Owners with the bowflex max trainer.

lafitnessguy12345
lafitnessguy12345 Posts: 1
edited December 18 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I am thinking of purchasing the bowflex max trainer m3, but I haven't seen much reviews on it. There are a few but i'm not quite sure if there legit or not. For those with the max trainers please inform me with your thoughts. Was it well worth it or not? And how is the build quality? I've used the search function but there's not many topics on it. Thanks.

Replies

  • vleblanc28
    vleblanc28 Posts: 6 Member
    Just curious whether you purchased the M3 or not? I am thinking about getting one, but I would love to hear some real feedback
  • lolamuscio
    lolamuscio Posts: 4 Member
    Same here. How loud is it? I live a very thin walled apartment and I am planning to buy the m5? Do You Think It Would Wake Someone Out Of Their sleep?
    Thanks
  • Bunnie_Rex
    Bunnie_Rex Posts: 63 Member
    I just started using my M5 and I know I wont soon tire of this machine. Lola, the machine will definitely wake anyone in the room with you and will be heard through interior walls but I doubt it will disturb someone next door to you......if you are upstairs, your downstairs neighbor might complain. The sound comes from your motion and sounds like a fan....if you move pretty quickly on it, its a steady sound, but Im still building up to that so it sounds like the whoosh of a jump rope....
  • kc5grw
    kc5grw Posts: 12 Member
    I just received my M5 yesterday. I guess I didn't think it to be all that loud. Yes, it would probably wake someone sleeping in the same room but hearing it through the walls? Maybe as much as you hear conversations muted through walls. I've logged 550 miles walking(3 miles/day) in Runkeeper since May and my cardio stamina is greatly improved and I thought my leg strength was pretty good as well. Damn, was I wrong. The leg motion on this thing is basically a stair step. It can kick your *kitten* pretty quick. Definitely gets the heart rate up quickly and keeps it high for maximum efficiency during the workout. I tried their SMART MAX workout for a few minutes. I did not make it close to their 14 minute program time. I will definitely need a couple weeks or so on some of the lower intensity workouts before attempting that one again.

    A couple things I've noted so far though.
    1. The chest strap HRM seems to have issues maintaining a link with the M5.
    2. Calorie burn estimates are low. My Beets BLU linked with Digifit was showing anywhere from 3-5 calories/minute faster burn based on heart rate. I'm not sure if the M5 will give actual HRM calorie burns because the chest strap would not maintain a consistent link.
    3. Setup was actually pretty easy. The manual is easy to follow and the Maxtrainer comes with all the tools you need to assemble it.
  • lolamuscio
    lolamuscio Posts: 4 Member
    Awesome thanks a lot for the feedback. How long did it take for you guys to receive it?
  • kc5grw
    kc5grw Posts: 12 Member
    I received mine within a week after ordering it. I know from reading comments on various sites earlier in the year it was taking weeks/months to get them when they first came out and demand was outstripping supply
  • mail2smitty
    mail2smitty Posts: 1
    Would agree with the moderately loud fan noise description, not likely to disturb through walls. Occasionally the rollers on the bottom near the footrests will squeak - remedy with silicone lubricant spray (i.e. something OK for plastics).

    Kc5grw - regarding the flaky chest strap HRM, same here. Opened the battery cover and found rust - unit was one week old. Have read of others with same problem. Replaced the Bowflex unit with a Polar T31 non-coded chest strap HRM - works great so far. The Polar unit is sealed / designed to be replaced instead of battery maintenance, maybe some wisdom to that design...
  • lepnat
    lepnat Posts: 33 Member
    Agree with the folks who mentioned how challenging the M5 is. I've been using it for a little over a month and am still only on Resistance Level 2 in the Steady State mode (30 minutes). Cannot speak to the HR monitor since I've never bothered to use it.

    As for noise, it certainly isn't quiet. I need to set my IPod volume up pretty high when listening to podcasts. But my guess is the noise I'm making during my workout is louder and more unpleasant.
  • kc5grw
    kc5grw Posts: 12 Member
    mail2smitty - I don't think it's an issue of accessible or non-accessible battery. I have another Polar chest strap HRM that I've had for 15 years and have never had a problem with it. I would probably still use it but it doesn't play with my iPhone

    I really wish they had gone a bit further with the M5 and actually done something useful with the HRM such as incorporating your actual heart rate into the calorie burn tracking. What I've seen so far is that the displayed calories on the M5 are woefully inaccurate. Typically by 100 or more calories at the end of a 30 min workout. The numbers displayed are low so I guess that's better than being to high. I find that I like the combination of my BeatsBlu and Digifit to be better although I wish Digifit would improve their app so it could run in the background.
  • mets86champs
    mets86champs Posts: 64 Member
    We received our M5 a week ago. It took 3.5 weeks to receive it. After ordering it, I received an email saying it would take 2 to 4 weeks to ship. It comes in 2 boxes that were delivered 2 days apart. Assembling it was easy. All the tools come with it, and like someone else said the instructions are very easy to follow. Do not spend the $250 to have someone else assemble it.

    I agree with the person that said the leg movement is more like a stepper than an elliptical machine. I thought I was in pretty good shape but I'm not close to being able to try the extreme workout.

    We have our machine sitting on 2 2'x2' exercise pads. The type you can get at Walmart. I think that helps to deaden the noise. They are 1/4" thick so that helps block the noise to the floor below it. The fan does make noise but it doesn't annoy anyone else in the house.

    The iphone app stinks. Immediately after downloading it, it said that I had 8 workouts. The 1st page now says I have 7 more workouts then I've actually done, but the detail is correct.

    The M5 only allows 2 users. So when a family member uses my user # I have to delete it from the app. Before I ordered it, I asked customer service if there were any plans to change the software to allow for more users. There is no plan to do this.

    I also have a fitbit. I haven't figured out how to not get the calories burned to add twice in myfitnesspal. Does anyone else have this problem?
  • nikkolettesearle
    nikkolettesearle Posts: 3
    I bought one a few weeks ago but it takes forever for them to ship. Can't wait until it arrives though. I did get the M5.
  • mandisue992014
    mandisue992014 Posts: 1 Member
    edited June 2015
    I've had my M3 for about 3 months and used it as much as I could-usually 3 times a week. I do the 14 interval session each time but was wondering if anyone else does back to back sessions?

    I wear a New Balance HRM and it shows that if I do 30 minutes my heart rate stays high. If I wear it an hour (half hour after finishing) it shows up to 580 calories burned...but 30 minutes is tough and I eek out that last session watching the clock the whole time. If I do 14 minutes and wear it im usually only around 180-200 calories in the workout and then it gets up to the high 300s to 400 if I leave it on for a while after my workout. I have no idea of that's "good" or high enough to lose weight.

    Tracking calories on my fitness pal and usually just over 1200 daily. Lots of protein and a nice balance between carbs and fat.

    My schedule opens up in the summer so I started a strength routine too. I do the strength routine and the the 14 minute session after. The next day I do 30 minutes since its a "cardio" day.

    Just wondering if anyone is having great success and what they're doing with their machine to get there.

    Do you do it daily?

    I lost 10 pounds April to May but have only lost a few ounces since and no inch loss.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I've had my Bowflex M5 for a few months now and, at the moment, I prefer walking to using it. The reason is that my heart rate gets too high too fast on this machine. I can walk 3.5 miles and keep my heart rate at around 70% of MHR pretty easily. But on the Bowflex M5 I hit 90-100% MHR within about five minutes. I can compensate some of that by dropping to a lower resistance but even that seems to keep me around 90% MHR after a few minutes. I've never been able to try the MAX setting, right now I'm doing just the manual mode. Since I received my M5 I've lost almost 50 lbs, but I'll be honest, I only use the M5 1-2 times a week, and there are some weeks I'll go the whole week without using it at all because the weather is so nice for walking. I bought the M5 mostly for winter exercise, so I will likely use it 3-5 times a week once I can no longer walk but until then it's kinda collecting dust more than anything.

    As far as my heart rate going so high, keep in mind that I was so very out of shape when I received my M5. I could barely do 2 minutes on level 1 on the thing when it arrived, yet I could easily walk 2-3 miles at 4mph. So far the difficulty of the M5 is so high compared to walking that I'm able to burn many more calories by walking than using the M5. That won't always be the case as I have started lifting as well, and once I get my legs in better shape it'll probably be easier. But that doesn't seem to be happening at this point using it only once a week on average for 15 minutes. I still only make it 4-8 minutes on the M5 at level 10 before I have to pause, and walk around to get my heart rate back down. It's discouraging to work that hard to see so very few calories burned on the M5. I wonder sometimes if the calorie meter is way off on the thing.

    Bottom line, if you're very out of shape, I would suggest a Treadclimber over an M5 Max Trainer any day of the week. If you're in moderate shape, and need to work out in less time but don't need to burn more than 2-300 calories in 15 minutes then the M5 is probably for you. The one big (and this is a BIG bonus) bonus about the M3/M5 is that is has almost 0 impact on your joints. I have bad knees and a bad lower back (have had surgery on both) and the M5 doesn't aggravate those conditions. So in time if I work up to the better programs I may change my tune on the M5, but for me that'll be a year down the road or more.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    PS: I have had no issues on the build quality. It does tend to squeak a bit while using it after the first few weeks but I likely need to go around and tighten up bolts again (manual says to do this every so often). It's not enough to bother me though, I generally wear headphones while using it.

    Was the M5 worth purchasing.. depends on the person buying it. For me, at this very moment, no a Treadclimber would have been better. But going forward for the long term I'd say yes. Once I get into MUCH better shape it'll be a godsend and will save me tons of time for a quick workout. But I'll always need to mix in weight lifting with this thing as it really doesn't do much for your arms or upper body, its mostly legs.

    Funny thing, while I was waiting on the M5 to arrive (took about six weeks) I began walking to get myself into shape enough to use it. I worked up to 3.5 miles/day about 4mph. Thought I was in pretty decent shape when it arrived until I found out I could only do 2 minutes on the thing at level 1. Holy crap this thing will kick your butt! It was so hard to do it was disappointing. I think that factor alone kept me walking (which is a good thing) more often than using the M5. When fall hits I expect to transition into more use of the M5 instead of walking but until then, while the weather is nice, I don't expect to use it a whole lot.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Oh, pick up a Polar H7 heart rate monitor, the one that comes with the M5 is crap, or at least mine is. The H7 seems to work well with the M5 and I trust the apps I use more than the meter on the machine itself for calorie burn and heart rate. The app for the M5 tends to double dip when you interface with MFP. Dunno why. But every time I sync it with my phone and open MFP it says I've done double the exercise I actually did on the M5. So I have to go in and delete half of the exercise on MFP.
  • drapexnet
    drapexnet Posts: 3 Member
    M3 v M5 I bought an M5. I've seen several posts complaining about the build quality, plastic components, loose screws, squeeks on the M3. My impression is that the M5 is more solid and doesn't have or has less of these problems....here's hoping! Looking at the specs and programs I think the M5 is worth having over the M3...not sure that the additional programs etc of the M7 are worth it for me. Happy with my decision to go for the M5.

    WORKOUT. Yes it is a harder workout than most treadmills and ellipticals, but I am pretty unfit and overweight and I could still start at the lowest levels, and slowly now starting to move up. The workout can be extreme if you go to highest levels, it is based around HIIT High Intensity Interval Training so that is as it should be (research says you can get more benefits in very little time with HIT).

    HEART RATE MONITOR HRM I too have had issues with the HRM syncing or dropping out. It works one minute then next time I come to the machine it's gone and nothing seems to bring it back, until one day there it is again. I tried buying a Polar H7 strap....worked at first but then dropped out. I contacted customer support. They sent me a new strap and also a new receiver unit. When it wasn't working neither of these fixed the problem. It's now working again, so will be interesting to see if it continues. Can't help thinking that if it's not the transmitter or receiver then it must be either software fault (especially as others have it) or intermittent fault on the mainboard?

    I too get duplicate exercise records on MyFitnessPal..presumably one comes from Bowflex app and one from the polar heart rate monitor app Polar Flow? I think I prefer the Polar Flow - it charts heart rate for the whole period and you can download the data to Excel.

    As long as I don't have maintenance or reliability issues and can fix the HRM issue I think it's a really good machine. Excellent HIT workout (trying to do it on an exercise bike or elliptical varies from difficult to downright dangerous) and very good on joints etc
  • drapexnet
    drapexnet Posts: 3 Member
    Heart Rate HR monitor Problem Fixed.
    Just an update on the heart rate monitor issue which others might find useful. The polar H7 strap which has been working suddenly dropped out. It came back a day or two later, but then dropped out again. In this instance the HR monitor in the hand grips was working, and so was the Bowflex chest strap. So it seemed to be something to do with either interference or the bluetooth connection between the H7 and the M5. Troubleshooting with uninstalling/re-installing bowflex and polar apps, switching off wi-fi, switching off bluetooth on phones didn't do the trick. Then I removed the Bowflex HR chest strap and all other chest straps from the room, reset the M5 by switching off for 10 seconds and everything works as it should. It is hard to understand how a chest strap could affect things when it is not being worn (isn't it completely powered down at this point?). Does anyone know if using the Bowflex strap to see if it is working somehow "pairs" the strap and the machine making it difficult to "pair" with the H7?

    I'm not 100% convinced that this was the cause of the problem, or that it is now permanently fixed...however it's working and I'm happy about that after all the frustration, so thought I'd put this out there in case it works for you. If it drops out again I'll update the post.
  • mikehumphrey2
    mikehumphrey2 Posts: 1 Member
    to update this thread, as it gave me confidence to buy a Polar H7 to use with my Max Trainer M5: in late 2018 it looked like the H7 was being phased out in favour of the Polar H10, so I went ahead and bought an H10. I can confirm that it synced flawlessly with my Max Trainer M5 the very first time I used it, and it seemed accurate when I took my pulse right after a 10 minute workout. I'm happy that I'll be able to use the HRM functions with my M5.
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