Opinions needed

[Christina7806]

I have worked out at home during my entire weight loss journey. I have used a combination of barbells, dumbbells, and bodyweight exercises. I have made great progress. Recently, I have been wanting to add some kind of home gym and have been looking at a decently priced bowflex as I am not too impressed with weight stack gyms. Does anyone here use them or have an opinion on them?

[Lydia227]

Hi Christina,

I don't have any experience with with home gym equipment. I work mostly with free weights as well as some cable machines at the gym. I just wanted to say Congratulations on your weight loss! Very well done, especially for doing your workouts from home.

[Mel]

Wow! Congrats on your weightloss!

I found the older traditional bowflex just plain annoying. It takes so much time to switch the rods around for different exercises that most people don't bother to use it. The new Bowflex Revolution looks intriguing- but expensive!

Mel

[Goodbye Chubby]

I'd also like to congratulate you on the amazing progress you've made.

In my opinion, most of the exercises you can do with a home gym can be done with dumbbells and a stability ball. I have a gym membership, but the only lifting equipment I use is the squat machine. For everything else (presses, butterflies, hyperextension, etc.) I use the ball. I had gotten a few videos to learn the proper methods and then adapted my own workout routine. A rubber ball is a lot less expensive than a home gym.

If you're set on a home gym, I personally prefer the feel of free weights. I've used a machine with some rubber band-like contraptions and the movements felt awkward and unnatural. I've seen the bowflex commercials and I've always felt skeptical, although I've never tried one.

Happy hunting.

[Mel]

If you want to be able to do heavier exercises, my suggestion would be a power cage with a cable driven lat pull down attachment. I agree with GoodbyeChubby that you can do just about anything with a ball, dumbbells and a barbell and some weight plates. Except squat heavy or bench press heavy (not such a great idea anyway!) The cage lets you do both safely.

Mel

[tooaud2]

Congratulations on your weight loss!!! I too work out at home with free weights (when I can get the motivation) and I agree with the others that free weights are probably the best way to work out. I have read a huge amount of fitness magazines and websites and the majority opinion that I've seen has been that the Bowflex is not as good as free weights. Check out some of the weightlifting sites like bodybuilding.com and leanandstrong.com. My husband and I are always looking for a new machine or equipment that will motivate us to exercise and we have been very tempted to buy a bowflex then I read in a weightlifting magazine, I think it was Muscle and Fitness, that you can't get as good of a workout on them as with freeweights.
I just have to remind myself that I don't need all those fancy gadgets to get a great workout. I just need to put my mind into it and jusst do it.