Are Bowflex really worth it?

SereneRose
SereneRose Posts: 500 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!

Need loads of opinions, this is my money we're talking about here. :laugh:

I live in London, UK and began Chalean Extreme last week and loving it especially the heavy lifting.

I have a set of 1.5kg, 3kg and 5kg dumbbells and I mostly use the 5's until I begin to fatigue and go down to the 3 to finish the set then back upto 5 but I'm beginning to really envy the one's Chalene is using and want a set of my own. I've looked around and cheapest I've seen for Bowflex are £250 including delivery for the 552, I've also seen a non branded set with the same weight and cheaper by approx £60.
I'm conflicted, should I bite the bullet and pay for the dearer brand or go cheap and cheerful?

If you've used Bowflex great to have an opinion on the pros and cons.

Thanks :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    No, they aren't.

    \thread
  • remisenforme
    remisenforme Posts: 180 Member
    No, they aren't.

    \thread

    What would you suggest instead? Looking for something that is very quickly and easily adjustable during the video.
  • SereneRose
    SereneRose Posts: 500 Member
    Bump!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    I have (and use) a set of the Bowflex 5/52s. I can't speak to the cheaper ones, but the Bowflex are very good, solid adjustable dumbbells. I have no complaints whatsoever with them and consider them well worth what I paid for them. I lift 3x/week with them and they've held up very well. No, I wouldn't advise dropping/slamming them around, as they won't tolerate that as well as conventional solid dumbbells would - but they hold up to realistic workouts just fine. They also take up a lot less space and cost a lot less than an entire set of solid dumbbells in the same weight range.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    No.

    deadlift
    squat
    overhead press
    bench

    can't do any of those proper.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    We have one, and no. Don't ever use it anymore. I prefer a gym with a barbell and plates.
  • pgp90xer
    pgp90xer Posts: 219 Member
    I love mine! I get so many questions from people that are over asking what they are. I got mine with the really cool stand so it takes very little space. The price you pay is nothing compared to getting ALL those dumbbell sets say 5lbs up to 55lbs. As mentioned you do have to be a little gentle with them, they are not made out of steel so I do not let my kids near them. And as far using them during a workout program where you want to switch between a variety of weights quickly they are priceless, I save some much time and do not have to pause my workout to switch weight plates around.

    Hope this helps.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    All of the reviews I've read comparing it to the Powerblocks (which are comparably priced and can be expanded up to 130 lbs if you so wish) indicate that the Powerblocks are a far superior product. So if you're considering getting adjustable dumbbells, strongly recommend Powerblocks instead of Bowflex SelectTechs.
  • SilkyHotspur
    SilkyHotspur Posts: 233 Member
    N18...represent!!

    oh, sorry....umm, no...save your money.

    I would invest in a couple of things...

    1. adjustable dumbbells
    2. Swiss ball (big exercise ball)
    3. Adjustable bench...

    with those three things, you can pretty much do anything you want....
  • JDMRoma
    JDMRoma Posts: 46 Member
    I have the Selectechs 552s and absolutely LOVE THEM they are the best money I have spent other than P90X !!
    I have had them for just over a year without any problems.

    The power blocks seemed more difficult to change the weights when i was comparing them side by side in the store....clunky came to mind and not anywhere near as slick as the Bowflex dumbbells. Get the Stand too and save your back and be able to move them around when your not working out.

    Great Product !! LOVE THEM !!

    Just my $.02 !!!


    John
  • JDMRoma
    JDMRoma Posts: 46 Member
    N18...represent!!

    oh, sorry....umm, no...save your money.

    I would invest in a couple of things...

    1. adjustable dumbbells
    2. Swiss ball (big exercise ball)
    3. Adjustable bench...

    with those three things, you can pretty much do anything you want....

    The OP is asking about the Dumbells !! Not the System !!
  • Nan_
    Nan_ Posts: 83 Member
    We have both, but my husband just uses the bowflex and let me tell you, he is buff!:blushing:
  • SereneRose
    SereneRose Posts: 500 Member
    Loving the opinions. When I get into an acticity I wanna own everything that comes with it until I tire of "playing" with them lol.
    I'm kind of swaying towards buying the Bowflex I love the fact I can switch the increments down by a 1lb when I feel failure come on instead of dropping by a couple more.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    We have the Bo-Flex Ultimate 2 and it's worth every penny we spent on it. We have used it VERY much. We also have the Bo-Flex dial a dumbbell and LOVE these.

    Here's why we bought it: We were paying a high family gym membership and every year the price increased and the number of memberships increased. We couldn't get ON a machine if we went, couldn't get IN a class when we went, so we were spending $190/month for nothing (unless we wanted to work out in the middle of the night which we didn't)

    We created our own home gym; we have those items above, a treadmill, stationary bike, stability ball, we also have some smaller dumbbells. The dial a dumbbells are especially nice because I'm a girl, I don't have a lot of upper body strength, my husband (and son when he's here) tends to have the dumbbells set to 50's or 55s; with the dial a dumbbell, no problem with the free weights..I have to take the plates off to get down to what I want...too much time wasted, not interested.

    Our Bo-Flex allows you to do more than 90 exercises; you can use as little as 5 lbs and as much as 310. Now if that isn't enough weight, you can actually get additional bands to increase the amount of weight (it's enough for us). I can do pull ups, pull downs, squats (did I mention it has a squat machine on it?), you can do rows, you can turn it into a rowing machine, you can do standing flies, laying down flies, the bench can be elevated or flat, you can do leg curls, leg extensions, there's an attachment for you feet to do leg work, you can work your arms from below or above. It's very versatile and I highly recommend it. We've had it for 7 years and through 2 moves and it is used at least 3x per week by me, about the same or by my husband and if my son was still at home he would still be using it as well.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I do like the idea, but think I could only justify it if I was incredibly short on space - the floor standing stand I've seen takes up enough space that you could fit a good 12 dumbells in, say.

    Me, if I get around to setting up a gym section again, I'd be looking to get maybe 3 sets of dumbells and just having these set to the weights I use. Still come out a load cheaper (helps I've already got the weights, though have misplaced most of the bars) and even more convenient as it's a case of putting down the one I'm holding and picking up the one with the weight for the next exercise.
    Happy to up the weights a little at a time once a week or whatever, providing I'm not swapping around every exercise.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    If you are certain you are in for the long haul then get a power rack with pullup bar, adjustable bench, barbell, weight plates, plate tree, floor padding. If not then work out at a gym until you are certain.
  • roduk
    roduk Posts: 43 Member
    it depends how much you'll use them. if it means not taking up a gym membership then yeah they could be worth it. great for p90x :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    No.

    deadlift
    squat
    overhead press
    bench

    can't do any of those proper.
    Really? Since when can't one do any of those exercises with dumbbells?
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Yea; I generally prefer to do that sort of thing with dumbells anyway because it's safer (not going to drop them on your neck, or a lot less likely to) and means that each arm definitely does the same work. Also adds that bit more control needed to keep them straight etc.

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