Bowflex Review - Years of Ownership!

Hello All,
I have created this Bowflex review after after 6 years of ownership to help provide general information about Bowflex machines. I created a review 6 years ago - • Bowflex review but i knew i could create something better. I hope this helps you decide if this is something you want to invest in.
Please comment below if you have any questions,
Enjoy,
Ryan - The Wellthy Mindset
Music - www.bensound.com/royalty-free...

[@76063co2]

I can give you a tip about restoring the power rod tension. I acquired a used Bowflex 1 year ago, and the rods were sagging worse than yours. I removed the screws to slide out the power rod box. Once the box is out, there is a screw holding each power rod on the underside of the box. I loosened and removed each rod, rotating each one 180 degrees before re-securing. The important part is to mount them in the opposite direction, so now they are all leaning inward. This will actually create tension that is even greater than they were providing originally, because now their relaxed state is leaning inward instead of outward. You can probably do this over the life of your Bowflex to maintain the tension. I did it and it instantly created greater tension. Also, can the roller pad on the leg extension be moved up in position? I have short legs also, and moving it to the closer position fixed that problem...or put some sort of pad behind your back, which will position you forward in the seat.

[@ewdtrey]

Tried this a long time ago, and worked for a while, but they tend to spin back around. But I won't tighten the screws any tighter for fear of breaking something.

[@cannotcostsmorethancan]

Sweet . Man thanks for this post and the pointer . I get my first Bowflex this week as well as free weight set up for mass , when I get there . Can not wait to get back into looking after myself physically .

[@jrbr549]

I bought my Bowflex in 1999. I'm going to see if this works on my old machine.

[@elmerreed6048]

@@jrbr549 Jrbr, just curious; did you do as suggested and what was the result? I have seen at least 1 comment (can’t remember where) that indicated this was done and the power rod just broke after a short period of time. My BF is also from the 1999 / 1998 period, same power rods as when I first purchased. Frankly I like this style better than some of the newer ones (smaller footprint) and have been trying to decide if new rods are worth it. Thanks for any info you might have on your experience.

[@aarongarcia1101]

Nice tip!!

[@jimihob143]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video as it answered some many setup questions as the manual kinda leaves ya hanging after assembly is complete. You video showed just what I needed to do and I can't wait to dive in !

[@joer8432]

By the way, great review. I've had the exceed for about 8 years now and it's still going strong.

[@MrRickTic]

You can take the screw out of the bottom of the bow and rotate it 180 and its like new again. I did it to mine.

[@JaYo1919]

nice ill have to try that

[@76063co2]

I did that, and it worked like a charm. In fact, I think I have more tension, since the rods now naturally lean inward.

[@KelvinRBrown-tv4oz]

The most useful Extreme II instructional I have found on KZbin. The thing that makes it so great is that you show us HOW to configure the Bowlex and explain how the parts are used for the different types of exercises. Can you do one for lower body/leg exercises? Please. This was really, really helpful.

[@mstherapist3552]

OMG you are a life saver!!! Awesome video just got the exceed and was lost in how to work the cables. 👍👍👍

[@robinhanwell6568]

Further to my previous observation (I looked at your video again), there is another bar and foam rolls that appear to be missing from your leg extension attachment. It goes behind the extension pivot point in the empty hole on your setup. That way your knees go over the upper foams before your ankles go under the lower foams...I believe I can see them on the floor in the background of your video...great review again. Thank you.

[@robinhanwell6568]

Great review, one point you might look at is the leg extension...pull your foam off and you can move the bar up to the next set of holes; this may be more comfortable for you.

[@jenstang4529]

Thanks for this! This was way more informative then other videos I’ve seen

[@towersroofinginc422]

Great video! I am ordering mine today 👍🏼!

[@adibjaouhari294]

great video man! I'm looking to get one for myself but wanted to find out more about it first and this is the only video i found that was very informative. Keep up the good work

[@janniefrancis2365]

In the process of purchasing one great info man.

[@SrChalice]

@@janniefrancis2365 which are you getting. Because I've been thinking about the Bowflex xceed for a while but I'm also wondering about the Bowflex PR3000.

[@cannotcostsmorethancan]

rad and thanks for making the review . My first one this week and have not lifted in over a decade haha . I just hope i have it in me still to keep showing up at workout time . again , thanks for the review , sure helped alot .

[@dekalaftvillagomez3637]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help with this video.

[@BrianWashington-jc6ig]

Assembly by myself was not too hard. I took my time and followed the diagrams. I particularly like the pictures and names of the exercises organized by muscle groups on the front of the kzbin.infoUgkxKJHyBZ9I1py9vVi-XLpEBg0y-qmdhn3q . Considering the number of exercises it has a relatively small footprint. I needed a machine that was not too tall because I only have 79" headroom in my cabin and this was just over 78". It is easy to use, seems to be well made, and I am pleased with my purchase. I am doing upper body muscles on Monday and Thursday. Lower body exercises are being done on Tuesday and Friday. Not using it on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. I am a reasonably fit 66 year old man and this is a great workout.

[@dandavidsonpoker]

Thanks for the simple quick instructions

[@DanielWSonntag]

Nice setup! I get mine on Monday

[@michaell7090]

Great video, might look for a used bow flex now 😀

[@sinisterz11]

Great review !! I might look at getting one

[@thewellthymindset7938]

Do it!

[@costastylianou9220]

Great Video, even better than the original… I do miss the background music though 😂

[@neonomad9911]

Good review. Thanks for informative video 💗💗

[@mitchkatz4918]

I have two bowflex items that I utilize regularly power pro with lat/leg attachment, and a max trainer- M7 top of the line back then. both have held up quite well and very useful. my dumb bells are power blocks- the bowflex brand was plastic and the length of them made me feel less compelled that they would be as durable as the power blocks. note I did have an issue in that the pin was pulled from the block while using on bowflex as the knob was inadvertently around the strap causing my power blocks to require use of a crowbar to change resistance levels. My only draw back. 30-90 lbs of resistance. at a reasonable price- would purchase again.

[@clacoose007vibes]

When I first bought my Bow Flex Xtreme2, with as many accessories/tons available. After coming up to almost nearly $2000, it occurred to me I should learn as much as I can about this ultra hyped exercise phenomenon and learnt it's original purpose was physical rehab/physio therapy applications, this was great, since I wasn't looking, for any lifetime disabilities. Furthermore, and if you're unaware of this it is definitely awe inspiring. The reason the movement is near nonresistant at the start and causes extreme effort at the top, is because is is the movement used for hypertrophy; it causes the muscle to work hardest at the top of the movement and causes the muscle to involuntarily flex. I'm sure there's a lot more but at the knees eludes me, I can always watch h the DVD after supper.

[@peartreeproductions77]

So glad i got a tytax ! I'd have been dying for the gyms to open with one of these :(

[@AR-qj4el]

Thanks for the video. Was great.

[@DadTalksLive]

Great review, brother

[@solamentejax]

I just recently inherited a Bowflex from a friend and had no idea how to use it. I've been looking for months for a video just like this and yours is the first one I've found! Thank you! Any recommendations on videos for a hamstring workout?

[@bigdisme5622]

Thanks for sharing very insightful and helpful

[@duke6j]

When I do my reps, I go super slow. 4-5 seconds up and 4-5 seconds down, pausing at the top 3 seconds on the exercise. Going this slow with no cheating, the weight feels more heavier than doing regular speed reps. I get a super pump on very set!

[@RoboSantasRevenge]

Yes, this is called a time under tension (TUT) workout. The Bowflex seems real amenable to TUT workouts. Some people say TUT is the best way to build bigger muscles, though the evidence I’ve seen says explosive, max-weight lifts are best for gaining strength. There are lots of videos out there about TUT for anyone who’s interested.

[@mr.c6674]

@@RoboSantasRevenge, explosive concentric yes, but slow eccentric. This is TUT at its best.

[@chardeemcdennis6774]

Great review. Very concise with the set-ups. One downside I find is that when doing the bicep curls from the bottom pulley system (with the hand grips), I find that the pulley cable get caught within the free-floating pulley (only on the inside floating pulley which in my case the the left side looking from the front). Have you had that issue? Do you or your audience have a fix to it? Thanks.

[@Outofmycastle]

Great video!! Thank you!!

[@StoneMountainAdventures]

Just bought my bowflex exceed. Anyone have any links to a cable set up or exercise chart?

[@red96pk]

Great review!

[@thewellthymindset7938]

Thanks for the feed back!

[@mikeervin7654]

I've had both total gym and bowflex. Total gym has held up better over the 8 year span.

[@thesuperioraffection4502]

Just bought a Total Gym and Bowflex Blaze was my 2nd choice.

[@applejacks971]

I have the Extreme II, which didn't come with the ab bar (as it wasn't a thing 15 years ago). I ordered the bar and mounting plate from Bowflex last week, $9 for the bar and $12 for the mounting plate. It mounts to the bolts that are already on the Bowflex. Sweet! This literally turned my Extreme II in to the SE. I also ordered the Preacher Curl attachment. I love my Bowflex and will never give it up! I've had it since 2007.

[@westingtyler1]

i scanned down like 15 youtube videos reviewing bowflexes and this is the FIRST ONE that shows 1) a person actually using it 2) at 1x NORMAL speed 3) with the actual audio of it being used so I can hear the sound it makes.

[@JorgeMorales-do5pr]

Great video, awesome work. Quick question do you know something about bowflex blaze? I in middle of desicion. Because blaze have bench. Really is necessary the bench?

[@sirBadd]

Does these type of machines help increase muscle gain or are they more for toning?

[@joer8432]

Is the seat installed backwards? Or is this your preference?

[@bigdog7914]

Seems like there are opportunities to add bands to this workout and give more tension when needed, what say you?

[@mccflo99]

How tall are you? I'm also short and looking at getting one of these but want the leg exercises.

[@tjcombo1936]

Six years . Do you have before and after pics/video?

[@MH-ti6kc]

Great vid review! Taking the time to show how you switch between exercises and showing how to do it, is the gold in your vid. Your honesty without bashing or @ss kissing gives great cred to your review. The only suggestion is stop saying "guys" and be more gender neutral. I am a guy and kept thinking women would be annoyed by you. Otherwise great review and you helped me in deciding to go ahead and buy one.

[@mitchkatz4918]

lifetime warranty on the bows which may enable you to maintain strength in your workout. I have the bench model and have used for ~20+ years, which has helped greatly during pandemic and after an injury. as Physical therapy exercise, are easy to perform on. the bench model has a leg aparatus that enables hamstrings by lying down, its a more favorable machine in that you can perform aerobic rowing, I have had replacement issues due to damage of machine over time and the warranty had helped greatly in that it was free when the cables started to fray. added extenders so pulleys can expand further which was similar to the machine of the ultimate- back then. I was considering the squat system add on but instead got adjustable dumbbells. as legs were an interest and no squat capability, adding great variability with the use of free weights. the bows may have gotten weaker but I may have gotten stronger, I do have 3 sets of 50 for my machine and the newest 50 is much more inelastic as the initial set which due to usage may become more elastic(bent) with time/use. I have thought that the resistance of bows being vastly different than free weights but did recheck my lifts and found that my ability in gym was slightly better than previous PRs.

[@robinworkman3621]

Do you think it's possible for someone to put on 30-40 lbs of muscle with one of these?

[@karleystrongoli662]

Nice, how do you find lat pull down feels on the Bowflex!? Missing the gyms...

[@thewellthymindset7938]

Its feels more like resistance training than weighted training. You can get a great back work out with it!

[@mcb7104]

Trying to decide between Xceed and Blaze

[@michaelpast19]

What’s the height of this machine ??

[@slntscpe]

How tall is that machine?

[@robertesteban3616]

Good job

[@hectormarquezcervantezbarr7822]

Ty for sharing bro……… have you seen the new bgold? Some say it’s out.."………bowflex gold

[@donald2818]

If your rods are that bad why don't you replace them?

[@o5you86]

You can do all those Exercises with Exercise Bands!

[@yamiladdi]

You introduce the video saying that you were going to talk about the pro and cons, but the entire video is about how to connect the different accessories.

[@davepazz580]

lol

[@darkchaotix2007]

Why does it look like you’re standing in front of a green screen?

[@melpogi9]

I owned one for 3yrs..still prefer traditional weights. Good for maintenance but not for muscle building. Looses TENSION and so must spend for replacement of rods.

[@jaykross8794]

ya i bought 3 of these machines and welded 3 stacks together...630 pounds...the 3rd set of bows are weak...unfortunately...id say in reality there might be a true 250 to 300 with mine

[@62saki91]

on the Extreme SE2 your power rods have a lifetime warranty.. call bowflex for a replacement man.. I have the exceed.. we only get 5 years.. same rods.. 5 years..

[@csick11]

Can you build muscle mass working out with bow flex?

[@AdamJoseph1352]

Yes you can

[@csick11]

@adamjoseph1352 yea I get too distracted at the gym. Too many ladies would moan loudly when they lifting light weights and squatting at the gym for my attention. I can't continue on bench pressing with a big bone popping out. I need to be home focusing on my muscles instead of trying to contain my boner

[@AdamJoseph1352]

@@csick11 not to mention, what you don't wear ear buds to the gym??? You psycho!!!

[@csick11]

@adamjoseph1352 nah I been in prison for the last 10 years. I went to prison because my ex made me feel less of a man because I working a typical job. So I felt the pressure to cheating in life and making fast cash and got caught up with 100 kilos. Had half a million in cash taken away too. So I don't want to focus on females right now. Rather stay bulk and work a normal job. Federal prison we get our own showers. I bench 450 lbs and trying to keep up with my gains lol.

[@csick11]

@adamjoseph1352 lol no I don't wear ear buds working out in prison. Why start now?"

[@dageendranbalendra]

come on man where is the affiliate link?????

[@kevin85115]

I have bowflex

[@tonymontana3949]

After ten years saw about this strange machine

[@TechnoloG84]

imma get one one day.

[@cuff2860]

I got mine coming in the mail. Sounds like a real pain in the ass to assemble though.

[@robinhanwell6568]

I just got mine in the mail and it really isn't that bad to assemble. Just don't expect to have it all together in a few minutes. My son helped me and it went pretty smoothly. Love the machine!

[@TheAlexaJacks]

I just set one up as well, wasn’t too bad.

[@jimihob143]

I set up men alone and I took it slow, it took me a weekend. Later I decided to move it to another room and had to tear it down partially it of course took no time at all, be careful how you route the cables and pulleys...

[@bb3283]

U should turn the gym set the other way so u can see yourself do the actual workout

[@r.powell2351]

Dude, of course its lost bow resistance after 6 years of use. You need to replace those rods every 2 to 4 years for a much better workout.

[@duke6j]

I replace mine every 5 years and they feel so much stronger that I have to use less bows on some exercises.

[@craigandersen8937]

Remember that the rods have a lifetime guarantee. You can order replacements.

[@johnjayala]

Well I was looking into getting one and all the reviews about the rods losing tension was really changing my mind. However not one single person mentioned this.. thank you!

[@nativetrader3822]

@@johnjayala FYI, Lifetime Guarantee on the rods only applies if the break/snap. Does not cover loss of resistance from normal usage. Replace the rods every 3-5 years to maitain resistance.

[@jaykross8794]

all you do is cut your rest time down...and squeeze things out more

[@kimchee94112]

Soloflex Vs Bowflex anyone?

[@Mrfitness4397]

Late reply but I have both. I have the old power pro and the Soloflex. Both are good. It’s a matter of preference. I prefer the Soloflex. More of a barbell feel. Weight straps on Soloflex offer much tougher resistance than the Bowflex. You can add free weights too. You won’t be to strong to work out on the Soloflex. 100 lbs on the Soloflex is much harder than 100 on a bowflex.

[@armun20]

It’s was more of a tutorial as opposed to review.

[@robertwilson6443]

How you still chubby and have that for 6 years

[@robertr9689]

Great review but crap product. Be well.

[@thegoldenamerican]

…

[@Turnpost2552]

Bowflex looks super flimsy.

[@robertmartin221]

Looks can be deceiving. We own a bow flex and it's not flimsy at all. If you secure all the nuts and bolts firmly with their proper locking nut/locking washer. They never give or work loose to make the machine wobble/flimsy

[@sandoshack]

This machine looks kind of horrible. NGL

[@nataliebigford9026]

By the looks of it the machine hasn’t helped much after 7 years of use !

[@chelious1973]

No. Garbage.

[@jeremiahbachmann3901]

We can tell this is your mom's house because of the wood molding. Modern people don't use that type of natural wood.

[@matthewradom4670]

6 years and no gains?? No thanks! I’ll stick to the gym. 🤣🤦🏻‍♂️🛑🗑

[@trumphater4913]

You need to eat better.

[@RM-rj5ok]

Garbage equipment. Use dumbbell exercises only if you don’t like to pay for gym membership’s or have a low budget.

[@AdamJoseph1352]

This equipment is good, I do a mix of gym and Bowflex at home... Also good for older people and rehabbing injuries...

[@wc3468]

Contact me if you wana sell it