Bowflex Extreme for a tall man

mrandolph69

I am thinking about getting a Bowflex Extreme. I have two concerns:

(1) I am 6'9" tall and I need to know if it is something I would even fit on, and

(2) I currently exceed the 300 pound maximum weight limit by almost 40 pounds (although I hope not to do so for too much longer.) Is this really a concern? I have an exercise bike with the same limit and it works just fine.

If anyone thinks this would not work and has another home gym option I would love to hear it. Thanks.

tomomatic

I've been looking at different Bowflex machines and the BioForce. I'm uncomfortable with the "power rods" because I feel they'll snap and then I'll have a metal spike flung into my wall or something. I feel better about "spiral flex plates" because at least the rubber bands are contained... but they are still rubber bands and will lose elasticity.

The pistons in the BioForce have to be replaced periodically. Unfortunately, BioForce also has a 300lb weight limit but I assume that only applies to the bench that comes attached. If you have a seperate bench, you can always just slide that in place.

My problem has been finding a floor model to try out. I'd like to have some confidence about how sturdy it is before I put money down. Sporting goods stores are carrying more free weights these days and less of these "gimmick" home gyms. Around New Years these should become more readily available.

donrdon

I'm just over 6' tall and have the Extreme. I think you might have some problems with it as I find for some of the exercises the range of movement is limited. So I use free weights for for some exercise. As far as quality it's a really good machine. You definitely want to try one though before buying though.

mrandolph69

I'm just over 6' tall and have the Extreme. I think you might have some problems with it as I find for some of the exercises the range of movement is limited. So I use free weights for for some exercise. As far as quality it's a really good machine. You definitely want to try one though before buying though.

Thanks for the advice. I found one on Cragislist in my area and went to check it out this morning. Surprisingly, I had very little problem with it and am probably going to buy it. The one I really want is the Bowflex Revolution but it is out of my price range and I don't have room for it anyway. Oh, well.