Anyone own a Bowflex

Are they any good?

I know the early ones were very unstable. I saw one on Craig’s List for free recently.

A bike shop I used to work for had one for sale. For seven years. It never moved. Some of us tried it and decided it was a very gimicky contraption. The milage of others, of course, may vary.

Me, I call it krep though.

Mostly crap. I understand the more expensive models are better constructed than the cheaper ones…meaning instead of a potentially hazardous pile of injury-making drek, you have something that won’t fall apart after a few years of use.

As for the effectiveness of the machine itself…eh. It’s better than nothing,* but the resistance follows a weird pattern that doesn’t mimic real life that well. Free weights are much cheaper and way more effective, imo. I can’t really imagine any situations where I’d rather have a bowflex than a well designed free weight home gym.

Tanks.

I’ve got the dial-a-weight dumbbells, and they’re very cool. We’re quite pleased with them. Fewer dumbbells laying around the house (that is, unless me and Mr. Kal are taking it easy, heh-heh).