There was a major recall on them. The rods like to break when a lot of stress is put on them. Goodie! I think it would give you a woork out but most machines will do that. I thought about it a few years ago when they came out but it didn't impress me enough.
If you really want to build muscle, you need free weights, not machines. Weights utilize more of your muscles than any machine and they add the balance factor into the mix. You can buy a nice set of weights, a weight bench and a set dumb bells from Sams for much less that most of those TV ad machines anyway.
But Frank, there's an Official Ferrari Workout machine on the Owner's Site! LOL I recently saw one that Schumi uses for neck muscles, now THAT's specialized.
Bzzt. Wrong. The rods are fine, there's some other engineering that is slightly suspect. See http://www.bowflex.com/misc/MRecall.asp for actual info. I'm awaiting my kit. I have had one for about a year. It'd probably be a great tool if I used it. It works great as a hatrack as far as I'm concerned My wife loves working out on it though. My buddy has had one for a couple of years and swears by it. The resistance isn't the same as free weights, because it comes on in a progressive curve rather than being all there at once. Right after I bought my XLTU with all the toys they started offering a cut-price one at retail stores. Check for it at your local sporting goods store and see what you think. The retail one doesn't have the rod capacity that the online one do. Get the moving pervis bar, it does help. I wouldn't bother going to ebay for one, because they hold their value pretty well and I don't know how bowflex will handle the recall with them.
Back in 80's, I had Bull Worker & Soloflex (remember, "no pain, no gain"). When I saw Bowflex at Sam's, it reminded me of Soloflex. It did work to firm up muscle & toning, but took more time than free weight exercise. I go moderate to not snap the bow, then it take more time. I go for more load, then by the end of 2nd set, I let a bow snap. In any work-out, a form is very important, I think. I'm sure Bowflex works, otherwise, it won't be this popular & gone in short time. (like the thing vibrates on your tummy to lose fat. what happened to that?) Tried to do some set w/ demo, and see how it works for you. Store people can help how to use it right, too. I used to collect those fitness devices (that's my wife said) & what I still like is free weight, bike & roller thing. Rest of my collection are all in a media room. (my family use it while watching movies) Yoshi
The key to any fitness program, regardless of your specific goals, is consistancy. So if you like the equipment you are using or program you are following chances are you will be more likely to make it a part of your lifestyle and find some level of success with it. I've found with excersize equipment, that I know almost immediately whether or not I like it when I try it. Is there a place you can go and try one out? WHat about getting a day pass to a local gym and trying out some of the machines and free weights there. A lot of people who train at home get great results with a power rack, a good adjustable bench, and a 300 lb. Olympic set. Which is probably not much more than a bowflex. My .02 ......
Consistency (to anything) is the key. Having a roomate in college that tried it out for the 6 week trial period allowed me to try it out for a few weeks. Prior to using it, I was far from a gym rat as my gym time consisted primarily of lower body lifting (Soccer) and healthy doses of cardio. When I would try to work out with free weights, I just couldn't stick with it for longer than 6 weeks. I attributed this to; not seeing much progress/fighting for machines with various Arnolds/the crazy (read: nocturnal) schedule of an Architecture student, etc. Fast foward to this past summer. I had already bought a treadmil, had a bike (another story altogether) and was interested in (finally) working on my long neglected upper body. I pulled the trigger and bought the PowerPro (the bread and butter model). The Bowflex came with a pretty extensive booklet of workouts/eating plans/nutritional guidlines,etc. Using this booklet, I started off with the 6 week "Fat loss" challenge. Within the first 3 weeks, I noticed clothes were starting to get bigger. At the conclusion of the 6 weeks, I repeated the workout again. Following that, I moved on to the "Better body" workout for another 6 weeks. I am now in my 4th week of the "Body Building" program; a 3 day on 1 day off affair. It kicks my ass at times, but I am (for the first time) noticing definition in my arms/shoulders/pecs. Now keep in mind I still do my cardio routines in addition to my Bowflex workouts. In the "6 week challenge" they advise you NOT to do any other activity, but I just have to run. I haven't weighed myself during all of this, but at the start of using the bowflex, I was stuck at a 38 pant (6'-0"). I'm now zeroing in on a 34 size and hope to get to a 32 before too long. There will always be more the one way to get things accomplished, but for me, it works. I actually look forward to using it, enjoy the fact that I can get a cardio workout from it, appreciate that it promotes good posture, and that I'm getting results. I have committed (along with healthy eating) to making this part of my lifestyle. To summarize, if your tired of free weights and looking for other options, it may be worth pursuing. Good luck, Paul