[Qstick]

After several months of physical therapy i have regained full mobility in my shoulder and have started strength training for my arm,shouldr and back with the assistance of my therapist. At my therapists recommendation, I am going to get a home gym system to continue te workouts well after I am officailly done with "therapy".

She likes the Bowflex, do you guys have any experience with any of the other units and is there one that you prefer more than another? My goal is really to maintain the strength that I am regaining, not to become extremely large muscled or anything like that.

Thanks,

zach

[TriggerT]

If I had the money I would buy a Blow Flex in a sec. I have worked out on one a few times, and while they take a little getting used to, I think they are great.

[Airedale]

Zach,
My company just bought a Bowflex Extreme. It's a great machine. I do PT every morning before I go to work and the boss and I use the Bowflex during our morning meeting. I'm impressed with it.

Dave

[Sam]

Never pay full retail for any exercise equipment. The newspapers and yard sales are full of the stuff. I'll bet you can find a good Bowflex for $600, if you're patient.

Definately get her the equipment she likes. Us guys can work out with concrete blocks and gas pipe. But, women aren't testosterone crazed animals like us. If she likes it, she will work out with you. (If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.)

Bowflex makes Momma look good to Mongo.

[Jake Di Vita]

I actually am not that big of a fan of the Bow Flex. I'm sure it works and obviously it is vastly more dependent on the person.

The way I look at it is the human body wasn't built to fight again "resistance." It was made to fight against gravity. For that reason alone I will use free weights for whatever I can and only use machines for what couldn't be done any other way.

[TriggerT]

Jake, come work on the farm for a few days, and I can show you how the human body was designed to work against all kinds of resistance. Horse resistance, can he a hell of a work out. However, you are right about most of the work being against gravity. Only problem is most of us don't have room for all the free weights we would need, and sometimes going to a gym isn't an option.

[BigDave]

TriggerT, on Mar 18 2005, 04:04 AM, said:

Jake, come work on the farm for a few days, and I can show you how the human body was designed to work against all kinds of resistance. Horse resistance, can he a hell of a work out. However, you are right about most of the work being against gravity. Only problem is most of us don't have room for all the free weights we would need, and sometimes going to a gym isn't an option.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah. Growing up on a farm (or in a farm community, like I did) is one of the best "health clubs" going. Picking rock in April. Rouge in June, De-tassle in July, Throw hay in July/August, bag seed all winter. I'm getting a bit home sick!

[Sam]

LOL, "horse resistance" was the source of my last hospital visit. (busted ribs, punctured lung) I've got 400 lbs of free-weights in the basement and 2,200 lbs of horse resistance in the barn. You're right TT. The weights are alot easier on a fella.

[ipscron2000]

Qstick

I have a Bow flex. It's a nice peice of equiptment. The only problem with it is that I actually have to use it to get results. But I recomemend one.

Also, if your able to do the old basics; pushups, crunches, stretching, dips between 2 benches for triceps, russian hops for the legs... A person can get into awsome shape without even purchasing a weight. I know, I used to body build. Although you wouldn't know it by looking at me now.

[TriggerT]

Thread drift--- My personal favorite is pulling and replacing fence posts. About 30 down, and 360+ to go.

[chp5]

Qstick,

You didn't mention your budget - which is key. If you have some budget, I highly recommend the Prospot. It's a patented machine that is essentially free weights suspended by cables.

When you grab the bar, the cables automatically release. When you release the bar, the cables lock. Check it out: Prospot

[Nate]

I will surely be branded a heritic but I bought a cheap Wally world machine and have loved it. Lots of excercises available and I have used it 3 times a week for 2 years and it has not fallen apart. I was very surprised at how much it seems to help my shooting. I have a fine frame (kind of a fat body though) and the extra arm strenght is a big deal.

All the fooling around with cows, horses and trying to fix your four wheeler in a 10 degree barn are worth it for the fun of turd dragging at high rates of speed in the spring

[dirtypool40]

I got your heresy right here.

How about a "Swiss Ball", an adjustable bench and a little rack of dumbells going from 5 to maybe 50#. There would be damn little either of you couldn't do with that stuff, and it takes up almost no space. Cheap too.

That being said I belong to a gym here and try to work out 4x weekly. If I ever start to flag and wonder why I am in there busting it, the gorgeous latinas in spandex are great motivation.

IF you don't watch you figure....no one else will.

[raz-0]

stay the hell away from the crossbow or whatever they are calling it these days, and stay away from the powerflex. The powerflex could have beena pretty decent machine and uses less space, but on current production, they cut corners, and the mechanism at it's heart doesn't like that. And their ability to get one to you without driving you insane is about zero.

The bowflex is a solid piece fo equipment, but it has limitations. I usggest looking in the local want ads or equivalent, or asking your therapist if the costco version is acceptable as you can get your hands on one without a wait.

Personally, aftrer living with my powerflex, and trying out my friends bowflex, I'd get a good adjustable bench with leg attachment, and some weight. The bowflex has more attachments to simulate things other than dumbells, but for the most part it's very much like working with dumbells where the upper body is considered on all three. The bowflex offers a bar for doing bench presses, but honestly it looks to me to be less safe than a smith cage. Less worry about getting crushed or stangled than with freeweights, but the flex rods will snap it back pretty fast, and I could imagine that breaking something on you.

Also take my evaluation with a grain of salt as I find the lat bar for all the home stuff pretty much useless because I'm tall and have long arms.


If you should happen across an old soloflex, I'd avoid them too as even fully loaded, they are basically good for bench presses, butterflies, leg extensions, and lat pull downs if you are short enough. Even then, the butterfly attachment takes a while to stick on.

[Loves2Shoot]

TriggerT, on Mar 18 2005, 01:15 AM, said:

Thread drift--- My personal favorite is pulling and replacing fence posts. About 30 down, and 360+ to go.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fence post pounders are great for a total body workout Cheap too

Growing up in the country my parents refued to buy us a weight set. They figured with all the rocks, hay, and fences that need taken care of it was a waste of money. It is amazing ho wmany farm implements can be used as "free weights."

I'm a big advocate now of using gravity and a couple of dumbells to stay in shape.

[Merlin Orr]

Bowflex - IMHO
Free weights are (probably) better. The chance of injuring yourself is greater with free weights - the higher the weights -the greater the chance of injury. IF you have a workout buddy/spotter free weights will get you there quicker and stronger.
A Bowflex - or the like - helps contain and direct your range of motion and lessens the chance of joint injury. Again - IMHO & YMMV

[Flexmoney]

If you have a dicked-up shoulder, the last thing you want to do is build/work the primary and secondary movers (muscles) and get them out ahead of the stabilizer muscles.

Don't train your muscles to be out of balance. Use dumbbells. (See DP's post...cheap and good.)

[EricW]

The only exercise machines that I've ever used and liked were motion-specific Nautilus machines. Their ab machine is very cool.

That said, I've never used an all in one unit that I liked. The motion is not natural. Bowflex has something out that IS very cool: quick change dumbells. One pair of dumbells does it all. Get those and a bench that reclines for abs and you're good to go except for leg extensions and lat pulldowns.

[Qstick]

Quote

If you have a dicked-up shoulder

I definately have that ........

I am not really ready to start with the machines or free weights yet. I am not doing anything other than the excercises given to me by my therapist (who I see 3x week) and most of them are with the "therabands" that they have provided.

Realistically, I only have another 4-6 weeks left before I am done going to the rehab facility, but due to the nature of my injury I must continue to keep the strength for the rest of my active life....no more doing nothing and loving it I really have no aspirations of gaining massive muscle, just maintaining a healthy amount.

The thing that scares me about free weights is the chance of screwing myself up. I am not that physically strong, and have little motivation and no time for the gym, so this will all be something that is performed solo at home. It is remotely comforting to think that there is less a chance of injury on the machines....

[ipscron2000]

Qstick, on Mar 18 2005, 12:39 PM, said:

Quote

If you have a dicked-up shoulder

I definately have that ........

I am not really ready to start with the machines or free weights yet. I am not doing anything other than the excercises given to me by my therapist (who I see 3x week) and most of them are with the "therabands" that they have provided.

Realistically, I only have another 4-6 weeks left before I am done going to the rehab facility, but due to the nature of my injury I must continue to keep the strength for the rest of my active life....no more doing nothing and loving it I really have no aspirations of gaining massive muscle, just maintaining a healthy amount.

The thing that scares me about free weights is the chance of screwing myself up. I am not that physically strong, and have little motivation and no time for the gym, so this will all be something that is performed solo at home. It is remotely comforting to think that there is less a chance of injury on the machines....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Basically the only way you can put on bulky muscle is if you are "extremely intensive" and eat nutritious. My .02 are that you do as much as you can without aggravating it any more than it is. Hell, curl soup cans if that's all you can lift right now. Your body doesn't know what weight you are lifting, only your mind does. Stay at a level of weight that challenges you to several sets. Doing everything through its full range of motion is very important. The PT has already shown you what and how to do it. The hard part is trying to simulate that at home with what you find or can afford.

[BritinUSA]

Machines are better if recovering from injury than free-weights. The reason is that the axis of movement is restricted. Therefore the muscles get used to moving the right way. I would opt for a machine to start with until you are back to full strength.

After that enhancing the workout with some free-weights may be more beneficial. To build core strength requires that the minor muscles get a good work out, these can only be done with balance and free-weights.

I would stay away from the really heavy stuff. Most of it's just for show, people who bulk up too much lose so much of their inherent flexibility that they can't function normally. If you can't do 20 reps with a weight then it's too much. Just my two cents

[minnesota1]

I got a bowflex extreme about a month ago and love it. I used to use free weights all the time and yes they probably are a little better but I did not want to build bulk but I did want to tone my muscles and keep them active. The bowflex does that and I get a great workout. On the Extreme you can also work out each side of your body individually(I think you can with the other models also), so if you have a problem with your right shoulder you can lower the weight on your right side and nurse it along.

My wife loves the bowflex and works out with me! I would be careful about the Weider Crossbar. The one with the motor on it to easily adjust the weight. A friend of mine has a brother who works for Weider and he even told him not to get that machine. In every store I went to they were broken and I hear the customer service is a nightmare. Weider does have a machine called "the max" and I believe it is reasonably priced. They take a few hours to set up but then they're ready to go. Also, go to e-bay, they have a lot of bowflex's there. Learn about them and what you want out of the machine and then choose the model you want.

Good luck.

[dbglock35]

I power lifted with free weights for several years. now with little kids around, i can't get to the gym like I used to. I bought a bow flex extreme, and love it. all the work outs on it are like using dumbells. you can do more on it fast then at the gym. it exercizes all your fexor muscles like free weights. It's a well built machine. alot better then I was actully expecting. I definatly recomend it.

[Thomas Moore]

i have a body solid EXM1500S Home Gym and i like it very much.

[postal]

Quote

My goal is really to maintain the strength that I am regaining, not to become extremely large muscled or anything like that.

A lot of people say that, and not trying to be rude, but I think in some it is an excuse not to work hard, just try to get huge, it is harder than you think, just by lifting weights allot people think they will get big, there are specific routines for each goal, what I am saying is don’t hold back, getting big will not sneak up on you

I prefer, and always have preferred free weights, machines are ok if you are at a gym, and want to mix up a routine, but as a study diet no, the human muscles are not made on a one way track like machines replicate, you need balance, free weights allow this balance to occur naturally while using them, free weights are cheap in comparison, pick up a Sunday paper or a local trader, and you will marvel at the bow flexes that are for sale, it does not by no means mean it is a bad product, but people buy this stuff, and never use them, go with a cheaper route if you think you will be dedicated then spend the money if you think it is necessary


if you buy a used one make sure it has went through the many recalls that bow flex has issued

http://www.cpsc.gov/...ml04/04073.html

http://www.bowflex.c...Ebowflex%2Ecom&

http://www.bowflex.c...all11102004.asp

http://www.cnn.com/2...flex.recall.ap/