Bowflex

By on December 1st, 2008

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As one of the best-known brands of fitness equipment, you’ve surely seen the ads on TV for Bowflex. Whether it’s the late night infomercials or the increased number of regular short TV ads we see at holiday time, the advertisements abound for this successful brand. That success can then fund more infomercials!

Bowflex has been around since 1986 and is now part of the Nautilus organization. Their primary equipment offered for home use is used for strength and circuit training exercises. Over the years they have expanded their product lines to include: tread climbers, cardio machines, free weights, strength cages, along with various other attachments and fitness accessories. The other areas that have sprung up around the brand include: interactive software, Pilates kits, workout DVDs and videotapes, mats, nutritional products and fitness apparel.

The product line has evolved over the years and with that comes more types of exercises being supported with new attachments that are designed to focus on certain areas of the body that weren’t focused on as much before.

The current item that’s getting all the attention these days is the Ultimate 2. With 95 exercises and new leg, lat and preacher curl attachments it can now provide for even more variety in how the machine can help its users improve their health. These newer machines are also seeing longer warranty periods as they are considered a long-term investment as health is an issue for someone’s entire life, much like life-long learning is these days.

In keeping with the needs of less mobile user groups, Bowflex has also come out with a product line that addresses their needs known as the Veratrainer. It can also help with people having different physical abilities and has become popular in hospitals and other locations where the need for physical therapy is involved.

The basic unique characteristic of the Bowflex machine is the look of it with the weights you normally see being used replaced by a series of what looks like flimsy rods, called power rods. This unique attribute has gained a lot of attention and support from some trainers but the basics are that the action of bending the rods by a person desiring exercise, certain pressures are exerted in very unique ways on the muscle groups addressed by certain different exercises that are designed for those parts of the body in particular.

That is all best described by a Bowflex key attribute, flexibility. All this flexibility is derived from changing the position of the seat and the direction and angle you sue to pull on the power rods. Your entire body can be worked out with these flexible approaches to working out.

The other attribute of the Bowflex product line is its ability to be folded up & be moved out of the way.

Several reviews you can find of the Bowflex units do say that they work if used the 30-minutes a day they recommend and that they are a reasonable value although they may cost more than other alternatives.