Thinking About Getting a BowFlex Home Gym. Good? Bad?
 

Anyone have experience with the Bowflex home gym systems? I am thinking about getting one but haven't really heard anyone ever talk about them.

http://www.bowflex.com/mMachineDetai...ate+2&linkID=6

just go with the gym membership at your local gym lol your better off

it's definately not worth $2k

looks good I must say... but I don't have any experience with it. Looks like you can do a lot with it though.

i've heard they work, but that it's kind of a contraption around the house -- unless you can dedicate a room to it.

hey, your sig image looks lossier than before -- you change it -- smaller file size -- ?

2HP

Unless you have marine type most home exercisers become clothes hangers within a month. If you really one try used, people sell their used exercise equiptment cheap .

yep, i got a whole room full of equipment catching dust.

We almost bought one. And, the best pricing we found, believe it or not, with delivery charges, was on ebay.

We talked ourselves out of it and joined the gym. Not because it was cheaper. I've hired a personal trainer and it's pretty costly. From what I hear.....and not from the gym, either....Bowflex is top notch in quality and 90% who buy use it for a while and then stop....

So, it probably depends on your discipline.....

join a gym. go somewhere where you can surround yourself with the energy of people who are working hard, are motivated and busting their ass. it makes all the difference in the world.

don't kid yourself like everyone else on the planet that you are going to buy all this equipment for your home and use it. you will kinda for a few weeks... then its over. at least with a gym membership you have all the cardio and other equipment.

this is the only guy i have ever seen in my life do something significant from his home www.johnstonefitness.com (also a pretty cool site)

:2 cents:

bought it. it sucks. sold it two weeks later.

The way that thing works doesn't use all the muscles -- get a bench and some dumbbells from walmart, spend $250 and you will get a better workout.

I'm actually already a member of Gold's Gym and have been for 6 years. However, the older I get the more busy I get and don't really have much time for the "Gym Ritual" every day or even 5 days a week. After all is said and done I have spent a total of 3 hours getting ready, driving to the gym, working out, coming home, etc.

I am a strong self motivator and if I have the gym in my house then I can cut my workout time in half if not more.

My other option was a Smith Machine. Get one of those with some dumbells and I could do a complete workout in 45 minutes a day.

http://www.home-gym-review.com/hgr%2...erSmithBig.jpg

There no way I could put that heavy equipment in my home, the floor would last long !

Also dubbed the pussy machine. Ever notice that in the gym only the skinniest guys and obese chicks use the smith?

For a real workout all you need is a bench with in/decline functionality and a squat rack, barbell w/ plates + a set of good dumbells.

Great idea but I want to be able to push up some weight (working out with 225) and without a spotter the Smith machine is my only other viable option. I can't risk getting stuck with no spotter.

Bowflex's come highly recommended from the guys who follow bands around and set up for them etc. My mans sister does sound for bands and she said they roadies bring one of those with them everywhere. I guess they break down easy.

So that's what roadies use to keep in shape. :)

You'll stop using it in 1 month.

Just join the gym.

Both the Bowflex and Smith Machine cannot replace an entire gym. If you're looking to just keep in shape and can motivate yourself to use them as much as your workout routine requires without being at the gym, then go for it. However, if you've been lifting at a gym for 6 years already and now want to switch to one of these machines, you will probably lose some of the gains you have worked hard for. Workout routines should not be confined to one of these machines, simply because not every exercise that can be done with them will suit you and you will only find yourself finding a few beneficial. Then you keep doing that routine and you can't switch it up every 4-6 weeks like you should. This would be possible at the gym because you're flexible in what machines to use, if you want to do free weights, etc. I would say the factor of you trying to save time is an important one. I would suggest, if you really can't bare to spend the needed time at the gym as much as you need to, that you keep your gym membership and purchase the Bowflex and maybe a stationary bike. This way you can do your cardio at home as well as one lifting routine for flexibility with the Bowflex per week. It seems the Bowflex would be good for that in how it's set up, but it can't replace free weights. So I would still hit the gym once or twice a week to lift with free weights.

I don't know what kind of a routine you're doing but I'm only at the gym 3 times a week to lift, because I'm not on roids so anything else would simply be overtraining with the cardio I have incorporated into my workout. If you're actually lifting 5 times a week, then the Bowflex or Smith Machine are obviously not even options you should consider. You can forget getting the workout you desire out of these machines if you're doing bodybuilder routines with shitloads of supplements. That's just my opinion on the matter.

http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/...967A60BDB}.jpg

By Bodypower - dunno where to get them in the USA though. It's leverage equipment so you don't need a spotter...

It's good enough for a girl, but not good enough for a man .

Actually you can stay in pretty good shape with that stuff, but if you wanna get REALLY into shape, free weight are the key ;)

http://www.home-gym-review.com/hgr%2...erSmithBig.jpg[/QUOTE]


Will someone move all those heavy weights from that contraption so I don't have to worry about them falling on me while I do the blonde?

This looks pimp

Toy Story 3

can't be good, just go to a gym

I'm not sure why everyone is being so hardheaded over a workout system like the BowFlex or Smith... if you use that in combination with a bench and dumbbells and barbells you have everything you need!

congrats to you if you are really motivated and can do it from home. i guess in the end, it would really depend on what your goals are... if you are looking for some sort of general maintenence routine or if you want to fully develop your body.

if you want to develop your body and build muscle, you have to do legs and particularly squats and you really need heavy weights. the machine you showed would allow that. you could always buy more weight if/as needed. i dont think there is a good substitute for a gym and the variation you have there -smith machine, squat rack, dead lifts, cables, bigger dumbells, machines, benchs etc. if you want to grow. if you want to just do something, i would opt for something like the pic where you can do squats and the basics and lift heavy. but i think dumbells are also necessary.