The Bowflex

[shiznit2169]

I was wondering what you guys all think about the bowflex? Would you ever use it if u were to get one for free? Would you consider it to be a good training machine even if you dont do free weights?

*NOTE* I do not have the bowflex nor do i plan on buying one. I saw just it on tv and was wondering what your opinions are about it.

 

[Maynard Keenan]

I was wondering what you guys all think about the bowflex? Would you ever use it if u were to get one for free? Would you consider it to be a good training machine even if you dont do free weights?

*NOTE* I do not have the bowflex nor do i plan on buying one. I saw just it on tv and was wondering what your opinions are about it.

I would take one for free.....hell yea. But would only probably use it a couple times a month. Free weights is the only way you will make serious gains.

 

[Deeznuts]

Sure...it's a great deal if you just want some excercise. It won't give you even near the amount of gains free weights or machines would though. I consider Bowflex more of a way to break a sweat or get a pump than a way to build muscle or strength.

 

[Premiere]

My uncle has one. He bought one just for the hell of it and said he liked it, but that it definitly doesnt beat his other equipment and his free weights

 

[Maynard Keenan]

Sure...it's a great deal if you just want some excercise. It won't give you even near the amount of gains free weights or machines would though. I consider Bowflex more of a way to break a sweat or get a pump than a way to build muscle or strength.

Defenitely....Id only use it if I needed that pump and had no way of using free weights. I also never understood how you could do legs on one(well truly do legs).

 

[PreMier]

If I got one for free, I would sell it. Or use it as a coat rack.

 

[Maynard Keenan]

If I got one for free, I would sell it. Or use it as a coat rack.

lol....coat rack is funny shit.

 

[ihateschoolmt]

I wouldn't use a bowflex.

 

[rantheman]

i would take one for free. my wife would like it. lol

 

[Curlingcadys]

hell yeah I'd take it for free! Thats easy ebay cash being sold to the jelly doughnut eating, infomercial watching sum bitch looking for a miracle!

 

[Premiere]

hell yeah I'd take it for free! Thats easy ebay cash being sold to the jelly doughnut eating, infomercial watching sum bitch looking for a miracle!

AGREED!!!!

 

[DOMS]

I'd take it.

Then I'd work the bitch until it broke, causing me some minor harm. Then I'd sue the BowFlex bastards for enough money for a new, fully stocked, free weight, home gym.

w00t!

 

[Deeznuts]

I'd take it.

Then I'd work the bitch until it broke, causing me some minor harm. Then I'd sue the BowFlex bastards for enough money for a new, fully stocked, free weight, home gym.

w00t!

lmao I love the way you think.

 

[CursedOne]

i'd figure out a way to shoot arrows with it.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

What is the bias against bowflex?

 

[DOMS]

It's the Ford Pinto and Britney Spears of athletic equipment.

 

[nmuriqi]

You know those people that you see on the TV ads using the bowflex...well they didn't get that way by using the bowflex. It's a great classic marketing technique though.

 

[vegman]

yes, a coat rack!

 

[Curlingcadys]

What is the bias against bowflex?

It just seems most people that ask/start a thread concerning them allready have it in their head that its the 2nd coming of christ when in reality its just another piece of average joe over priced exercising equipment but with above average marketing behind it.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

Someone want to substantiate their claim with something besides vicious rhetoric??

 

[PreMier]

Here.. this is one of my favorite quotes by LAM:

obviously using the crossbow is better than not working out at all. but for maximum gains in strength and LBM a exercise routine must be free weight based. you won't find one person on this planet who went from 150 lbs to 250 using some fucking lame ass power rods !

Crossbow is the same as the bowflex. I have use a bowflex ultimate, and it was alright.. but for the price, its not worth it at all. If it was all I had, I would use it, but a gym is much more effective.

Have you ever used one DD?

 

[musclepump]

I'd get it and sell it. Yep. That's the best idea.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

Never used one, never cared to. I've invested too much in my free weight garage-gym.

At the same time, though, I see people here saying that if they had it they'd use it as a coat-rack. Are you friggin kidding me? I'd bet any intelligent, muscular trainee could find exercises on a Bowflex they could incorporate into their routine to some benefit.

That's like someone dimissing pully systems because they aren't as good as barbells. Everything we use reaches some point of diminishing returns, that doesn't mean if one's better or offers more benefit over time (say, using for 3 years) the other is useless.

 

[PreMier]

I mentioned the coat rack first. In all seriousness, I would sell it and buy some weights. It might offer some benefit, but its grossly over priced at near 1k+. I mentioned the coat rack, because my friends that I used.. well, thats what it has become.

Since you think it can be so valuable, I will tell him you want to buy it. It should work extremely well with an HIT style routine lol

 

[John Rambo]

One of my old roommates had one a few years ago, and I used it a couple times. I thought it was okay at best, and I stopped using it in favor of my free weights and other equipment. It's certainly not worth the price tag it carries, and beware if you buy one under the premise that you can get a refund if you think it sucks. Shipping is 100 bucks and nonrefundable!

 

[vegman]

even if you could find some use for it, I doubt it would be benifitial enough to merit the space it will use, where you could have a more useful machine

 

[Metman07]

It's almost universally accepted among the bodybuilding community that free weights are much better than machines etc. So I think it's a waste to spend over a $1k on a Bowflex. Memberships at good gyms aren't too expensive. Or you can buy a whole bunch of free weights for that price.

I guess it's alright if you just want to do some exercising and you don't have much space. But it's not really good for body building.

 

[IRONBXR]

I have one and I love it! I paid $700 for latest one and I've had 3 different Bowflexs around my house since 89' when the first proto types where being made by Shwin ( I honestly don't know if Shwinn still makes them or not) No, you won't build a body thats 150# to one thats 250# ever. Though you will out grow the rods fairly quickly. Meaning the position that you have to raise the hand grips to do even bench press is near impossible with the amount of weight that I can do 5 to 8 reps with, so large gains are difficult. You have to curl the weight and bring it up, almost the same as getting db weights up by yourself without being able to use momentum to throw the weight up into position because it of course is attached to the power rods. I do higher reps than what you would do to gain mass and I do ok, my body responds well to 10, 12 even 15 reps.

Leg workout was mentioned by MK and he's right the power bands on my Bowflex only go up to 310#. It does have a very effective squat set up with pulleys at the floor and a powder coated diamond plating to stand on but 310# is not near enough weight even for me let alone some of the guys on this board. Although you can do higher reps which I do. You can do single leg sled and that will kick you butt. It has leg ex. and curl set ups that work fine.

It also has a lat pull down set up that works great too. If you've been to the gym enough you know what movements you want to do and what you want to get out of it. The amount of room they take up is comparable to a free weight set up and you can always fold them up. With some ingenuity and proper form for the exercise your doing its IMHO not a bad investment if you don't pay full retail and shipping for it, their in the newspapers and buy ans sells every day.

I've been working out for over 20 yrs and have spent allot of money at a number of gyms and I had to drive to them every day. I still sometimes start going to the gym when I need a change just to keep it interesting and that always helps the motivation. What i do like about it is I listen to anything I want on the radio and I even have a small TV set up in the room if I want to watch it in between sets. It's even quiet when I want it to be, I never have to wait for any thing and I don't have to take to anyone if I don't feel like it.

Again JMHO

 

[bigbullboy]

Junk. I'd sell it or trade it for a George Foreman Burger Grilling thing (you know the thing..it comes with a grease catcher).

 

[KentDog]

Junk. I'd sell it or trade it for a George Foreman Burger Grilling thing (you know the thing..it comes with a grease catcher).