Strength training without weights
Written: Jul 23 '02 (Updated Jul 23 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Compact ... for a weight machine
Cons: Some exercises are awkward
The Bottom Line: It takes dedication to make strength training work, but the Bowflex will give you the results you want if you try.
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| charlesj68's Full Review: Bowflex Power Pro |
We bought a Bowflex for our family in February of 2002. Up until that time we had used a treadmill and a stationary bike for our exercise routines. We determined that some form of strength training would be good to include since there were areas of our bodies that needed spot attention instead of just general aerobic conditioning. We placed the order in February, but did not receive the unit until April due to a significant backorder situation. One thing to note: we ordered the Bowflex off their website and that went without a hitch. However, we did not learn of the backorder until after we called the company wondering why the unit had not shown up two weeks later! It would be much better if Bowflex included a status message in their web order summary message.
Setup
The Bowflex came in a large cardboard box with all the parts securely protected by Styrofoam and cardboard spacers. The instructions were easy to follow and it took me about an hour to get the whole unit assembled.
Comfort
The Bowflex package includes a book with 60-some-odd exercises you can perform. However, not all of them are comfortable! I tried a number of them and about two-thirds of the group felt good to do. The others at worst felt awkward. None of them felt dangerous!
The vast selection of exercises made it hard to pick out what to do first. In the end, I settled on their 20-minute-a-day, 3-times-a-week plan that they tout so loudly in the television ads. It does indeed take only 20-minutes a day, but only if you include only one set of reps on each exercise. However, since I wanted to test their claims I went ahead and followed that course.
At the end of six weeks, (the time frame the company brags about) I did indeed feel results. I didn’t look like Arnie mind you! However, I could feel the development of additional leg and abdominal strength and there was improved tightness in my calves. This brings me to the next point …
Upper versus Lower Body
The base Bowflex Power Pro is perfect for exercising your upper body, but you are going to run out of weight quickly when it comes to your lower body. Think about it, if you are a big guy to start with (like me at 6’1” and about 210 lbs) then your legs are already pretty used to holding up a bit over 100 lbs each! Therefore, the maximum resistance of 210-lbs on the base Power Pro is just barely big enough to give you a workout. If you intend to work on leg strength then I would definitely encourage you to consider the 310 or even the 410 lbs Power Rod upgrade.
Finding Your Weights
One step is tricky, and that is figuring out what Power Rod resistances you should use for each exercise. I took an Excel spreadsheet and made a chart that I could use which listed Weight-Sets-Reps for each exercise in my routine, and included columns with blanks that I could fill in. Then I started with some wild guesses and went from there. For instance, I started with 15-lbs on the Resisted Abdominal Crunches. My goal was to do 15 reps of each exercise. If I could not do at least 15, then I would reduce the amount of resistance by 5 lbs the next time I did that exercise. If I could do all 15 easily then I would increase the resistance by 5 lbs. It took 5 sessions before I had everything worked out. A good resistance is one were the last two or three reps are hard to complete. If your whole set is feeling pretty easy to do then it’s time to up your resistance!
Space Requirements
The Bowflex is remarkably compact for everything it does. You need a space about six to seven feet wide to have room for the Power Rods during use, and about seven feet long to make room for the bench. In my case it lives in the basement where there is room to spare, but it does also fold up nicely and you can roll it into a corner out of the way.
Tips
If I had to pick one Most Important Point in using the Bowflex, it would be “Go Slow and Pay Attention.” Or is that two points? Anyway, what I mean is that each rep needs to be performed slowly and you need to pay attention to the muscles that your are trying to focus on. For instance, during the Resisted Abdominal Crunches it is easy to get carried away and bounce along doing them very fast. However, that will be missing the point of the exercise. I take it easy, maybe taking three seconds to go from all the way back to full crunch, then another two seconds to settle back down. If going slow is too easy, then up your weights! Going slow you can close your eyes and concentrate on the muscles that are doing the work. It becomes easy then to tell if you are working those muscles hard, or if you are slacking off. You can also focus on keeping your form correct, which is always critical in any weight training.
Results
I am very happy with my Bowflex. I plan to get either the 310 or 410 lbs Power Rod upgrade so I can get additional benefit for my legs. Some exercises would be simpler with some of the other attachments that are available, but I am not convinced that they are worth the price tags they carry.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
charlesj68
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Member: Charles Jones
Location: Loveland, Colorado, USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 0 members
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