How can Bowflex possibly work?!

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Beau

Lifer
Jun 25, 2001
17,730
0
76
www.beauscott.com
Originally posted by: VBboy
Again, I never said I OWNED or LIKED BowFlex. I just wanted to know how it could work.

And again, thanks for your feedback :)

Well, I owned, and never liked the BowFlex.

I had a power pro XTLU, fuggin sucked. I used it regularly for 6 months, very little results. The resistance is unnatural and uncomfortable, feels very rough on your joints. the cable mess is a pain in the ass, and the construction quality sucks donkey nuts.

I sold it and bought a membership at the local gym. In the same amount of time that I gave the bowflex, at the gym I increased my strength twice as much as I did with the BowFlex.

This survey says: Bowflex can suck Beau's nuts.
 

SnapIT

Banned
Jul 8, 2002
4,355
1
0
Originally posted by: KGB
ROTFLMAO!!! yes, huge forearms are soooo impressive....

They are.... I got a pretty slick body now.. but my forearms are way bigger and just show the strenght when I'm just wearing a t shirt.

The Bowflex is still one of the worst products for weight-training... use whatever weight you can, it is a better solution...

Sure being a 15 year iron man competetor makes you very knowledgable about the body and weight training. But I tried that route in HS and it got me no where.. only built certain areas while other *important* areas were not utilized. I still the bowflex bench for situps..inclined crunches... and weighted situps. But bowflex is easier for me...

But whatever floats your boat man... I don't weight train on it.. I CONTROL my WEIGHT on it. I can't build muscle on dumb machine, I need to pick up huge rocks and stuff, thats the only way
rolleye.gif
My friend got a Total Gym.. he got mad skinny on that.. and he was 250 (it barely supported him at first) If you REALLY want to lose the weight... bowflex will help you get the weight down.. build some muscle and keep a person FIT for life.

ehhh, it only build the areas you train... saying that weight training only builds certain areas shows extreme ignorance as it is the ONLY kind of training that builds the entire body...

having huge lower arms and skinny upper arms makes you look like there is something wrong with you IMO...

The total gym sucks just as much, free weights is what builds muscles, which i have already said...

If fit means real skinny, yup, you are right...
 

SnapIT

Banned
Jul 8, 2002
4,355
1
0
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: VBboy
Again, I never said I OWNED or LIKED BowFlex. I just wanted to know how it could work.

And again, thanks for your feedback :)

Well, I owned, and never liked the BowFlex.

I had a power pro XTLU, fuggin sucked. I used it regularly for 6 months, very little results. The resistance is unnatural and uncomfortable, feels very rough on your joints. the cable mess is a pain in the ass, and the construction quality sucks donkey nuts.

I sold it and bought a membership at the local gym. In the same amount of time that I gave the bowflex, at the gym I increased my strength twice as much as I did with the BowFlex.

This survey says: Bowflex can suck Beau's nuts.

It can? :Q


Seriously, every serious weight trainer sooner or later realizes that the money are best spent on the membership...

 

Draknor

Senior member
Dec 31, 2001
419
0
0
Originally posted by: MrChicken
This is an old, ongoing argument. Bows and bands act just like you say. I have a Soloflex and I have measured this effect for myself. The first inch or two is very light and resistance ramps up very fast, by the third inch it is at the rated resistance and goes above that by roughly 10 percent throughout the movement. I dont know the curve of the resistance on a bowflex.

One of the real positive thing that bands and bows do is to curb momentum. Watch a guy doing lat pullswith weights. Chances are good that he will jerk the weights to get them moving and use the momentum to carry him through the rest of the movement. Only disciplined lifters actually do the reps slow and steady to avoid using momentum.

I think this is the reason I would get a bowflex if I ever do a home-gym (I would get free weights, too, but the bowflex would be the "main" tool). I've noticed when I use different weight machines, its very tempting to jerk and use the momentum. I think I manage to stay away from that most of the time, but I know that I don't do it as effectively or as safely as I could.
 

fyleow

Platinum Member
Jan 18, 2002
2,915
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Reading this thread makes me want to work out again. Started doing it last year when I took a weight training class. My max used to be something like 75 pounds and then at the end I could do 115. Yeah I know I suck. Been a lazy bum since then and I've lost 15 pounds, probably muscle mass :(
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
I'd like to give one a go but I doubt it could measure up to a gym. All of those guys in the bowflex commercials, regardless of what they say, got their build by doing weights in a regular gym. Nobody with a good build ever did anything else. Look at chuck norris and his thing he tries to sell. He says he's been working out for nearly a decade and look at his build? Better than the average joe but nothing great. 1-2 years in the gym could turn anybody into that.

And in regards to how with free weights a person is liable to use too much momentum - well heck just slow it down. My reps are always slow and controlled so momentum is never an issue with me. I have continual steady resistance throughout the entire range of the repetition with free weights and what little machines I do (lat pull downs for instance).
 

MrChicken

Senior member
Feb 18, 2000
844
0
0
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I'd like to give one a go but I doubt it could measure up to a gym. All of those guys in the bowflex commercials, regardless of what they say, got their build by doing weights in a regular gym. Nobody with a good build ever did anything else. Look at chuck norris and his thing he tries to sell. He says he's been working out for nearly a decade and look at his build? Better than the average joe but nothing great. 1-2 years in the gym could turn anybody into that.

And in regards to how with free weights a person is liable to use too much momentum - well heck just slow it down. My reps are always slow and controlled so momentum is never an issue with me. I have continual steady resistance throughout the entire range of the repetition with free weights and what little machines I do (lat pull downs for instance).

In case you have not noticed, Norris is OLD! However, even while young he was no Adonis, that wasnt his gig. Martial arts was/is. His body type is what he feels enables him to do what he does best. It's hard to argue with him on that one.

The last time I was at a gym. I was the only one there using proper form on the free weights. Skoorb, keep up the good work, there arent many of us out there that use good form. Too many egos get pinched by guys throwing the weights around. Most of the guys I saw there would be cutting their lifts by 20-30% if they were to lift correctly. Been there, done that and my shoulders still hurt every so often from it.

If you want to go to a gym, just leave your ego at the door and do your workout.
 

dirtboy

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,745
1
81
Originally posted by: VBboy
Cool! Thanks for all the feedback and info. I was just curious. I actually work out (when I have time) on my Total Gym (against my own weight). It's simple but effective for the things I need.

I've got a Total Gym too...while it is simple, I'm always amazed at the various different types of exercises that I can do.
 

skace

Lifer
Jan 23, 2001
14,488
7
81
How can bowflex possibly work:

Because it creates resistance. Resistance breaks down your muscles and forces your body to build them stronger. Resistance is what forces you to be stronger.

Pros/Cons of Home Gym:
+ No Travel
+ Use whatever you want, when you want
+ Treat the equipment however the hell you please
+ Nobody is watching you
+ Nobody sweat all over the equipment before you did
- Usually ends up more expensive than a gym membership
- Most likely small selection of workouts
- No trainer / spotter / advice

Pros/Cons of Gym Membership:
+ Trainers / spotters / advice
+ You can meet people
+ Large selection of equipment
+ Usually costs less than setting up a large home
- Work around other people (possibly waiting for a certain machine)
- Travel time
- Not your equipment
- Weather can affect your ability to work out

Failure of either method: Person lacks ability to follow through with intended work out plan or doesn't push themselves hard enough.
 

Pastore

Diamond Member
Feb 9, 2000
9,728
0
76
Free weights are great if you have a PERSONAL trainer to watch you do every single lift. If not, you have no idea whether or not you are doing them right, and if not done right, they are pretty much useless. But I am talking about pure beginners here, and if you're a beginner and debating whether to get a gym membership, or a bowflex, and aren't really serious about getting ripped, but just want to get some weight on, a bowflex is a better choice.
 

wonTong

Member
Aug 22, 2001
60
0
0
All beginners have to start somewhere.. if you guys are already posting on forums, I'm pretty sure it's not that much effort to go to bodybuilding.com and read up on the articles on correct form.

I see the Bowflex more of as a toner.. whereas gyms are made more for bodybuilding. There are so many different variations at attacking each muscle group with free weights/cables. Most of the time, people use weights far heavier than they should and place stress on wrong parts of the body.

Btw, stretch marks are from increasing in size. You can't get stretch marks from losing considerable weight. It's mainly caused by rapid weight/muscle gain.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
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There are two types of people who lift -

1. hardcore
2. not hardcore

Neither group will be happy with the lifting methods of the other.

That said, for people looking for some resistance training that have the discipline to lift at home, the Bowflex is a nice piece of equipment. It's not a freeweight replacement, but a free weight supplement. I'm looking into them myself, but I've also got a nice set up of dumbells, an incline/decline/flat bench, a barbell, and a curl bar. The bowflex compliments what I can not get from my current setup. It allows me to do my cable exercises that I can't do otherwise. It allows for a large assortment of leg lifts that I can't do with my current setup. It allows me to do lat and tricep exercises that I can't do with dumbells. And it's also nice because there are no bulky plates to move around so my fiancee can use it and move it easily .

The boxflex is for group #2. Group #1 will never be satisfied with it.
 

Fausto

Elite Member
Nov 29, 2000
26,521
2
0
Originally posted by: VBboy
Bowlex, the workout machine, is based on a system of flexible rods that provide resistance when bent. I'm sure you've all seen the infomercials.

However, the more the rod bends, the more resistance it provides (like that physics experiment with a spring being stretched out). So it is more and more difficult to do the exercise as you pull on the rod. How can you possibly work out, then? You would start with say a 20-pound resistance equivalent, but end with say 50 when the rod is bent. With free weights, the resistance is the at the beginning and the end of exercise, in contrast to this increasing-resistance rod system.

Anyone got this machine? Comments, observations? Please write.
I don't have a bowflex, but I can tell you why the resistance change is good or at least makes sense (I don't have data in front of me as to whether its more/less effective than free weights)

Think about a bench press; what's the hardest part? Getting the weight off your chest, right? That's where you have the least leverage. The easiest part is the last few inches before you fully extend your arms....that's where you have the most leverage. The idea with increasing the resistance as you go through the range of motion of whatever exercise you're doing is to do more work per rep by making the easy bits tougher and taxing your muscles that much more. Nautilus equipment works the same way through the use of cams.

 

wonTong

Member
Aug 22, 2001
60
0
0
Originally posted by: vi_edit
There are two types of people who lift -

1. hardcore
2. not hardcore

Neither group will be happy with the lifting methods of the other.

That said, for people looking for some resistance training that have the discipline to lift at home, the Bowflex is a nice piece of equipment. It's not a freeweight replacement, but a free weight supplement. I'm looking into them myself, but I've also got a nice set up of dumbells, an incline/decline/flat bench, a barbell, and a curl bar. The bowflex compliments what I can not get from my current setup. It allows me to do my cable exercises that I can't do otherwise. It allows for a large assortment of leg lifts that I can't do with my current setup. It allows me to do lat and tricep exercises that I can't do with dumbells. And it's also nice because there are no bulky plates to move around so my fiancee can use it and move it easily .

The boxflex is for group #2. Group #1 will never be satisfied with it.

I used to be in that #2 group. I had my home bench, dumbells, barbells.. Then I discovered my university gym and turned hardcore. I found more motivation going to the gym than working out at home in front of the tv.

 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Real men use free weights. It's cheaper, more concentrated and developes balance.

You can get a 315lb set and a decent bench for less than $400, how much is the bowflex?
 

bleeb

Lifer
Feb 3, 2000
10,868
0
0
Yup. go to the gym... if you are too lazy to go to the gym to workout, you will probably be too lazy to workout on the Bowflex at home. So what I guess i'm implying is to discipline yourself and go to the gym.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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I used to be in that #2 group. I had my home bench, dumbells, barbells.. Then I discovered my university gym and turned hardcore. I found more motivation going to the gym than working out at home in front of the tv.

I just don't have any need to go all out hardcore. I've found that it just leads to injury and kind of skews your opinions of how other people work out. It works fine for some people, but for a lot of us, we just want to lift to increase strength, boost confidence in ourself, tone muscles, increase metabolism, and increase overall fitness. You dont' need to do the uber hardcore lifting that a lot of the ironheads in the gym do to attain that.

I'm not dissing anyones work out style, just saying that the uber hardcore lifters tend to have a bent and twisted perception of "lesser" workouts.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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Real men use free weights. It's cheaper, more concentrated and developes balance.
Yes and no. Presses with the bowflex are actually more balance demanding than presses with a barbell. The bowflex uses seperate cables that requires you to balance it out on your own, a lot like dumbells.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Originally posted by: vi_edit
Real men use free weights. It's cheaper, more concentrated and developes balance.
Yes and no. Presses with the bowflex are actually more balance demanding than presses with a barbell. The bowflex uses seperate cables that requires you to balance it out on your own, a lot like dumbells.

Well I was talking in lifts more like power cleans and squats which balance plays and intregal part of the lift and is compounded by adding weights. When Coleman uses a bowflex I'll beleive, until then The tried and true methods seem to offer the best price/performance/results:)
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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Well I was talking in lifts more like power cleans and squats which balance plays and intregal part of the lift and is compounded by adding weights. When Coleman uses a bowflex I'll beleive, until then The tried and true methods seem to offer the best price/performance/results

Agreed, but I doubt your average bowflex or home gym user even knows what a power clean is :)
 

Fausto

Elite Member
Nov 29, 2000
26,521
2
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Originally posted by: vi_edit
Well I was talking in lifts more like power cleans and squats which balance plays and intregal part of the lift and is compounded by adding weights. When Coleman uses a bowflex I'll beleive, until then The tried and true methods seem to offer the best price/performance/results

Agreed, but I doubt your average bowflex or home gym user even knows what a power clean is :)
That's the high-pressure hose thingy you pay to clean your car with, right?

 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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That's the high-pressure hose thingy you pay to clean your car with, right?

Nope. A power clean is when your house is an absolute sh!thole and you find out you have unexpected visitors coming in an hour and a half. It's a mad scramble to get the dishes done, floors vaccuumed, and clothes picked up off the floor. :p
 

wonTong

Member
Aug 22, 2001
60
0
0
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I used to be in that #2 group. I had my home bench, dumbells, barbells.. Then I discovered my university gym and turned hardcore. I found more motivation going to the gym than working out at home in front of the tv.

I just don't have any need to go all out hardcore. I've found that it just leads to injury and kind of skews your opinions of how other people work out. It works fine for some people, but for a lot of us, we just want to lift to increase strength, boost confidence in ourself, tone muscles, increase metabolism, and increase overall fitness. You dont' need to do the uber hardcore lifting that a lot of the ironheads in the gym do to attain that.

I'm not dissing anyones work out style, just saying that the uber hardcore lifters tend to have a bent and twisted perception of "lesser" workouts.

By "turning hardcore", I mean by increasing a healthy lifestyle.. learning about how the body works (muscle recovery/routines/optimizations). Personally, I found that gyms provide me more opportunities like swimming/raquetball/basketball/free weights/treadmills/tracks..

Most people who go to the gym often and know their stuff will naturally dismiss a lot of equipment that are sold on tv. Ab devices are so played out.. People who buy the ab machines are those who need cardio. When something new pops on the market, it's going to be criticized..

It's all about what you perceive as being healthy/fit.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Originally posted by: Fausto1
Originally posted by: vi_edit
Well I was talking in lifts more like power cleans and squats which balance plays and intregal part of the lift and is compounded by adding weights. When Coleman uses a bowflex I'll beleive, until then The tried and true methods seem to offer the best price/performance/results

Agreed, but I doubt your average bowflex or home gym user even knows what a power clean is :)
That's the high-pressure hose thingy you pay to clean your car with, right?


No no no Wax on wax off...Geez did'nt you see the katate kid.
 

Fausto

Elite Member
Nov 29, 2000
26,521
2
0
Originally posted by: vi_edit
That's the high-pressure hose thingy you pay to clean your car with, right?

Nope. A power clean is when your house is an absolute sh!thole and you find out you have unexpected visitors coming in an hour and a half. It's a mad scramble to get the dishes done, floors vaccuumed, and clothes picked up off the floor. :p
Oooooh.

I'm an expert at that. :D