....I'm in the market for a BowFlex machine.

I've trolled their site to see the different models they had and how much they cost.

What I'm looking for is any experience from fellow members who have used any of the Bowflex equipment and what their thoughts are.

Is the cost of entry worth it?

Thanks in advance.

 

I've never actually gone to their web site to see what the actual price is for that, so I can't say if it's worth it. However, I did watch a more extensive infomercial a while ago about it, and saw a few things that put me off. I was watching one guy trying it out for the (supposedly) first time. He was doing an incline bench press, and, as he pushed forward and up, his arms/hands were shaking every which way as he pulled on the bows. The problem seemed to be that, without a barbell to help maintain stability, he was expending an inordinate amount of effort just holding his arms in position, thus limiting the amount of energy he could put into working the muscle groups that the incline bench is intended for. Now, to a purist, who is looking for proper isolation of muscle groups, this isn't too good. If you're simply looking for a good workout, it will probably be OK, though I expect it would be weird if you're used to free weights, or standard machines that keep your movements strict.

If you end up getting it, though, I'd be interested in your thoughts.

JonasM

 

My goal is to get back into shape that I was in when I was in college. I'm not too far off in weight, however, I have lost much muscle mass, definition, and energy level.

I don't want to bulk up, but I do want a leaner, meaner look....I just wanna look better naked.

I did watch the same infomercial last night, I couldn't sleep. The way they spun the shaking is that he hasn't developed his "stabilizer" muscles since his body only works out the muscle groups he focuses on using free weights. I questioned that though, can't you hurt yourself that way. I can easily envision trying to overdo it on the resistance and then spraining a joint or a muscle.

The way I did it in college was a lot of aerobic activity (lots and lots of basketball and tennis), combined with lots of floor exercises (situps, pushups, etc), very limited weights and nautilus, eating whatever I wanted, stretching, and lots of swimming.

Please someone just invent a pill for this 5h!t.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JonasM
[B]I was watching one guy trying it out for the (supposedly) first time. He was doing an incline bench press, and, as he pushed forward and up, his arms/hands were shaking every which way as he pulled on the bows. The problem seemed to be that, without a barbell to help maintain stability, he was expending an inordinate amount of effort just holding his arms in position, thus limiting the amount of energy he could put into working the muscle groups that the incline bench is intended for. Now, to a purist, who is looking for proper isolation of muscle groups, this isn't too good.

 

so why don't u just get back to a lot of aerobic activity since that worked before? save u a lot of money and stuff too.

 

Fair enough - I didn't watch the whole thing. However, I'm from the school of thought that if you're not pushing yourself to the absolute limit, you limit the benefit of weight training. That guy was able to do it weight-wise, but not control-wise. Look again at what I said: "to a purist, who is looking for proper isolation of muscle groups, this isn't too good". That's the limit of my point.

I'm not saying that it's not a good machine, especially when you factor in the fact that it doesn't weigh a ton like a full weight station would, just that a machine like that isn't capable (from what I see) of proper isolation of the muscle group in question. If you're not going to go for isolation, then I feel that you might as well use free weights (my personal favorite).

If I had the room and the $$$ for something like that, I might still be interested, as an addition to my free weight set and cage, simply due to the apparent flexibility in attachments, and therefore large number of possible exercises.

JonasM

 

JonasM, good point. I think it's actually a matter of getting use to using the machine. Once you have you can push yourself a lot more.

 

I don't think there's any doubt that the purists will find separate weights more effective than machines. Machines are fine once you've learned to work within it's movements. I don't know how old you are Luder but as someone who's been into this stuff on and off forever, the biggest enemy of any excercise routine is boredom and repetition. The problem with weights and bulk building routines is that inevitably as you progress, the weights get bigger and the time involved gets longer. Only the most dedicated survive. Why get into something you're not going to see through if you're pressed for available time to start with.

Why not go for more aerobic excercise? You'll certainly be fitter. I don't think body builders are necessarily particularly fit people, unless they take some other form of excercise. I would be inclined to go for a regime that you have some hope of maintaining. Think about a stepper/climber type machine, rowing type machines, some sort of abs apparatus. All stuff you can use at home and you can work out a routine which you're more likely to keep to. Get the heart pumping, and burn calories, tone up rather than bulk up. Half an hour a day really working soon shows results.

I can understand the fascination of bulking up and watching those muscle groups grow, but I wonder if girls really do like bulked-up guys? Not that that's the main reason for doing it of course!

 

Well, the best workout routine involves both weights and aerobics. The benefit of weight training is that building some muscle helps a lot when it comes to burning fat. It helps you keep the weight off, since muscle burns more calories just sitting there than fat ever will. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn without any additional workouts. Aerobics work on endurance and fat burning, but you quickly lose the benefits if you stop. I do aerobics on 3 days a week, and workout with weights 3 days, then allow one day per week rest. After 2 years of this, I have no doubt that now, at 38, I'm in the best shape I've ever been, and I look better naked than ever before!

The most important thing with a workout is to find something that you can stay with for the long run. Change your lifestyle, don't just go on a diet and exercise routine for a while, since long-term changes require long-term commitments. If the BowFlex will motivate you to work out on a regular basis, then by all means, get it. Anything is better than nothing, and the best weight machine out there is the machine that you use.

JonasM

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JonasM
[B], and I look better naked than ever before!