If you’re a fitness enthusiast, you’ve most likely heard about Bowflex. Since 1986, they have recognized one of the topmost manufacturers of fitness devices and home exercise equipment worldwide.
Affordable, compact, and innovative — three words that customers always described the home gym devices of Bowflex.
If you don’t have enough time to go to the gym due to your busy schedule at work, you can always have the opportunity to do all the exercises on your home gym machine.
So, if you’re looking for one, here are the lists of the best 5 bowflex home gym machines Just keep scrolling to find what’s best suited for you!
Best Bowflex Home Gym Machines Compared and Reviewed
| Image | Name | Check Price |
|---|---|---|
Top | Bowflex Blaze | Check Price on Amazon |
 | Bowflex Xtreme 2SE Home Gym | Check Price on Amazon |
| Bowflex Xtreme Home Gym | Check Price on Amazon |
 | Bowflex Revolution Home Gym | Check Price on Amazon |
 | Bowflex HVT | Check Price on Amazon |
#1 - Bowflex Blaze Home Gym
This machine will allow you to perform over 60 exercises that can work all of your muscle groups. It comes with seven free trainer-built workout regimens and a sliding seat rail, perfect if you want to do some aerobic rowing and leg presses.
The lat tower has an angled lat bar that is helpful if you want to build muscles on your back and shoulders. What caught my eye with this machine is it has a leg extension attachment, for those days you want to work on your hamstrings and quads.
Often compared to the Xtreme, the Bowflex Blaze home gym actually almost has the same features but with small yet impactful differences like I mentioned above.
A major difference is you can actually add more weights to the Bowflex Blaze home gym, which you cannot do on the PR1000: just choose your poison between 310 pounds or 410 pounds. When you purchase it comes complete with a 210-pound kit.
PROS
- Comes with 1 year warranty
- Foldable bench for compact spaces
- Rowing option
CONS
- Cable changes are a hassle for some
#2 - Bowflex Xtreme 2SE Home Gym Machine
Although the price is a bit hefty, when it comes to the versatility it offers that can be used to train all your muscle groups. You can do bench presses, squats, lat workouts without breaking a sweat (in terms of changing your cables).
Despite that it has no bench, it comes with an adjustable seat, lat bar, and an ab crunch shoulder harness. This has 210 lbs of resistance that you can even upgrade up to 410lbs. Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym, has two 50 pound rod attachments, and two 50 lbs power rods all included in just one bundle.
One key observation I made is that it had more handgrip options than the other models did: you can choose from the regular grip, foot cuff, shoulder, ankle, and non-grip. This small addition adds a lot of possibilities to your leg workouts.
PROS
- Versatile with 70+ different exercises
- More hand grip options
CONS
- A long bench isn't included
#3 - Bowflex Xtreme Home Gym Machine
It is still a pretty customizable home gym to use for toning your muscles, particularly that it comes with a weight bench, though it doesn’t offer the same versatility as Xtreme 2SE with only 25 possible exercises.
It has a built-in rowing station that helps for calorie-burning exercise and has a 210 pound resistance. To enhance the effectiveness of the exercises, you can easily change the angle of resistance because of its built-in media rack and multiple cable pulley positions.
You can also do a leg extension and curl exercise because it also comes with roller cushions for you to use. It has a triple-function hand grip for a horizontal bench press and a lat pulldown. After your workout, you can easily fold the bench.
I would consider this an entry-level home gym with enough exercises to get you started on the long journey of fitness.
PROS
- Media rack is included
- Built-in rowing station
- Compact
CONS
- Not suitable for moderate level to heavy lifters
- Limited exercises
#4 - Bowflex Revolution Home Gym Machine
This Bowflex home gym boasts of Its use of SpiraFlex plates that has the technology of replicating the feel of free weights, unlike any other home gym before it.
Expect that you will feel smooth pulling and pushing resistance; just add more weights to your routine and it would simply feel like adding more plates in your free weight session at the gym.
It comes with 220 pounds of SpiraFlex plates, but you can easily upgrade that to 300 or up to 600 lbs. The Revolution is certainly eyeing the more experienced weight lifters.
One major feature that I like about this model is that it can allow you to adjust your arm movement to 10 more different positions, allowing 170-degree adjustments. This only means that you can target more muscle groups as you move your angles here and there.
Another favorite of mine is how it becomes super compact when you fold the bench. It converts to a small 4′ 7″ x 3′ 2″, which is basically the size of a larger stool.
PROS
- Up to 600 lbs resistance
- More than 100 exercises
- Compact
CONS
- Expensive
#5 - Bowflex HVT
HVT signifies High-Velocity Training, meaning the movements are fast, and the workouts can even be completed in just 18 minutes. It has a built-in computerized workout with an app of workout videos. You can do 50 different workouts on this model.
You’ll train with this standing up, as it is a tall and narrow machine, it conserves a lot of space in your home.
Plus, it comes with a thoughtful design that includes a water and phone holder, an informative screen that lets you know the HR and graphs as you go with your exercise, high-quality handles, spiral bound workout book, and a sturdy workout platform as well.
There is an available exercise in the pre-programmed routines which can be easily learned and performed. But, challenging ones are also included so that you can be able to get a good daily workout.
PROS
- Has an app to easily learn about the workouts
- 50 workout routines
CONS
- Some say it takes time to put together
My Number One Pick
- 25+ exercises that cover the entire body
- Over 200 pounds of Power Rod resistance
- Bench converts to a rolling seat for aerobic rowing
- Built-in media rack
- Multiple cable pulley positions allow you to easily change the angle of resistance and increase effectiveness of many exercises
What To Look Out For When Buying Bowflex Home Gym Machines
So to guide you in purchasing your own home gym device, here are a few things to take note of before going to your local marketplace. Make sure you don’t skip any of the guidelines below.
Check the Resistance and Weight
The main thing that you need to consider is the resistance that the home gym can provide. Depending on your fitness level, light lifters will find that 210 pounds are sufficient enough to give a great body workout.
On the other hand, you can also go for the one that can put your gains under pressure, in which the resistance can be upgraded up to 400 pounds or more. If you’re looking for a bigger challenge when exercising, you can also go for 600 pounds with the Bowflex Revolutionary model.
Size of the Equipment
Before you decide on the model, consider the space you have accessible in your home or your garage gym. A few models are suitable for little spaces like the HVT or the Revolutionary, while some may require a bigger space for setup. Assess the available space you have and get one with the precise footprint size.
Your Fitness Goals
Check how many types of exercises can be performed in the machine before deciding to buy. Some of the home gym machines offer 50-70 types of exercises, while other machines offer more than 100 types.
The main questions you have to ask: does this address my fitness goals?
For instance, the home gym machines from Bowflex offer different positions and possible exercises. However, choosing the right one relies on your fitness goals and skill level.
A few models, for example, the Xtreme, can be utilized to play out a small number of exercises, which is not bad at all if you’re a beginner. Others, for example, the Bowflex Revolution, has more than 100 built-in exercises, making them ideal for heavy lifters or more experienced lifters.
Check The Maximum Weight
On the off chance that you are intending to build muscles and get bigger, you ought to think about this option. Lower maximum weight implies you can sometimes grow out of the machine or become excessively heavy for it.
Variety of exercises
Good quality home gyms normally come with a wide range of features for different exercises.
Bowflex machines are built and known to offer tons of exercises that can all be executed in the small spaces of your home. And this is all done through multiple cables and adjustable pulleys.
The Xtreme is at the lowest with 25 exercises but still includes a rowing option, arms, back, and leg workout, great for some cardio. With the Revolutionary, you have a hundred exercises that you can try each and every day. On the other hand, the HVT is great for HIIT workouts.
Horizontal or Vertical Bench?
If you know which type of bench press you need, it will help you narrow your search for a home gym machine right away.
Generally speaking, the gyms with horizontal benches need more space on the grounds since the bench is longer. Also, these gyms fold up when not being utilized. The Xtreme and HVT models have a horizontal bench which takes a lot of space on the onset but folds to make it more compact.
On the other hand, the 2SE won’t use that much space with its vertical bench but there is no rowing option on this machine. Either way, both setups have their own pros and cons.
Pricing
You have to look for a home gym machine that doesn’t only suit your needs but your budget as well. The Bowflex home gym machines come in a pretty wide range of costs. However, you can expect that the cheaper the model, the fewer exercise routines you can do on it.
The great thing about Bowflex is that it has an offering in every price range, so you have a ton of options.
Check Reviews and Feedback
Get some information from the seller and some buyers about what he may have known about machine-specific recalls. Product recalls may sound terrifying, however, they are fairly commonplace. This will give you an idea of how the machine really works.
Reading user’s feedback is a must-to-do as well since you’ll be able to read directly what are the positive feedbacks or complaints that will entirely provide some information to you as to whether you’ll continue to purchase the home gym machine that is included on your list.
Warranty
Prior to purchasing the machine, always make sure to deal with any warranty issues with the seller. By doing this, you’ll guarantee that you can return the product and be refunded once it has some issue.
When it comes to Bowflex, they offer solid warranties only for the original owner of the machine. The Xtreme S2E has 7 years on warranty, 2 years on parts. The other models follow suit with minor coverage differences.
Advantages of Owning a Bowflex
Cost-Efficient
With the variety of exercises that Bowflex machines bring to your home, you save up on gas and gym membership among other things.
A more concrete reason is that it offers the lowest 25 exercises in one machine. This saves you the money of needing to purchase other equipment for a full-body workout.
Combined Strength and Cardio Training
There is a perception that home gyms are only for strength training. That is so untrue, especially with Bowflex machines.
If you go with the models like Xtreme 2SE and Revolution that both have the quick-change system, you can go from one exercise to another with small breaks in between. This keeps your heart rate up for longer.
The rowing features on some of the models can also be considered a great cardiovascular exercise.
Space Saver
Home gyms usually take up the entire room, floor, or garage. Bowflex models addressed that problem. You get the benefits of a full-body workout as if you are in a regular gym with one machine.
Fitness
With strength exercise and cardio combined, you will no doubt be a step closer to your fitness goals. Is it weight loss? Bulking up? Whatever your goal may be, there is something for you with the Bowflex machines. That is of course if you like these types of setups.
These come with a manual that will help you execute the correct exercises easily. However, as with anything, consult your physician first.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bowflex Home Gym Machines
Q. Is a Bowflex worth the money?
A. Regardless of whether you decide to use a Weider home gym, a commercial gym, a Smith Machine, or even a Bowflex home gym, remember that what effort you put into it is what result you will get out of it.
When talking about Bowflex machines, they’re all actually well built, can be easily fit in a home gym, comes with great design, offers a short workout time, and will definitely let you get the results you want as long as you do your part. So to answer the question, it’s yes, it is worth it however you need to actually make use of it and be comfortable with rope pulleys.
Q. Is it true that Bowflex is as good as free weights?
A. Remember that home gym machines are working to support your body and allow exercise in only a specific range of movement, so exercise does not require secondary stabilizer muscles to do so much work and just tends to isolate a specific major muscle. This only implies that Bowflex is less effective compared to free weights when it comes to exercise through such functional movements.
Conclusion
One of the best alternative ways to continue doing your weekly exercise when you don’t have enough time to go to gyms due to your busy schedule is purchasing your own home gym machines and devices.
Bowflex home gyms are always known as easy to maintain and sturdy enough to last longer. They’re really popular when it comes to producing great quality products and providing good product warranties to their customers as well.
Since you’re here, check out these home gym essentials that you might find as a great addition to your current setup. We’ve done reviews on the best workout machines for weight loss if that’s what your current goals are. If you’re after much more simpler stuff, without the heavy machinery, we’ve reviewed some of the best home gym equipment to lose weight as well.
Marko Rakic is a trail runner and fitness enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. He is the lead writer for The Ultimate Primate and believes the best way to live a happy life is through constantly challenging yourself.