Thanks so much for all the positive posts, good peeps.
I do think that if a person is fit to start with, and has the resources/space that free weights will ultimately produce better results.
But I'm not a fit person to start with. Picture a gelatinous blob, then put a head on it. That would be me.
And I needed something tidy and compact. So when it was all said and done, Bowflex was the right choice for me.
Eric, thank you for that tip, because I would have probably blown off that velcro strap and never used it.
I read the manual last night, and was kind of taken back by the food intake plan by that Darden guy. The amounts didn't seem bad to me, but the carb ratio was funny to me given all the low and no-carb stuff there is out there.
I also bought, The Bowflex Body Plan, a book by that same Darden guy on half.com. It just came in the mail today, and I haven't had a chance to do anything but quickly thumb through the pages. It does have some very "real people" looking before and after photos though.
I'm pretty excited, and will be glad when the iTrainer package gets here so I can figure out what I'm supposed to do when. I only lifted weights during one other time frame in my life, and I felt great when I did it.
I'm also motivated by sheer stinginess. I will never be able to live with knowing that I spent that much money on something and didn't use it.
Anthony, I may have to hit you up with some questions.