I'm looking for a home gym and am leaning towards the Bowflex. I know nothing works as well as free weights but I was wondering how effective the Bowflex is. Will I be wasting my money or is it a good purchase? If you have had any experience with a Bowflex please give me your feedback.

Whats up !!

You would be wasting your money on a Bowflex. I have a friend who has one so I am talking from experience(it's good for toning not for building). The Bowflex corp has a very good marketing team but what they dont tell you is that all of the people you see on their commercial, built their bodies by using free weights. Also if you notice, all of the normal people who are on that video like Bary Ozer(not Randy the marketing guy), Not one of them looks like they even touched a weight(which might be ok for some!!) If you have the room in you house, I recommend that you get a power rack and some weights. I bought one new and it cost me about $1000 for the whole thing(lat pull down ect.) which is about what you would pay for the bowflex (without the lat bar!) Also if i were to purchase a home gym again, I would look at ads in the newspaper because there are people practically giving them away. By the way, my friend who owns the bowflex looks the same. I have gained 20 lbs of muscle using free weights and I might add, that I dont have good genetics!!

bowflex is garbage,all of sudden this has been a question everyone has been asking because they have alot of commercials out recently,it is GARBAGE,i got it when i was 13,used it 3 months ,then wene to free weights, if someone would pay me 50 dollars i would sell my bowflex to them instantly, i live in nortern california if yor interested

best thing is to go to the gym,if u must workout at home, u should get STURDY weight bench ,also something where u can do seated press,alot of them look sturdy but or not,they should be bolted down

I'm reading these posts and I dont understand... I purchased my bowflex about a year ago and am VERY satisfied. I was 217 6'1 and now am a lean 178 and rising. I have built plenty of muscle and get compliments on my chest and arms from many women =). I used to go to drive to the gym religiously and train with free weights. Yes I do agree that the ABSOLUTE BEST way to build muscle is with free weights, but I will say that for the average guy that doesn't need to look like the guy on the cover of muscle and fitness mag it will do the job very well. Workouts are very quick and I actually find that I sweat more on the bowflex than at the gym. Also remember that your diet is going to play a key role in how well you do, be it gaining muscle, losing fat, or even toning. I highly recommend the Bowflex to anyone that is trying to get lean and ripped. It is very easy to use, does the job remarkably well and you dont have to take the realistic whole 2-2 1/2 hour extraveganza (driving to gym etc) to workout! In fact you can be done, start to finish in under an hour. I hope this helps if not oh well and good luck on your decision.

then u probably have great genictics and can grow doing pull ups push ups and bodyweight excercisees

I agree with chillin. I think you are very lucky to have made that much progress with the Bowflex. Just take a look at the commercial-- Everyone who endorses the product looks normal to me ( i meen the everyday people that they show like Barry ozer. In my opinion, Barry has lost weight but he is certainly not toned he could have gotten the same results by riding a bike and dieting) I just dont see results there and in my friends case he diets pretty strictly and has not gotten any results from using the Bowflex. Well thats not entirely true, he has toned up a bit but it doesnt look like he lifts weights. If toning is what you after, then I guess the bowflex will work

I understand how you can't get the same results from a Bowflex as you can free weights, but are you guys saying that I won't get any stronger or any bigger with the Bowflex. My goal is to get stronger and ripped, I would like to gain some size but not a ton of bulk. I really don't want to join a gym, I would like to be able to work out at home. Is there any way that this is possible.

What's up!!
If you want to workout at home and you have the space, you can buy a power rack with a lat attachment and some weights for about a $1000 brand new or you could check your local newspaper or a paper called the buy and sell and buy the same setup used for a bargain . I find that some people practically give away fitness equipment because they dont use it and they want it out of there house. The power rack will let you lift weights without a spotter. It has pins on the side that you can adjust so that you can train and not worry about dumping the weight on yourself. You can do every body part with it! If space is an issue, you can get a incline/decline bench and some dumbells and your are ready to go!! You can work your legs by doing lunges or you can get a bench with a leg attachment. I'm sure that you could make progress using the Bowflex but I feel that free weights are the way to go. By the way if your set on buying the Bowflex, check Ebay, they have plenty of them!!

yea if u must workout at home just buy a home free weight s set like gainer said

u said u want to get stronger and ripped, if u want to the riped look its gonna be much harder to do that working out at home, because the gym has alot of equipment that targets specefic parts of muscles(hack squats),and when u have the whole muscle devopled it looks better, but free weights will defintitly make u stronger and have a more ripped look than bowflex

If I'm going to get free weights what exactly would I need. I don't want a cheap bench that doesn't feel sturdy and won't hold up. Keep in mind that space is an issue for me so I need equipment that won't take up a whole lot of room and doesn't cost a fortune. Thanks for your help.

I agree with Rain...

Bowflex IS the best!!! I went to the gym religously for about 8 months in order to get "ripped". No problems.

Wanted to be able to stay home so I got a Bowflex...rate of improvement hasn't fallen off at all!!!

msurtees - have you been able to gain any strength or size using the bowflex?

Don't believe people with one post (Rain,msurtes) I've found on other boards those with very few posts are usually pushing a product.

Like everyone who's in the know, forget about the bow-toy.

Boflex, is good, but not as effictive as free weights, in most cases. Boflex was made to save the average american money, and to save space in their home. It was made to get "fat america" off their butts. This product is great for the person who is too embarassed, or does not have the time to go to the gym