Bowflex Home Gym Series

2.0 out of 5 stars

By Girlrilla - Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018

Great for rehab, terrible for workout goals.

Not worth buying. After reading reviews for this machine, I thought it would be a good, inexpensive alternative to a weight machine but imediately after getting it all put together I found out otherwise. This is a resistance machine, it tells you that. But when it says 50lbs (which is the highest it can go) it really means more like 25. This is NOT a muscle building machine by any means. I would suggest you'd be better off with a $10 resistance band. Very disappointed I spent so much for so little. But it would be a pain in the @$$ to take apart and send back...so now I'm stuck with it. Overall I think it's a decent machine if you are looking for light rehab training. The majority of the resistance bars are useless for me. Seat is a little wobbly (I'm 200lbs). Otherwise, steer clear. You can get better results from a workout video and your own body weight workouts.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Alicia Scharer - Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017

What a difference 20 years can make!

First off let me say that I, Alicia's husband, is writing this review. I have been an avid workout dude for 36 years. Started with free weights and continued to progress into a massive individual at 6' 2" 250lbs. When I turned 35 I decided to go a different route and bought a Bowflex Power Pro XTLU model. I had all the rods and accessories, even the squat station. The machine build was just o.k. The workouts were great, and I got stronger and cut, but for some reason I wanted to get bigger again. I dumped the bowflex and went back to dumbells etc., got ripped and then started to realize I had to spend a lot of time maintaining the mass. One day when working out I almost tore my rotator cuff, Realizing at 52, married for 20 years, and not have anything to prove to anyone, I sold that equipment and bought the Bowflex Blaze. Wow, what 20 years can do to perfect a product. This thing is a tank. High quality and way more bang for your buck than the extreme se 2. Blows away my Power Pro XTLU by a long shot. Bowflex advertises 60 + exercises when really there is over 80. They advertise the extreme se 2 as 70 + to get you to pay 500 more and truly not get the same variety of exercises. It is a marketing ploy. In addition, the no pulley weight change system on the extreme se 2 is ok, but having to hook a couple cables up is no big deal to me, and now that they are integrated in the Blaze it is much easier. The Power Pro XTLU was exhausting. The Blaze is the better deal. I almost bought the extreme se 2 and I am glad I did not ( of course the wife helped with that decision...haha) Look, if you want to stay in shape, build some muscle and tone the body this gym can do it. I know some might say I sold out, but at the end of the day it's not how much you can lift but how ya look! You will not be disappointed. Delivery was excellent and I paid Amazon to build it. Would do it all over again. Fast Forward: Working out on it since Friday 09/08/17. Bomb! Works so much better than the Power Pro XTLU ever did. Sturdy and does not make a peep. Exercises create a great stretch. Love it. So glad we bought the Blaze. I bought the upgraded power rods specifically through Bowflex due to the low ratings and horror stories from the folks that bought them from Amazon. Sorry Amazon, just have to be real. Update: Its been over 3 weeks. I am having great gains. If you exercise as it says to at bowflex with breathing, reps, etc. you will get results. I have added the ez curl bar, tricep rope, and abdominal pad. Every workout I have done has had me sore the next day. This is not a beginner or intermediate machine. It is a machine for advanced to beginner. The exercises it shows are just the basics. There is a lot you can do with the lower pulleys. If you look at the exercises on the Bowflex Ultimate and Ultimate 2 you can see some more exercises that one can do such as barbell military press,reverse pull downs, reverse tricep push downs, deadlifts, stiff legged dead lifts, barbell curls (use squat straps or chain with ez curl bar) etc. You can really get over 80+ exercises that are just like the gym. I truly have not regretted my purchase. It is so nice to have a great workout with all the safety so I can reach my goals without injury.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By mike bach - Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017

Great Home Gym for the Money

I'll start off saying I love this gym. I'm 30 years old, work from home, watch my kid and have a bit of a busy schedule. Convenience of having this at home and not having to drive to the gym is why I made this purchase. I am very impressed with the resistance this comes with stock and is expandable for 2 more power rods. The setup does look daunting when you get it out of the box. Was very easy to put together just time consuming. In all took 3 hours to set up. I used a socket wrench and hex bit for the setup so it made it easier then the stock tools this came with. Seemed to make the setup easier. The excerises are great for upper body. Does great for Chest, back, arms, shoulders, and abs. Legs are a bit lacking but nothing you can't do on your own to help. First time going through exercises takes a little more time because there are certain ways to do the excerises and figuring out what resistance weight to go with. First time through you should definitely write down the resistance weight you had for each excercise so next time it's easy to get your workout set up and get done efficiently. I spent $800 on this gym and its worth every single penny. I strongly recommend for someone that want to get into or back into shape without breaking the bank. Seller did a fantastic job of getting this to me earlier then expected. Had no issues in missing parts or broken parts. I've had for 2 months now and has already made a huge difference in my overall health and body physic. Hope this review helps.

1.0 out of 5 stars

By Fox - Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2019

Please don’t waste your money!

I’ve been going to an actual gym for years now. My wife decided she wanted to workout as well, but wanted to do it at home. I figured the Bowflex would be enough for her and maybe I could even use it. I even bought the 100lb upgrade rods. This thing is terrible and that’s an understatement. There is no resistance at all for me or my wife until about halfway through the movement of the exercise. The pulley system also isn’t very smooth. The weight is also very misleading. If you’re using a 50lb rod, it’s likely only giving you 30lbs of resistance. In all actuality, this is the equivalent to working out with resistance bands. This is one of the worst purchases I’ve made. Save your money and get a home gym that uses actual weight stacks and not resistance rods. It’s a joke.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Steve - Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2019

Get this if you don't want to go to the gym, and have limited space

Very good home machine. Let's get something out of the way now. This is not supposed to be like free weights. That said, it's a great little machine if you upgrade to the 410lbs. I am a fairly big guy, and can deadlift and squat over 500lbs. Is this true weight, of course not. It's tension resistance from bending a material. It is going to be progressive. This works out in a home gyms favor, as it is lightest at the weakest part of a movement. Eliminating the need for a spotter or anything of the sort. I can lift by myself, and I can push myself. Are you going to be maxing out your movements, no.... Don't think you will be, plain and simple. 410lbs of resistance on this is probably closer to 275lbs. A lot of it depends on the range of motion you get, the more the rod bends, the more resistance you will get.