Bowflex v. Freeweights

ORIGINAL: Chazz540

Snap it, that praise was not mine, I was relaying it from a (biased) website without thinking to quote it. I really think that stuff is a waste of money when I can join a gym or by weights at a local wal*mart for 1/2 the price and then some

When you do that you should put "" around the quote and provide a link...

Buying weights to keep at your house is a bad idea, all you will do with them after a month is stumble upon them, save the money and get a gym card, the fitness babe will lure the laziest man to the gym... ;-)

ORIGINAL: Powerhaus

Based on what I read in Consumer Reports, Bowflex is one of the best home workout machines, but it still has limitations in range of motion and how much weight you can add. However, I had a neighbor in college who had one (and USED it!) and he was a BUFFED OUT VEGAN. How many of THOSE have you seen? I've seen...well, one.

Freewieghts rule, but again, I'm a go-to-the-gym person, not a home gym person. Freeweights will always provide more options than workout machines though.

Damn man... if you keep this up i might as well stop posting... ;-)

What I want is a free weight workout video game. That way.. I can say I worked out..fool my mind into thinking I did.. but really be on the couch.

Takers? I think we'd have a silent market. Make millions.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

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I didn't own a bowflex but I have a cross bow by weider (pretty much identical) and i can tell u I made great gains on it and i think it is great to have for certain exercises to use with the free weights i use in the weight room in my house

One thing I noticed with the Bowflex the one time I got to try it- They say it has so many pounds of resistance, but I was able to lift way more on that machine than I would have been able to lift in actual weight. Has anyone else noticed that their measurement of pounds seems a little misleading, or is there an explanation for the difference?
BTW, MDA, I'd buy it.

My Consumer Reports basically said a crossbow is a knock-off bowflex. Less expensive, less range of motion, and less weight range, but still a good machine.

cpl, yeah, freewieights are always harder to lift than machine lifts, because you are using your muscles to balance the weight and hold it in the correct position. With a machine, the machine holds the weight in position for you. You'll notice you can't do as much total weight with dumbbell bench presses as you can with barbell bench presses for the same reason, more "balancing". But this is also why you get more results out of freeweights.

Also, remeber Nautilus machines? Instead of having the normal stress cure of freeweights, where some part of the motion is a weak point, they provide constant resistance throughout the entire motion. The theory was that since it eliminated sticking points, you'd be able to do more work and get more results. However, in actual comparison, freeweights still carried the day.

GO FREE WEIGHTS!

I may have said a bunch of stuff in the 300 some odd posts I have made, lol. One particularly I didn't want to in this very thread, and it was about the bow-flex. The time for me to be honest is now; I have used different machines and so on, even resistance equipment! But I have honest to god always got the feeling of a good workout from free weights, even more so than anything else.

After reading all of these replies the only one that really helped was the first on written. I also don't understand how you guys can give you opinions when half of you have never tried one. I have a bowflex and weight isn't a promblem yet at 410 pounds of resistance for a 14 year old. As for you can do more weight doing free weights is a total lie because moment helps finishing the exersise , with bowflex there is resistance all the time on the muscles[quote}. Thanks for nothing.

P.S. For all the bodybuilding historians my dad trained with Harold Poole, He likes the bowflex and would reccomened it to anyone

I also don't understand how you guys can give you opinions when half of you have never tried one.

Everyone is entitled to our opinions.

Seriously though, the topic is "Bowflex vs. Freeweights". Bowflex is probably the best home gym system out there, but it's still not as good as freeweights. Harold Poole might like Bowflex and roccomend it, but I would be VERY surprised if he liked it better than freeweights.

If you limited the discussion to people who had actually bought a Bowflex and compared it to freeweights, you wouldn't have any discussion at all.

Actually, I thought the thread started off a pretty good discussion on the difference between freeweights and resistance... Sorry you weren't able to take anything away from it. What's the maximum amount of weight available on a Bowflex, anyway?

I think they advertised 410lbs

Does anyone have any opinions on this subject please leave your imput

You asked for opinions and then you wonder how people can have opinions about something they didn't ever try?

Opinion:

A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: “The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion” (Elizabeth Drew).

-Dictionary.com

I think there we plenty of opinions here. You just didn't get the one you wanted. And if Harold Poole would recommend it. And you like him.. then it's that good enough?

I had a Soloflex (same concept machine) when I was 18-20 and I LOVED IT. Great workout machine. No I didn't gain much size. But it was sweet for fitness and getting in shape and defined and getting some muscle tone. My option of those machines is.. if you wanna workout at home, you are new, you don't have a spotter and you don't want a full gym or no room for a bunch of free weights.. it's an excellent choice. It's not a second best.. it's perfect depending on your exact situation.

You.. being a 14.5 year old linebacker.. it's okay. Does it mean if you do your 420 lbs of resistance you can go into the gym and bench 420 lbs? Don't think so. Will it help you out.. with your sport? Yes. Will it be the most efficient way of doing so? No. Is that bad? No.

Momentum shouldn't play a part. It's not like I go into the gym, bounce 315 lbs off my chest.

What is different about those machines is on the way down there's esistance along with the up. That's kinda cool.

So to answer your question. Everybody gave an opinion. And now I gave mine.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

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Here is an article that I found.

There has been an ongoing debate regarding free weights vs. machines for strength training. While each can help you build strength there are definite pros and cons for each. The following can help you determine what form of strength equipment is best for your needs.

Machines
The most important component in any strength training program is safety.
If you are new to strength training or if you are working out alone, variable resistance machines are the best bet. While machines can be a viable option for serious weight training, they are best for novice, senior and recreational athletes.
For rehabilitating injured athletes, variable resistance machines are preferred. They provide a more controlled motion and specifically isolate certain muscle groups. Machines also allow you to track progress and provide objective feedback while increasing the protective participation of the healthy limb or muscle group.

Free Weights
Research has shown us that free weights promote quicker strength gains and they require more balance and coordination than do the weight machines. Free weights recruit more muscle groups than variable resistance machines, which tend to only isolate specific muscles.
Free weights are also more versatile than machines because they allow for more variations in range of motion. Free weights require balance, and they tend to promote more activity of the joint stabilizer muscles. Finally, they are considerably less expensive than most of the machines on the market. You can perform a complete strength training routine with a few dumbbells, and a little imagination.
However, free weights require the help of a spotter, and result in more injuries than machines. Careful instruction and training is necessary to master the art of free weight lifting.
Actually, an ideal training program may incorporate both free weights and machines on alternating training days. In order to get the most from both muscle strength gains and joint stability, you can focus on free weights for some exercises and machines for others.
The bottom line is that you should use the strength training equipment that suits your training needs, is safe, and is convenient. However, if you are comfortable using free weights you may see greater strength gains here than with machines.

~ Elizabeth Quinn

That article is really good, I liked how it covered the questions I was coming up with as I read through.