Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym

I have been a personal fitness trainer for many years and at first I too was a skeptic about the whole resistance rod thing. I have read other reviews where people who bought this particular unit say that 210lbs is not enough weight to get a good work out.

I would suggest to those of you who think you need more weight than that to try slowing the motion of your reps on whatever exercise you are doing way, way down. Say for instance you are doing bicep curls: As you curl up, do so with a slow count of 8. At the bottom of the movement start the count at one, then SLOWY curl it up to the top of the movement ending on eight, then do the same on the way back down to the bottom of the movement to get the negative resistance, which makes each single rep more like two reps both positive and negative, up then down.

This will cause you to have to MUSCLE the weight up and down as opposed to using momentum. I would also suggest that you try working each muscle group to failure if you can handle it. This method can make 20lbs seem like 50 after just two sets if you do it correctly. Mind you, you will be so very soar, but in a good way and the results will no doubt satisfy.

This just arrived today. Took about 2 hours to assemble, but it''s pretty easy. I almost bought this from another site, because they were going to assemble it (would''ve been 200 extra dollars for that) and I am very glad I did it myself.

This unit is extremely sturdy and well put together. I was a bit nervous to buy this because I have young kids I did not want to trash it. Believe me, they couldn''t! This is far too well-designed and durable.

Worked out for about an hour, and I love it. Lots of exercises you can do (both muscular and cardio) and you can really feel it.

As others have noted on other models, I can see how the weights (200 lbs) might not be enough, but I am not looking to become the Incredible Hulk. This unit is perfect to stay fit and not let those holiday meals get the upper hand.

I really recommend this to anyone who wants to work at home and does not want to be bored with the same old routine (treadmill, stationary bike, etc.)

Great job, Bowflex!

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I assembled this Bowflex in less than two hours without any difficulty. The build quality is very good, and the manual is rich with information for configuring a work-out. After one week of use, however, I regret my purchase. This unit''s maximum resistance cannot be upgraded. It''s rated for 210 lbs, but it doesn''t even come close to that free-weight equivalent. The resistance numbers are arbitrary. For example, the resistance of a combination of a 30 lb and a 20 lb rod feels half as heavy as a 50lb rod. I am athletic but not massive, and I could bench the entire "210 lbs". Biceps curls and triceps pushdowns are fine. For leg exercises, the weight is inadequate, period.

This machine offers aerobic activity in addition to strength training. It just doesn''t offer the resistance for body building. That said, using this machine has convinced me that Bowflex and resistance technology could offer a good strength workout, just not in this limited configuration. I recommend the PR3000.

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I absolutely love this item. I lost 7 pounds in the first five days and after almost one month the only times I cheated was when I worked out on my "off days."

Assembly was quick and easy. I was done in about an hour and a half and was and remain more than satisfied with the quality of this machine. I am very impressed with the it''s design and engineering.

The bad news is I broke a rod on my first rep of my first exercise. That didn''t bother me too much as it was fairly easy to use the machine without one rod. Also, the service department was quick to respond.

The only other drawback is that there is not enough weight to work the legs. However, I imagine it won''t be too difficult to get a rod pack offering more resistance.

Bottom line is the drawbacks of this machine are minor and are vastly outweighed by the numerous advantages. I have combined the Bowflex workout with a daily walk, improved diet and hydration and have seen quick and dramatic results.

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This review is broken into the following sections:

* Ordering and Shipping

* Assembly

* Exercises

* The Machine

Ordering and Shipping:

I purchased this for a good price via Amazon. Shipping went well, product arrived in a timely manner.

Assembly:

I assembled the machine yesterday. For a short woman in her 50''s whose only "helper" was her dog, I found the assembly went pretty well (4 hours). In a couple of places the instructions could have been a bit clearer. I can see how assembly would have been a snap if I had had a different helper or if I were taller or if I already had a bowflex body :-) for tightening down all the bolts but all it all, assembly wasn''t too bad.

Exercises:

The machine includes an Owner''s Manual which describes two things.

1. Various exercise routines (list of exercises) you can follow depending on your goals and current level of fitness. These purport to be aligned to adhere to the 20 mins-per-day, 3 days-per-week mantra that is part of their advertising.

2. A title of each exercise, the equipment to use for the exercise, and a drawing attempting to depict the movement being done in the exercise. This is the first place where I found the "system" to be lacking. Not having been a gym rat, I had had only minimal previous experience with gym equipment and the drawings aren''t clear what movement is expected. They also provide a card that gives the initial and final position for some of the exercises, but again, no information on what one is to do to get from A to B. Between the manual, the card, and a few videos out on the Internet, I could figure out what most of the exercises are, but this area is sorely lacking. Since this is supposed to be an entry-level machine, it would have been expected that Bowflex would provide better guidance in this area. So I docked them one star for this.

The Machine:

The machine itself appears to be of good quality. And after the first workout, I am sore, which is what''s to be expected. But I am an overweight, out-of-shape, 50-yr-old woman and even I could Leg Press the full weight (210lbs) on my first workout. And unfortunately, as others have observed, you cannot upgrade the PR1000.

This seems to me to be the second drawback, for which I docked them their second star. Coupled with the relatively low maximum weight, I could see the inability to upgrade being a big limitation for most men and any strong woman who is already in great shape. If that''s you, I would skip this machine and spend the money on another model or plan to supplement it.

Since I don''t come anywhere near to maxing out the weight for any of the upper-torso exercises, the machine is still very useful to me. If my upper body is able to max it out in a year or two I will be delighted. But for a really effective full-body workout, I''ll have to pull out my old "Thighs of Steel" and "Buns of Steel" videos to supplement my treadmill/Bowflex regimen.