out for 40mins every other day takes up quite a bit of my time. I'd like to cut down a few minutes.

Maurice

brettw22

I had looked at them a while ago, but they charge a ridiculous amount of money for those things.

I could be talkin out my **** on this, but I think they're more geared towards toning than bulking up.

danger boy

what is your goal for size? it's actually quite easy to gain muscle/lean body tissue without any expensive machines.

less expensive items can do the same thing. I used to be in a similar mindset. that the bigger and more expensive the machine is. the better my work out would be.

a few things to keep in mind is.

what's your goal? lose weight? Add muscle? tone/firm up?

most of these can be done with inexpensive items.. some you mgiht already have.

for losing weight.. running/jogging is great. and you can do that any place outdoors. no special gear needed. except running shoes. forget a treadmill. to big, bulky and expensive.

if you want to add mucles. you already got the free weights. those can add good muscle to your chest, arms, legs, etc.

One of those big cheap rubbler excercise balls can be great for alot of different uses. Great for working your abs, glutes, arms.. and so much more.

another good thing to do for just loosing weight is a good old fashioned jump rope. very good for cardio workout. 10 minutes using the jump rope is equivelant to 30 minutes of jogging.

Good old fashioned push ups, jumping jacks, sit ups, pull ups, are all good for toning up and keeping in shape. Swimming is great cardio and to keep toned as well. Bikes are a great low impact work out, offering good cardio benefits.

So if you're set on the Bow Flex. get it. but if you want to save money.. there are other ways.

if you've reached your muscle limits with your weights. you need to change your workout. means you've been doing the same routine for to long. change it every two to three months.

mantis

The boxfles is awesome resistance training. I suggest you try one out. Dicks sporting goods carry a version so you can go in there and give it a test run.

I own the Crossbow. It's like a box flex but uses a tension bar instead of power rods. It also has a built in electronic trainer. It gives you set workouts that you follow. You can however use the manual mode and design your own workouts. It has a rower for cardio and a stand up squat machine. I found that to be better then the bow flex.

I plan on buying a box flex as I like it's negitive resistnace. This is one area where I find the crossbox to lack. It has weak negitive resistance. The box flex keeps it's resistance.

The Crossbow has electronic weight control meaning you use a touch panel to change the weight. The bow flex you add power rods. This is one place that made me decide on the crossbow over the bow flex.

Overall I'm happy with my Crossbow but I wish I bought the bowflex instead. I can give up the personal trainer and electronic weight control with negitive resistance. I get a great workout with it but I long for the negitive.

Go for it man.

Dan

Early B.

I have a bowflex and love it. The new products and lower prices are impressive. I'd highly recommend it.

MSkeezer

He said dicks...lol...sorry, just being stupid.

howie777

I have a bowflex as well and really like it. The ability to use it as a rowing machine really sold me, but the rowing is horrible. I would still say it definatly worth picking one up. One machine, easy simple to use.

Howie

MacLeod

A Bowflex is good for what it is, a general fitness machince. You wont build any real muscle mass or strength on it but you can tone and get into decent shape.

If youre wanting strength (i.e. 300+ lb bench) or muscle mass (i.e. 18+" arms) then youre gonna have to break out the free weights.

The reason machines dont work as well is that the maching is doing most of the work for you. When you do squats for instance, youre not only working your quads but virtually every muscle in your body as it takes every muscle in your back to keep you from being crushed by the weight, it takes most muscles in your shoulder girdle to keep the weight balanced on your shoulders. This is why most people can squat barely 300 pounds but leg press over 700!

To see any real muscle mass and strength gains you have to use primarily free weights but for general toning and shaping, the Bowflex will work. Just dont expect to look like any of the models on the commercials. Aint gonna happen on a Bowflex, plus theyre on steroids.

Willow

I always thought Bowflex as being the Bose of excersice machines, just cause it's on infomercials.

Please do not take offence to this comment if you have one.

bikezappa

Just buy more weights dude. Bow flex takes up to much room..

bvette94

Bowflex, cross bow treadmills stair climbers etc that get purchased for home use usally end up getting clothes hung from them after about the first few months. people who buy these things start out with good intentions however they eventually just end up in the way. Given the cost of these rarely do you ever recover even half of what you paid when you try to get rid of it because it is in the way.The tried and true way to loose weight or gain muscle mass is diet weight training and cardio. Diet
is the biggest part of this process. a combined 40 minutes to an hour per day should be plenty of time to make a total body transformation.A good diet will make the process happen faster.if
you have your mind set on a bow flex look in the news paper and trading times or similar paper in your area for a used one.


Good luck
Bob

mantis

Originally posted by Zero
I went out to get some weights one day - ended up coming back with a bag of Reeses. Damn.

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

danger boy

just for the hell of it. i checked the prices. TOTL Bowflex is $2000, the Extreme one is $1,500. That's about where I thought they were priced. just FYI

MacLeod

Originally posted by bvette94
The tried and true way to loose weight or gain muscle mass is diet weight training and cardio. Diet
is the biggest part of this process. a combined 40 minutes to an hour per day should be plenty of time to make a total body transformation.A good diet will make the process happen faster.

This is 110% dead on! Everybody is looking for that magic diet or weight loss scheme these days. However, anybody that watches what they eat and exercises regularly can lose as much weight as they want. Ive not only done it many times but have seen other do it.

organ

Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like the people who own a BF love them. I'm still thinking about it.

I'm not trying to lose weight. I pretty much have no fat and I'm pretty buffed already and starting to get some nice cuts. Like I said earlier, I do my workout every two days but work on the abs every night. I still want to gain more mass but don't want to be huge. I'm thinking the BF can really help here and I see it as being very helpful to keep my desired size when I finally get there.

Like you guys said, the diet is very important. I've tried many things including protein bars but the one that works for me is a can of Chili after working out. That combination of beans and meat make my muscles happy. I also nocticed that a lot of carbs (as long as you're working out) can really help if you want mass. I've also increased my daily protein intake. I don't eat junk food or drink coke, sprite, etc. I found that eating a lot is the best thing to do (eating healthy, of course). I'm going to take my time thinking about the BF.

Thanks again for the help guys.

Maurice

Shizelbs

My father-in-law has one and I don't much care for it. I don't like the wiggle you get from just grabbing two handles. I much rather prefer the real weights in my hands.

He sure likes it though.

landry_p2000

I owned a Bowflex for two years, and IMO: it SUCKED! I used it for what I could, but if you want to really hit it, get free weights. I got a set of iron and an international width bench for Christmas, and I have to get more plates. I increased my max bench from 230lbs. to 300lbs. I can actually press it twice, so I am sure I can get a little more than that. With my current diet and good old fashioned iron weight training, I also lost weight. Since December I went from a 285lb fat **** to a lean powerful 250lb. powerhouse. This is the most I have ever benched, and I have never played any type of sports. All you need is dedication and proper diet to reach you goals. Seriously, the Bowflex is great for toning up, but for the real deal, get iron. I sold my Bowflex for $350 bucks to a cousin, and I don't regret it at all. I got it for the space saving, but since I got larger living quarters now, I fit the bench and weights in my home theater room in the corner, and I work out daily on different body parts, and rest Saturday and Sunday. Different people get different results from different methods. Find out your "cup of tea", and go for it. Good luck on your choice my Polk Audio bro.

Early B.

I don't like the wiggle you get from just grabbing two handles.

Takses about a day or two to get the wiggle under control. It comes from those muscles that don't get much use.

Organ -- I love my bowflex, but, quite frankly, they are overpriced. They gotta pay for those slick infomercials. If I had to do it again, I get a Crossbow or comparable unit and save a few hundred bucks. Those options didn't exist when I bought mine. Regardless, I'd get something like it.

There were two main reasons I bought the bowflex -- versatility (you can do tons of exercises) and convenience. What I found out was that it is also fun to use. If you use the same old workout routine, it gets boring after a while. You need lots of variety to help stay motivated. The bowflex provides that. If you're set on a bowflex, I'd suggest getting a base unit. I eventually sold my lat tower and leg extension because I wasn't using them (the rowing thing -- forget it). You can always add stuff later if you need to. Costco and Sams sell a version for $899.

danger boy

also Maurice. think about a protein drink. my friend started drinking those about 4 months ago. man he's got some big guns on him now. he was doing the gym thing for over a year.. and the progress he made in the past 4 months with free weights and protein drinks is amazing.

I hadn't see him in about a month.. and man i was taken by surprise how much gain he had made in his arms, chest, shoulders, etc. He even has faint traces of a 6 pack. ha ha. he's no young pup either. i think he's like 38 yrs old. he doesn't own a Bowflex either.

Diet and excercise do go hand in hand and changing your workout helps too.

landry_p2000

Originally posted by danger boy
.

Diet and excercise do go hand in hand and changing your workout helps too.

That is the way I look at it also. Cut back on the junk food, eat healthy, change your routine periodically, and you should do fine. I am not talking down on the Bowflex, I am just speaking from my personal dealings with the machine. It works for some folks and not for others. I have watched others get better results from free weights and creotine or ripped fuels. If you are feeling like the BF will work for you, get it. For a lot less money, you can get you a nice set-up of free weights. I got my weights and bench from Sears. (Christmas gift from the old lady) The weights were $80 for a 210lb set, and the bench was on sale for $120. After the weight got to be too easy, I added two 45lb plates to give me an even 300lbs. This was good for a couple months, but now I need more. You be the judge of it. Get what works for you. If money is not an issue, get the BF, maybe it will do you some good, maybe not. She spent a lot less on the weights and got way better results.

MacLeod

Originally posted by danger boy
also Maurice. think about a protein drink. my friend started drinking those about 4 months ago. man he's got some big guns on him now. he was doing the gym thing for over a year.. and the progress he made in the past 4 months with free weights and protein drinks is amazing.

I hadn't see him in about a month.. and man i was taken by surprise how much gain he had made in his arms, chest, shoulders, etc. He even has faint traces of a 6 pack. ha ha. he's no young pup either. i think he's like 38 yrs old. he doesn't own a Bowflex either.

Eh. Protien drinks aint all that. They only provide a protein supplement in case youre not getting enough food. If youre eating right you really wont need em and they wont really make you gain 20 pounds of muscle in a month regardless what the adds claim. Anybody that puts on 20 pounds of muscle in a month, look for needle marks on their arm.

bvette94

Sounds like muscles for the ladies is the ideal goal. in my opinion With out knowing your age or your physique the best way to develop muscle mass is to lift heavy weights it helps to develop that mature muscle look. Ever notice the difference between new muscle and muscle that had core thickness and that look of hardness .You wont get that from bow flex only from lifting heavy weights. i would say buy a membership at a local gym and use the rest of the money you saved not buying a bowflex and upgrade something from your audio gear. The best development comes when you are inspired by others in a gym. There are too many distractions to work out at home. My advise is to find a training partner that has the same goals as you and push each other to the limit in your work out routine. The most important thing to fast development is to replenish your body with the cleanest forum of carbs and protien imedietly after your work out.(via myoplex or metrex type drinks)this helps rebuild the muscles you just broke down from a hard workout. also check out the arnold swarzenagar encyclopedia of modern body building.It teaches proper forum and stratagie. great book lots of good advise and education.

Bob

Sami

Originally posted by organ

I'm not trying to lose weight. I pretty much have no fat and I'm pretty buffed already and starting to get some nice cuts. Like I said earlier, I do my workout every two days but work on the abs every night. I still want to gain more mass but don't want to be huge. I'm thinking the BF can really help here and I see it as being very helpful to keep my desired size when I finally get there.

In that case, don't buy it. Get a membership at your local gym instead. I just paid $350 for 21 months at one of the top gyms in DFW area. Considering the space issue, motivation etc. I consider it a much better investment (plus I have always used commercial gyms, I do hate one-in-all machines with a passion).

Want to gain muscle, make sure your protein intake is not lacking. About 2g of protein per 1kg of body weight. ~40g per meal, not more. Eat enough of carbs but cut then after 6pm to prevent gaining fat. A protein intake without carbs and low on fat before bedtime will keep the mass coming. A can of tuna, protein shake etc.

Those are general advice, it's up to you to see how your body reacts and how you need to tweak it.

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