# bowflex???



## nR_Kris (Apr 15, 2004)

do u guys think bowflex is worth it?


----------



## Monolith (Apr 15, 2004)

Not when you can get a two year gym membership for the price of one.


----------



## Budz08 (Apr 15, 2004)

DO NOT BUY THE BOWFLEX...it is the most expense clothes hanger I have ever bought. I got it when i new practically nothing about weight training so I was dumb enough not to ask anyone what they thought of it before hand. The wierd thing about the bowlfex is is that u will end up using more and more resistance on it as you progress through your workouts but as soon as you use some actual free weights that do work and add size, you wonder where all of your strength went from using the bowflex..I hope that what i wrote makes sense.


----------



## Sweep14 (Apr 15, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Budz08 *_
> DO NOT BUY THE BOWFLEX...it is the most expense clothes hanger I have ever bought. I got it when i new practically nothing about weight training so I was dumb enough not to ask anyone what they thought of it before hand. The wierd thing about the bowlfex is is that u will end up using more and more resistance on it as you progress through your workouts but as soon as you use some actual free weights that do work and add size, you wonder where all of your strength went from using the bowflex..I hope that what i wrote makes sense.


Exactly.  I have one and I had been working out with it for quite a while.  On it I could bench 180.  Then one day one of my friends wanted me to prove that I could put up 180, so I went to his house and barely put up 120  It's really weird like that.


----------



## derekisdman (Apr 15, 2004)

I've said this before:  The Bowflex DOES work, but Free Weights work about 10 times better, they're cheaper too.  So forget about the bowflex!


----------



## M.J.H. (Apr 15, 2004)

IMO, you get a much more efficient workout with freeweights than a Bowflex.


----------



## nR_Kris (Apr 16, 2004)

ok thnx alot for your replays


----------



## Mudge (Apr 16, 2004)

I think 410,000 Bowsucks were recalled due to safety issues causing injuries, if that is the exact number or not you'd have to search. Free weights are also significantly less expensive. I bought my Olympic set for $99.


----------



## Budz08 (Apr 16, 2004)

yea they recalled them because the lat tower was falling on people when they were using it and when the bench is in inclined position and people would be penching it can collapse one them. I got my recall slip in the mail about 2-3 weeks ago I'm not even going to bother sending it in.


----------



## dragon81 (Apr 17, 2004)

Freeweights are a lot better but if you got a bowflex and use it right you can make progress. Back in high school I didn't have access to a gym but had a bowflex at home (gift). After using the bowflex for about 3 months I actually went to a gym and saw quite a difference from the last time I had been in a gym using freeweights. Bench went from 135 to 185. But I wouldn't recommend getting a bowflex, they're really expensive and not as good as freeweights.


----------



## Eggs (Apr 17, 2004)

Dragon, starting off if you use any sort of work out equipment you will see benefits.  I personally think you'd make alot less progress use bow than free.  But yeah, they definitely arent as good as free weights


----------



## Rich46yo (Apr 17, 2004)

These kinds of home gymns have never really been popular with body builders because they just dont allow you to put on muscle mass like free weights do. I bought a soloflex in the early 80's, not long after they first came out. Frankly for the first 10 years or so I didnt use it much. I was single, had a gymn membership, and most of all had the time to use it. Then I got married, got injured bad at work, and started useing the soloflex for rehab.

                  The soloflex helped me a lot, "in fact I'll be on it in about 15 mins". No its not as good as free weights but I think such home gymns have their place. As long as you use them that is. I have a job where muscle strength is actually a pre-requisite for survival. Ive had a few street battles where that soloflex might have been the difference between living and dieing, and certainly between winning and loseing.

                     I'd have two recomendations for anyone about to buy one of these home machines. #1, Got to E-bay or look at your local newspaper and buy one used. Most of these machines end up as clothes racks for people who buy them thinking they are a "quick fix" to get them into shape. They use them twice and then sell them. You can get one for 1/2 the price of new ones.

                  My 2nd piece of advice is even if you buy one get a big dumbell tree and load it with free weight dumbells. Its important to go at the muscles with free weight as well as with the machine and will help you immensley. I do about 1/2 my workout with dumbells and the other 1/2 with my soloflex and have gotten much better results mixing the resistance..............Rich


----------



## Mudge (Apr 17, 2004)

The Bowflex can get to over $1,000 I'm told, thats insane.

I wont say its totally worthless, but free weights are somewhat "natural" and are PROVEN to work. While the Bowflex and many other late night "health fad machines" are out there to suck your wallet dry.


----------



## nR_Kris (Apr 17, 2004)

but u can do 92+ diff excersices thast what i like about it , to do all excersices u need big space+money (more than 2000$)


----------



## Burner02 (Apr 17, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by nR_Kris *_
> but u can do 92+ diff excersices thast what i like about it , to do all excersices u need big space+money (more than 2000$)


I only need 27.00 a month...
(gym membership)


----------



## Mudge (Apr 17, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by nR_Kris *_
> but u can do 92+ diff excersices thast what i like about it , to do all excersices u need big space+money (more than 2000$)



Bodybuilders dont need 92 different movements, neither do powerlifers or olympic lifters.

Basics build a body.


----------



## nR_Kris (Apr 17, 2004)

i see


----------



## Mudge (Apr 17, 2004)

If your goals are general fitness it might be a fine machine, other than being very expensive and something in the way in the homeplace.

But if you look at bodybuilders or even most models who lift, you see them in the gym lifting freeweights and using some machines, not rubber bands or bow-systems.

People always look for fancy pants solutions, when really all you need are the basics and consistency.


----------



## nR_Kris (Apr 17, 2004)

yeah, but if im gonna keep BB for the res of my life (i hope) at least 5 years more  i spend like 300 dlls per year @ my gym so 5x300 =1500 so i could own something for that u know what i mean?


----------



## Mudge (Apr 17, 2004)

I look at things like that all the time, I am NOT the kind of person who enjoys losing or spending money.

However, I have discovered:

#1 I need the gym atmosphere, ability to make noise with plates, and walk around from a machine or station without playing with weights (annoyance and labor), and I need lots of equipment

#2 Lots of equipment takes up space and costs money

#3 I HATE cheap equipment or relying on machines for everything, I refuse to lower my workout standards to own an inferior peice of equipment.

Ballys should be $19 a month
Powerhouse is $29 a month with a 1 year commitment
Golds Gym and 24 Hour Fitless are overcrowded
World Gym $40 and worth every damn penny (for me anyway) Not overcrowded, excellent equipment and lots of it. I've even made a couple lifting buddies there which helps keep me motivated.

I really dont believe a machine for 1 year or even 5 years is going to make a difference. I know some machines I like and many more I hate. If you end up not liking it, you made a huge mistake financially, where a gym if you decide to be lazy you can quit and not be out much financially.

I will not use the cables much other than for cable crossovers, so I dont feel that a fixated point cable system is appropriate for a full workout either even though it allows for SOME freedom where many machines allow for none. I was much happer as a young kid with a bench and a cheap set of free weights, it provided something that I enjoyed doing for a few years of my childhood. I dont believe at all it would have been the same with some modern day machine that someone scammed so much money out of me that I could have bought a car.

Mentally, for me going to the gym is like going to work. I am going there to do something, where as at home I am at home to relax, so it doesn't work for me very well lifting at home. Not enough equipment, too noisy, too much a pain to change weights/expense of energy, the list is too long.


----------



## Burner02 (Apr 17, 2004)

good post! ditto!
I like cables though.


----------



## nR_Kris (Apr 17, 2004)

well what can i say helpful tip bro thnx


----------



## Mudge (Apr 17, 2004)

I cringe when I see people doing bicep cable curls, then again hey it works for Markus Ruhl.


----------



## Burner02 (Apr 17, 2004)

I've tried them, I feel my delts being used too much. 
mostly bb  curls for this kid...


----------



## KiDNotorious (Apr 18, 2004)

i got my year gym membership for just $99


----------



## Monolith (Apr 18, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Mudge *_
> I cringe when I see people doing bicep cable curls, then again hey it works for Markus Ruhl.



haha, why?  I do them every once in a while... they seem alright.


----------



## Mudge (Apr 18, 2004)

I know, like I said they work for some people but I just dont like them myself and I think they look goofy.


----------



## Monolith (Apr 18, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Mudge *_
> I know, like I said they work for some people but I just dont like them myself and I think they look goofy.


----------



## schneider4 (Sep 28, 2004)

Sweep14 said:
			
		

> Exactly.  I have one and I had been working out with it for quite a while.  On it I could bench 180.  Then one day one of my friends wanted me to prove that I could put up 180, so I went to his house and barely put up 120  It's really weird like that.


 I have to agree with this sentiment.  At home on my Bowflex I currently bench (incline bench) 200 lbs x 8 reps (I could probably push out about 10 or so).  I do seated leg curls on the bowflex at 210 lbs x 8 reps.

I stopped into a gym (on a business trip) and lifted free weights for the first time in some years.  I was able to bench 8 reps at 145 lbs and do seated leg curls of 115 lbs x 8, so it seems to me that in pure comparison, a given resistance level on the bowflex is equivalent to about 2/3 as much on free weights.


----------



## tdockweiler (Sep 28, 2004)

*Bowflex is fine for many..*

Freeweights are the way to go though. Yes and don't be fooled that you can't work your entire body with some dumbells, a barbell and a bench. You can. 

I've used the Bowflex for a year and a half and lost over 100lbs with it. It's good for losing FAT. Anything to get that heart rate up to burn more calories. I could have done the same with any other method though, probably even walking every single day..ok, maybe not. I just didn't know it at the time. I really doubt you can gain any noticeable muscle with the Bowflex. Not me and I tried everything. 

Stupid me bought a Weider Crossbar later on and I used it for 6 weeks before upgrading to free weights with a bench. I've gotten much better results. If you have to go with the Bowflex just get the cheapest version they sell. You can find them for $500 I believe. I don't know why I thought a computerized rep counter/planner was a good idea. That thing never worked and it probably added $200 to the price. The Bowflex is simple and easy to use. The Crossbar is just a pain. I will say that the crossbar is of higher quality when it comes to how it's made. You won't be able to carry the box into the house with two people. The Bowflex is very light and takes up less room.

But if it wasn't for me getting that Bowflex way back then it's possible I might still be 300lbs if I didn't give anything else a try. If I did try free weights first, I probably could have lost the same amount of weight. Who knows..

My suggestion to most people now is to just spend $150-$400 on a bench and lots of weight. Just be sure to read up on how to do all the different types of exercises though first. I've know people who when they were young just constantly did barbell curls and bench presses and nothing else!!


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 1, 2004)

Bowflex is as good as weights, it's just that many lifters have a mental block. I used weights for decades before switching to a Bowflex. As already mentioned in previous posts about this subject, resistance is resistance. Many including me, prefer the smoother feel of the Bowflex, and IMO the more rigorous and even resistance gives me a better pump than weights.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 1, 2004)

At UPS we had a lot of weider crossbows shipped through us.  Sometimes we'd unload feeders with 20 or 30 of them.  Those things are enormously heavy, let me say; I hated having to see the cartoonish image of Joe Weider, bodybuilding's biggest fool, on the box.


----------



## boflexion (Oct 6, 2004)

*resistance training/hypertrophy*

Greetings All,

I have been forwarded to this "debate" via a fellow Boflex user.

The idea that only Free Weights will provide the stimulus to yield the desired mass gains is both outdated and inaccurate. Your muscles do not have Free Weight endorsement contracts and, as such, could care less if you are lifting/moving rods, plates, Gummy Bears or donuts. They only respond to an apropriate stimulus, when so recruited, and, thus, begin the process of hypertrophy. 

Anyone claiming to have used the Boflex to no effect is either fabricating a story or have used this piece of resistance technology improperly. 

Here's how it should be used: with PROPER form, following the guidelines listed by the various manuals; with the PROPER cadence-3/3/3/-for movement (three at the fully extended position, three in the paused position, and three at the FULLY contracted position).

Likewise, one must adhere to proper rest, intensity of workout (working out to failure on each rep./set) and allow for proper recovery time.

Bouncing up and down, using mommentum, as used with Free Weights (which I class as cheating), cannot be done on the "Flex" with the idea of gaining the desired results.

I doubt ther are many anywhere who can apply this detail to a Boflex workout and max out the 410lbs. of resistance package on most exercises (including leg exercises, again, when PROPERLY done).

Neither the "Flex" nor Free Weights have any monopoly on the process of hypertrophy, anymore than supplements have relative to natural foods.

Equally, it all depends on your goals and your GENETICS. The vast majority of bodybuilders WILL NOT achieve MIKE MENTZER'S (et al) physique because we lack the genetics required to do so.

Thanks for indulging me.


----------



## LAM (Oct 6, 2004)

Bowflex sucks ass.  

show my one person with 20" arms,  30" quads and a 60" chest who got that way using pussy ass power rods or bands or whatever that thing uses...


----------



## largepkg (Oct 6, 2004)

Priceless


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 6, 2004)

Lam has a certain monosyllabic charm. Weider berated Nautilus the same way, precisely for followers like Lam. If someone has the potential, trains hard with the Bow and diets properly, similar results will be seen in the future, with this and other futuristic machines. Open you minds, my small-minded ones. Joe loves ya, but it's time to smell the coffee.


----------



## LAM (Oct 6, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> Lam has a certain monosyllabic charm. Weider berated Nautilus the same way, precisely for followers like Lam. If someone has the potential, trains hard with the Bow and diets properly, similar results will be seen in the future, with this and other futuristic machines. Open you minds, my small-minded ones. Joe loves ya, but it's time to smell the coffee.



blah...blah...blah.....


----------



## LAM (Oct 6, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> If someone has the potential, trains hard with the Bow and diets properly, similar results will be seen in the future, with this and other futuristic machines.



So why don't you stop using free-weights buy a Bowflex take some before and after pictures and we will see how far you have progressed after a year ?


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 6, 2004)

Is the bowflex useful, and can one see results in the form of strength increases and hypertrophy as a result of using it?  I'm sure.

The question is, does the bowflex warrant the $800+ as opposed to the ~$250 that I have spent on my olympic bench & weights, adjustable olympic dumbells, pullup bar, and a few additional weights?  I think not.


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 6, 2004)

Amazing, the limited mentality..are you saying that the $250 free weight set allows you to easily go to failure, with no danger whatsover, the way i can on the Bow? Are you saying that the $250 set folds into a tiny area of an apartment the way the Bow does? Can you easily move the weights around or move it out of your apt. easily on wheels, as i can with the Bow? Do weights have the better feel of the Bow? Do weights allow the many awesome exercises that can be done on the Bow that intensely fry areas of muscles in ways i'd never achieved with the restrictions of weights and gravity?

Know of what you speak first. When Joe Gold innovated with pulleys and strange contraptions in his gyms, he undoubtedly got the same head-scratching, negative grunts from the uninformed masses.


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 6, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> Amazing, the limited mentality..are you saying that the $250 free weight set allows you to easily go to failure, with no danger whatsover, the way i can on the Bow? Are you saying that the $250 set folds into a tiny area of an apartment the way the Bow does? Can you easily move the weights around or move it out of your apt. easily on wheels, as i can with the Bow? Do weights have the better feel of the Bow? Do weights allow the many awesome exercises that can be done on the Bow that intensely fry areas of muscles in ways i'd never achieved with the restrictions of weights and gravity?
> 
> Know of what you speak first. When Joe Gold innovated with pulleys and strange contraptions in his gyms, he undoubtedly got the same head-scratching, negative grunts from the uninformed masses.



You should read my post more carefully before you get so defensive and assert that I have no knowledge about what I speak.  I am allowed my opinion, as you are yours.  I know what I speak of, and my opinion is perfectly valid.  Also, I owned my statement: I said "I think," meaning that it is my opinion.

I have used a Bowflex.  My friend has one which he uses if he doesn't have time to go the gym.  I never said that there weren't appealing traits about it.  I never said that my setup was vastly superior in any way.  All I said is that I don't feel the several hundred dollars that separate the price of the two setups is worth it to me.  I am a college student that has to pay his own tuition; that difference means a lot to me.

As well, I do not prefer the feel of the Bowflex.  Although it does allow for a more natural motion than, for example, a smitch machine, I prefer totally free weights and always have.  If you prefer the feel of the Bowflex, then by all means use it.  Personally, I do not.


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 6, 2004)

Your term's dismissive vs. an opinion.

Yes, i prefer the feel of the Bowflex. However, the real issue is that they're in actuality comparable, vs. the outright dismissal of the thing.


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 6, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> I'm big on the use of opinion, which is less absolutist. However, your term i think not is a figure of speech rather than an actual opinion, and denotes arrogance vs. the humility claimed. No defensiveness here, rather, fatigue from the same ol same ol thinking.
> 
> Yes, i prefer the feel of the Bowflex. However, the real issue is that they're in actuality comparable, vs. the outright dismissal of the thing by so many, with dismissive terms like i think not.



You are totally disregarding the first paragraph in my first post:

"Is the bowflex useful, and can one see results in the form of strength increases and hypertrophy as a result of using it? I'm sure."

First, I stated that I think the Bowflex is useful.  Then, I stated that I believe it's usefulness does not warrant the cost.  I think that is a totally fair assesment.  

I don't see how the statement "I think not" is a figure of speech, and you consider it to be arrogant.  It couldn't be more clear.  I stated a rhetorical question, and answered it with my opinon.  All I did was try to phrase the second statement in that post the same way I phrased my first one.

All I have tried to do is voice my opinion and add it to the collective of opinions on this topic.  Just because more people on these forums share my opinion does not mean that I have a "limited mentality" or that I am displaying "arrogance."  I would apperciate it if you did not assert these things about me based on the fact that I don't find the cost of the Bowflex justified.


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 6, 2004)

I think not is not a nice way to couch things, however it's more the attitudes seen with others, just take a look..


----------



## CowPimp (Oct 6, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> I think not is not a nice way to couch things, however it's more the attitudes seen with others, just take a look..



Well I'm sorry you feel that way about my statement.  My intention was not to sound how you perceived me.  I tried to be as clear as possible, but there is always room for different interpretations.

I do understand what you are saying.  Many people treat the Bowflex like a joke, when it does, in fact, have some very positive qualities about it.  It's not on the same level as the thigh master, as some people have implied.


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 7, 2004)

TV infomercials' reputation makes everything look suspect. I get as good or better pump on the Bow as with weights, as well as development.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 7, 2004)

I never liked the bowflex.  I'd pick free weights over it anyday.

That said I'm sure someone could progress with it if the resistance was approrpiate..


----------



## LAM (Oct 7, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> I get as good or better pump on the Bow as with weights, as well as development.



and you've been lifting for how long, maybe a couple of years ? you are still a newbie to resistance training...

and a pump means nothing in terms of stimulating hypertrophy or increasing muscular, tendon or ligament strength...


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 8, 2004)

Some authorities with far more experience than you will say that pump means a lot, so it's certainly debatable despite your arrogant pronouncement. 

A "newbie" as you call it, after 3 decades of weights and the good fortune to work out alongside several Mr. Universe runners up from the Caribbean as a teenager? Brilliant!

Like the Bow or not, it's not easily dismissed. The misinformed, who readily confuse it with the Weider crap because of a lack of analysis have to be smarter and dig a little deeper before readily dismissing it with general assumptions. Has it not occurred to you, after decades of this, that Weider's equipment's generally shoddy and derivative? The Bowflex Ultimate and Extreme series are gym quality.

Maybe it's time to wake up and smell the Primobolin..


----------



## SlimShady (Oct 8, 2004)

Even if the Bow works as advertised, what advantages does it offer? For less money, you can get a decent set of free weights, a bench and some dumbells... and there is no debate about whether or not free weights work.  

 I think the only reason the Bow is even considered by so many newbies is because you can purchase it on a payment plan.


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 8, 2004)

Asking what it offers means you didn't bother to read the preceding posts..for some of us, some or all of the pros are compelling reasons that blow out weights, which become less desirable alternatives. When Joe Gold introduced bizarre pulley and weight contraptions, i'm sure he got predictable reactions from the masses without the vision thing.

The financing plan is a classic American revenue generating model that you're confusing with the efficacy of the machine. 

Gentlemen, it's that time..In the words of Shakespeare, "'Tis time to take my leave, so as to fry my bis & tris".

Welcome, screaming and kicking, to the future..


----------



## tjwes (Oct 8, 2004)

If the bowflex is so good how come Arnold didn`t use it?  

Sell it to some unsuspecting kid, and join a well equipped gym...........NOW !! LOL


----------



## SlimShady (Oct 8, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> Asking what it offers means you didn't bother to read the preceding posts..for some of us, some or all of the pros are compelling reasons that blow out weights.....
> 
> The financing plan is a classic American revenue generating model that you're confusing with the efficacy of the machine.


 I read all of the posts and I still see no advantages in a Bow vs Free Weights. What? You can tear it down and store it in a closet? You can actually do that with weights too, if you don't mind tearing down a bench each day. 

 I'm not confusing anything as far as the financing goes. I've seen the Bows for sale - "$29.95 Per Month" (or whatever the price is), all with a photo of some bodybuilder using the Bow. I'm saying the payment plan is what sells  the machines, not the 'efficacy' ..  Impulse purchases, not serious body builders. 

 If you've got a Bow and you like it, then that's good for you. Glad you use it.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 8, 2004)

I don't understand how a bowflex has pros that blow "free weights" out of the water.  What are they?


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 8, 2004)

Have already spent time going through this; beyond that, it's just a matter of your own willingness and ability to be open or close minded. Review posts #33 and #40; beyond that you're on your own.


----------



## DOMS (Oct 8, 2004)

Mudge said:
			
		

> I know, like I said they work for some people but I just dont like them myself and I think they look goofy.



Your problem is that they make you_ look goofy_?

The next time you're benching or squating near your peak, have someone take a picture.  I think you'll find that biceps cable curls fit in just nicely.


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 9, 2004)

pumpchaser said:
			
		

> Have already spent time going through this; beyond that, it's just a matter of your own willingness and ability to be open or close minded. Review posts #33 and #40; beyond that you're on your own.



Having a difference of opinion based on the merits of result (the result being that the Bowflex is ineffective in comparison to free weights) does not divide us, the people who disagree with you, as being "close" minded.  Likewise, just because you believe what you believe does not make you "open minded".  You simply 'believe' in equipment that others find to be of lower quality. 

I dispute being called narrow because I disagree with you.  Your position that 'since Nautilus was attacked by Weider and people hated pully contractions, you're doing the same to the bowflex' is erroneous (at best).  People are attacking the bowflex for the same reason that people still don't use machines; because they have valid beliefs (legitimate ones) that are contradictory to yours.

Really, I think Bowflex sucks ass to hades and back, but you are entitled to your beliefs as am I.  Don't try and group me as being some kind of illogical trend-tracker who is simply incapable of reasoning because of my view.


----------



## SlimShady (Oct 9, 2004)

Duncans Donuts said:
			
		

> I dispute being called narrow because I disagree with you. Your position that 'since Nautilus was attacked by Weider and people hated pully contractions, you're doing the same to the bowflex' is erroneous (at best). People are attacking the bowflex for the same reason that people still don't use machines; because they have valid beliefs (legitimate ones) that are contradictory to yours.
> 
> Really, I think Bowflex sucks ass to hades and back, but you are entitled to your beliefs as am I. Don't try and group me as being some kind of illogical trend-tracker who is simply incapable of reasoning because of my view.


 Well said and nicely worded. I'm with you 100%. Just because I disagree with someone, doesn't mean I'm narrow minded.  I think we might have a Bow salesman in posting in this thread.


----------



## pumpchaser (Oct 9, 2004)

IMO you guys are boring, close minded and overly-critical of anything that isn't established. To use your desperate wording, i think your predictable opinions suck ass. Incidentally, it would be nice to see the moderator act on the dumb WWF language.

The narrowness is seen in the rapid, negative rush to judgement, while it's clear that there's a lack of any depth of knowledge on the subject: "Uh, i've seen these things come through on the conveyor belt at my work"??? Pithy analysis there dude! Right on board 100% with the negatives however-THAT'S the definition of narrow and sux ass. I'm not just referring to Bowflex, i see inflexibility and fear translated into anger with just about anything other than the holy grail, free weights. Don't worry, the masses, those without vision, will generally agree with you.

No mystery where some of the weightlifter stereotypes come from i'd say..

Mentzer was no favorite, but i have to respect the man for trying new things irregardless of the same kind of empty rhetoric from the masses. More power to him for not caring nor following, and for being one of the few not hypnotized by the perennially disturbing Arnold BS and self-promotion:
http://www.mikementzer.com/character.html


----------



## LAM (Oct 9, 2004)

personally I "tried" to use a bowflex and it sucks ass. so I am talking for personal experience.  

I have also NEVER seen anybody get huge and powerfull from using a bowflex.  show me a video of a bowflex user who can bench 500 and squat 600 with free weights and maybe I'll change my mind a little about it's effectiveness at building functional strength...


----------



## Duncans Donuts (Oct 9, 2004)

My opinion is predictable because it is a plurality opinion.  Maybe there's a reason behind that?  Maybe the bowflex does suck?  Of course, the irony of this is that since you're not just demeaning my opinion, you're specifically demeaning me for the belief (I said bowflex sucks ass - you said my opinion sucks ass.  sharp.)  So who is really narrow minded?  The guy who forms his own opinions and respects others who differ, or the guy who is so blatantly biased that if someone disagrees he demeans the opinion itself 

The anecdote about my work was in response to post #30.  It wasn't in context of the discussion as far as you are concerned.  You don't belong on a forum where you insult people with different opinions and spew your own rhetoric about us being categorically following the blind masses.


----------



## camarosuper6 (Oct 9, 2004)

Bow Flex is yuppie stuff. You wanna look like Chuck Norris... then go fer it.


----------

