Bowflex Has The Power
Written: Feb 03 '02 (Updated Feb 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredible resistance, space saver, extremely easy to use, results are real
Cons: Not cheap, long shipping time
The Bottom Line: Want a convenient workout? Want awesome amounts of resistance? Want to workout to failure safely without a spotter? Then get a Bowflex.
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| robtighe's Full Review: Bowflex Power Pro XTL |
Like most everybody, I've been aware of the Bowflex for years, seeing the ads constantly running on TV. I've been a serious exercise enthusiast for many years, and included intensive training with free weights as part of my regimen. But, as will happen at certain points in ones life, I fell of the exercise horse for more than a year, and my body really fell apart. A little more than two months ago, I became re-motivated to start getting back into shape. I again started training with free weights and began watching what I ate. Within just a few weeks I saw big improvements and began to realize I would never reach my full potential without joining a gym -- I always lift to failure or near failure with my sets, and that's too dangerous to do by yourself with free weights; obviously, the more you can lift, the more dangerous it becomes. Making time to go to the gym, waiting your turn to use equipment, and trying to stay warm and pumped while you're waiting, are all extreme negatives about the gym experience. So, I was watching TV one day and stumbled upon a Bowflex informercial. Well, I had tried one a few years ago that a friend of mine owned and it did impress me at the time, but I wasn't sure if it was worth the investment. "Oh, what the hell, take a chance on it", I thought to myself, and I went online and ordered a Bowflex Power Pro XTL with a 100lb power rod upgrade (the standard machine comes with 210lbs, the upgrade gives you 310lbs, you can go as high as 410lbs). I wanted the XTL because I love doing lat pull downs, and the triceps pushdown is also one of my favorite exercises. It took one month for the machine to get to me, which I felt was a long time, but they do tell you up front to allow 4 weeks for delivery. Putting the machine together was no problem, as long as you have any mechanical abilities at all you can easily do it. That same night I had my first workout. I was impressed, and now I've had it for more than a week and I am even more impressed. My body is killing me right now. I worked my pecs and shoulders yesterday and they are screaming. The resistance feels great, very much like free weights, but the Bowflex forces you to use even more muscles to stabilize the resistance than free weights, this happens because the pulley system of the Bowflex forces your muscles to compensate for the fact that the resistance is not actually located in your hands. The resistance is either behind you or in front of you and the angle which is created by the pulley not only makes the resistance on the Bowflex feel like more weight than the equivalent poundage in free weights (for most, but not all exercises), it makes the stabilizing muscles work extra hard. It takes some getting used to at first as you learn how to modify your movements so that you feel resistance throughout the entire range of motion, but once you get the hang of it, man will it burn! My strength has already increased; I had to up the amount of resistance after just one workout. Since I know my body very well and have previous and extensive experience with lifting weights, I can tell when I'm getting a good workout -- the Bowflex is giving me a tremendous workout.
A word of advice, don't expect to look like the guy in the Bowflex commercials by working out for 20 minutes three times a week. Those guys are spending hours in the gym, and my workout on the Bowflex takes me more than one hour, concentrating on two body parts each session and I workout three days in a row, take one off, and then do it all over again. So I take less than one day off a week. I also watch what I eat carefully. And it will still take months before I expect to reach true rippedness. But, I can tell you that this machine can take you there if you're willing to work, aren't afraid of pain, and want a safe way to workout to failure in your own home without a spotter. But, if you only have the desire to do a light workout, the Bowflex will definitely improve your physical fitness and appearance.
The only exercise on the machine that I don't like or recommend is the leg press. I felt I could use all of the 310lbs of resistance and still not get a good burn from it. Meanwhile, as you're doing it, the strap is cutting into your back and it kills. There are many other good leg exercises to do on the Bowflex, but the leg press isn't one of them. This is the only exercise I've tried on the machine that disappointed me.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
robtighe
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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