4 Prudent Reasons Not to Get Suckered by the Bowflex Infomercials

By | September 12, 2011 | Wellness, Fitness and Diet

There are lots of new home gym models on the market today and surely everyone has heard of the Bowflex. A popular Bowflex model is the Ultimate 2 that comes with their state of the art technology. At at first glance it looks like a great deal. Their infomercials have great looking models and it looks snazzy, but dont forget the important components that make a home gym work for you: price, proven workout technology, warranty coverage and personal results. Before you drop a wad of money on an infomercial it is prudent to examine what you can expect to get for your money.

Make sure you get what you paid for. The Bowflex Ultimate 2 sells for $2,499 and that includes free shipping. On the surface this may sound like a pretty good deal. But again lets put things into perspective. Take a look at one of Body Solid’s upper end home gyms that sells for about $2300 with free shipping included. The Body Solid EXM3000LPS The gym facilitates 3 users simultaneously; up to 420 lbs of real gravity based stack weight resistance, and 7 workout stations plus it comes with lifetime warranty on everything including their seat padding. Body Solid has the best warranty coverage in the industry (see below). You are getting a world class home gym in the EXM3000LPS that offers much more for the price.

It is hard to judge what you will be getting just from watching the infomercials. The Bowflex is not sold in stores, so you cannot check out a floor model prior to making your purchase. This is important. It may be a revolutionary new way to get fit but how practical is it? Will it just wind up in your garage collecting dust? The Bowflex Technology is not like the weight stack system or free weights that you have used at the health club. Will the weight resistance and ergonomic design be adequate for leg workouts or your core bulk exercises? If you are serious about working out and building muscle you may want to think twice about the weight resistance “Power Rods” that come with the Bowflex. Keep in mind things such as bench press angle, what looks ergonomically correct in the infomercial may be impractical when you are using it at home.

Make a close introspection of what you intend to accomplish with your workout program. Many of the testimonials listed on the Bowflex website are based on weight loss results. That’s a pretty common workout objective. But look at the fine print again. Their program advocates a healthy diet and an exercise program that requires no more than 30 seconds in between light resistance exercise sets. The benefit here is your heart rate stays higher and you burn more calories during the workout. Great! But you don’t need to pay $2499 to accomplish these results. Change your diet and take the stairs instead of the elevator, you will get the same results and be over $2499 richer. Or you could have bought a workout wonder like the EXM3000LPS and workout with your friends and family in comfort with a universal workout machine that is proven and time tested.

Warranty protection is always an important Home Gym consideration. The Bowflex Ultimate 2 comes with is a 12 year limited warranty. This sounds good at first, but read the fine print and you will discover that it only covers “defects in material and workmanship”. If the material was defective when it left the warehouse then you are covered, but if their material is flimsy or easily broken then you are not covered because it wasn’t defective. Having owned a Bowflex in the past I know that certain core parts are made mostly of synthetic material that is easily broken. For Example: the seat adjustment mechanism broke 7 months after I bought it, it wasn’t defective it was just made of plastic.

Make the right choice when you buy your home gym equipment and it can last you a lifetime. Make the wrong choice and you may end up joining the legions of Craigslist sellers trying to unload their Bowflex home gyms. Are you going to make the right decision? Without a doubt some people have been happy with their Bowflex purchase. However, it is possible to achieve lifetime health and fitness more efficiently and for far less money than what you will pay for Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym.

Author Bio: Body Solid does not sell directly to consumers from their website, so online shoppers need to work with one of their approved retailers. All of my Body Solid Home Gyms ship directly from the warehouse and will arrive at your location within 5-7 business days. We offer the lowest prices in the industry and all home gyms come with fast free shipping. Visit our store today save money on your home gym purchase!

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: home gyms, body solid home gyms, bowflex, home gym equipment, home gym reviews