An Unpaid, Unpaid Review of the Bowflex Revolution: What Bowflex Doesn’t Tell You

I recently purchased Bowflex’s newest entry to the home gym market: Revolution.

Before we begin, I want to let you know that I am not a Bowflex employee, never have been. I am not compensated for this item; I am just a fitness enthusiast who wanted to share my experience with you so that you can make a smart purchase decision when it comes to this unit.

I was disappointed that you couldn’t test the machine before you bought it – I bought a Smooth Fitness elliptical that missed the mark about a year ago without getting a chance to use it first, but that’s another item. I highly recommend that you use and feel comfortable with any exercise equipment before investing in it. In Bowflex’s case, that’s not possible, something executives should seriously think about. Bowflex lets you test the machine for 6 weeks, but let’s be honest, the machine comes in five giant boxes. Repacking all equipment in the exact boxes it came in and preparing it to be shipped will be an arduous and painful task that I do not wish on anyone.

Before making any purchasing decisions, I suggest you search online for unbiased reviews like this one. Seek the opinions of professional and amateur coaches like me. Here are a couple of points that I thought you should know before you decide to buy …

The Bowflex Revolution would be a good option for you:

If you have a home office or if you want comfort

If you don’t like fighting primetime crowds at the gym, which start to build up around 5:00 p.m. and go until 7:30 p.m.

If you have a large space in your house

If you are an intermediate or advanced user, or have a professional trainer, get started; I’ve been lifting weights for years and it took a little getting used to

If you are strong or do not plan to move the machine: this machine is heavy and bulky. It has a folding function, but it requires a good amount of stamina. Moving and folding the machine can be dangerous for most people, my suggestion is that you do not move or fold it unless necessary; even then, be careful.

PROS:

The overall range of motion was quite smooth, there was constant resistance throughout the exercise, for many of the exercises I found it to be comparable to professional gym equipment.

Versatility: If you are an experienced weight trainer, the number of exercises and variations is only limited to your imagination.

Convenience: No, Revolution can’t compete with going to the gym, but if this is what you have to work with, it’s the best option.

The machine makes little noise.

Customer service was friendly and easily accessible.

The plates are compact and extremely light.

CONS:

• Bulky and heavy machine, do not move or lift unless necessary
• Changing accessories and adding plates can be a bit of a hassle, but it can make it faster over time. Don’t be fooled by the commercials and the DVD, it is not that easy to move from one exercise to the next, but it will get faster over time.
• There is a learning curve with the exercises, please be patient when you first get the machine. It took me about 2-3 training sessions before I started to feel comfortable and efficient.
• The markings on the plates should have been more obvious. The graphics look good on the plates, but the numbers should have been larger so they can be read from a distance. Perhaps they could have been color coded.
• He often had to check how much weight he had on each side of the machine; too bad there wasn’t a display on the front of the machine to tell you how much resistance there was in each arm.
• Bowflex is slow to ship the order, they indicated they would provide an email and phone call when the unit shipped; in my case, they didn’t.
• Putting the Revolution took about 1.5 to 2 hours. It takes some ingenuity and effort to get everything assembled. When I finished, I needed a shower and a long rest.
• The bench has only 2 positions: inclined and flat, with no variations between them
• Putting on the Foot Platform Leg Press Attachment is a pain in the rear. It is bulky and heavy. For some people, placing the footrest can be dangerous.

Here is the bottom line:

Can the Bowflex compete with the machines found at your local gym? But to be fair, the Bowflex, while a bit bulky, doesn’t require 3,500 square feet to be effective.

The Revolution is the best home exercise machine in its price and size range.

Yes, knowing what I know now about the Revolution, I still would have bought it. It was a headache to set up, find space, and learn how to use it, but I think it’s a quality machine. There are certainly a few downsides to the machine, but for under $ 3000 and it still fits in a normal size home – this was a good buy for the intermediate / advanced fitness enthusiast who can’t hit the gym or wants to supplement his / her training. I hope this article has been useful to you, good luck in your decision.