Thread: REAL feedback on Bowflex

I'm not going to start Bashing away at the BowFlex, simply because I havn't tried it at all and know little about it. Although after seeing a few arguments over it, I would like to point out one thing though which puzzles me. Why Buy a Bow flex for $2000-800 When you can Buy A Bench Press With Weights and a few dumbells for like $500 new. I mean You can then do a ridiculous varation of lifts, I mean you can even take the bar off onto the floor and do deadlifts with it etc....So er, even if the bowflex isn't crap, I just don't see why it is still a viable option if free weights are cheaper?

As I have said previously, resistance is resistance. It is simply not worth it in my eyes. You can buy enough equipment to perform a multitude of freeweight exercises for a fraciton of the price. It's not that it doesn't work; it's just that most people don't see it justifying the $800+ pricetag.

Its better than nothing, and thats all I can think of thats sort of positive.

Since it was my father that bought the bowflex in my home I can't complain about price since I didint personally pay for it, but If I did, I'd say that its worth every penny. It's all about how you work out. Resistence is Resistence. If you do your reps slow and dont let jerk the bands quickly, you can get quite the workout. I personally love it. I use it along with free weights, and the results are evident. Although I was in great shape before I started using the bowflex, there has been no decline in my physique. If anything I am more cut than I was before I started using it.

Thats my 2 Cents.

MiKe

Bowflex is not as good or better than free weights. Therefor it sucks.

There's is a convenience factor. It is compact and fits in a corner. If you have only a little space to work out in such as an apartment etc. it is useful.

Originally Posted by Steele20

Bowflex is not as good or better than free weights. Therefor it sucks.

Where is your proof of this? Opinions, afterall, are like a$$holes, everyone got em'. I used free weights my entire life, and after using the bowflex for about 6 months, it is just as good, AS LONG AS YOU USE IT CORRECTLY. SLOWWW REPS, FEEL THE BURN. I use it along with free weights and I love it. It also really force you to use those stabilizer muscles.

I've used it and the bad thing I saw was the bows got weaker even with properly wrapping them after use. I get a much better burn with dumb bells which also utilize stabilizer muscles. As far as goal setting goes it's disappointing, you can come off of two 100 pound bows and they are no problem whatsoever, if you try to do two 100 pound dumbells they'll put you on your ass, the reverse isn't true.

Originally Posted by LB_SpecV

Where is your proof of this? Opinions, afterall, are like a$$holes, everyone got em'. I used free weights my entire life, and after using the bowflex for about 6 months, it is just as good, AS LONG AS YOU USE IT CORRECTLY. SLOWWW REPS, FEEL THE BURN. I use it along with free weights and I love it. It also really force you to use those stabilizer muscles.

Simple fact is nothing is as good as free weights. Not saying that the bowflex isnt good, but you wont ever see someone get as big as the current IFBB Pro's on just a bowflex.

I've used one in the past and wasn't too impressed. The movements were not smooth as the resistance would increase and decrease while performing a rep. I don't know if it was just that particular machine, but to me, it just wasn't cutting the mustard. That and the "quick" changes from exercise to exercise is not legit. Maybe if you've been using the thing for several months, you would get that good at changing parts around. But to me, I spent most of my workout moving parts around for the next exercise, whereas with free weights, the only changes are really just the weight itself. So IMO, between these observations and the price gouging they get you on, it's just not worth it.

The bow flew is a poor substitute for free weights

Originally Posted by LB_SpecV

Where is your proof of this? Opinions, afterall, are like a$$holes, everyone got em'. I used free weights my entire life, and after using the bowflex for about 6 months, it is just as good, AS LONG AS YOU USE IT CORRECTLY. SLOWWW REPS, FEEL THE BURN. I use it along with free weights and I love it. It also really force you to use those stabilizer muscles.

Okay, well you spend your $800+ dollars on a bowflex. I'll save $500 on you and have an awesome home setup that allows me even greater flexibility in training modality. Whatever floats your boat.

something is better than nothing. that being said, ive done some presses on a bowflex and it felt just kind of wrong to me. the way the action was and how the movement felt. haveing had gym access for the last five years probably spoiled me though.

I'm not looking to get any bigger, I'm happy where I am, I just want to maintain where I'm at now, which I know the bowflex will allow me to do since I've maintained where I am, if anything, got a little bulkier from 6 months ago when I got out of college and started using the bowflex as opposed to free weights.

MiKe

Originally Posted by LB_SpecV

I'm not looking to get any bigger, I'm happy where I am, I just want to maintain where I'm at now, which I know the bowflex will allow me to do since I've maintained where I am, if anything, got a little bulkier from 6 months ago when I got out of college and started using the bowflex as opposed to free weights.

MiKe

The point is, you can achieve the same results with a Bowflex for hundreds of dollars less and allow yourself even greater flexibility.

I was fortunate enough not to have had to pay for the bowflex, so to me, this argument is null and void. If I had to pay for it, I would have probably rather spent all that money on freeweights, but once again, I didint have to.

You can do everything that bowflex offers, for 1/10th of the price.

Originally Posted by LB_SpecV

Where is your proof of this? Opinions, afterall, are like a$$holes, everyone got em'. I used free weights my entire life, and after using the bowflex for about 6 months, it is just as good, AS LONG AS YOU USE IT CORRECTLY. SLOWWW REPS, FEEL THE BURN. I use it along with free weights and I love it. It also really force you to use those stabilizer muscles.

tell me you don't honestly need 'proof' that free weights are superior to the Bowflex

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

tell me you don't honestly need 'proof' that free weights are superior to the Bowflex

I think the BOWFLEX people must have got to him -

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

I think the BOWFLEX people must have got to him -

those infomercials will do it...

maybe he works for Bowflex...

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

those infomercials will do it...

maybe he works for Bowflex...

They wont get to me...

I believe religiously in the Total Gym -

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

They wont get to me...

I believe religiously in the Total Gym -

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

Awwww...

But how am I gonna train to get my "HID" as big as Chucks then?

Originally Posted by CowPimp

As I have said previously, resistance is resistance. It is simply not worth it in my eyes. You can buy enough equipment to perform a multitude of freeweight exercises for a fraciton of the price. It's not that it doesn't work; it's just that most people don't see it justifying the $800+ pricetag.

I agree, I'd rather spend the money on a bench and few freeweights.

Make fun all you want. I still have maintained my great physique thanks to the bowflex, along with eating right and enough cardio to keep the fat down. I'm not looking to become a muscle head who cant move his body with flexibility unless its doing a curl or bench press. I'm an athlete. nuff said people. And BTW, the total gym is a lot shittier than the bowflex is.

anybody who thinks that the bowflex is even remotely comparable to free weights, doesn't know how to use them properly..

Being locked into a range of motion is not even close wrt functionality as free weights.