Do any of you own a bowflex machine? I’m interested in getting one and would like to hear what people’s experiences have been with it.
I’ve heard mostly good things about it. If you own one, do you use it? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? Has it made a difference in your fitness level?
I appreciate any input you might have.
trisha
I bought myself a bowflex for Christmas, and I have enjoyed using it since. I use it about 3 times a week, for between 1/2 hour and 45 minutes at a time.
I am 6’4’’, and I have yet to try an excercise where I found the range of motion restricted. The one exception is the aerobic row excercise – I’m a bit too long in the limbs for that one, but I don’t use it anyway; I get my aerobic excercise in other ways.
The resistance is easy to get used to, and considerably harder than comparable free weights. I found that I had to adjust most of my excercises downward from what I would lift on a nautilus machine or with barbells.
I find it comfortable and challenging, and after 2 months of fairly continuous use – though not aggressive, I’ve been starting off slowly – I can see results.
It was a bit of a challenge to put together. Turning some of the bolts required immense effort, and some of the parts required careful identification because they were different in appearance from those in the manual. However, since I put it together, it seems to have stayed tight and solid, and has caused me no trouble.
It is truly easy to fold the thing up after use, and to change the configuration between excercises. It won’t fold into a closet or under a bed, but at least the bench isn’t sticking out into the room when I’m not on it.
I also found the instructional video helpful for learning to get the most out of the machine.
The big thing for me is that it saves me the trouble of leaving home to work out – something that always kept me from doing it before. I don’t think that it truly replicates the options available at a health club or with a well equipped gym, but for me it is just about perfect.
Hope that’s helpful! Email me if you have more specific questions.
Allen