A bowflex Home Gym

Bowflex home gyms offer a great variety of exercises for people who want to gain muscle and strength or lose weight at home. They have a small footprint and are easy to store, which makes them ideal for home use.

Most models use Power Rod technology, and many exercises you can do in a local gym can be performed with a Bowflex home gym. However, the feel of the exercises is different from that of the plate-loaded machines.

We must say that Bowflex home gyms are great for increasing or maintaining muscular size, but you will see the most benefit when you add some basic free weight exercises to your workout routine.

Also Keep in mind that not all Bowflex machines support the same range of exercises. Specific models can support anywhere from 25 to 100 exercises and come with different attachments. We have compared many Bowflex home gyms to help you understand the differences between them:
Xtreme 2SE Bowflex Blaze PR3000 Bowflex Xceed
Bowflex PR1000 Compare Bowflex PR1000 vs Xtreme 2SE Compare Bowflex PR1000 vs Bowflex Blaze Compare Bowflex PR1000 vs PR3000 Compare Bowflex Xceed vs Bowflex PR1000
Xtreme 2SE Compare Bowflex Blaze vs Xtreme 2SE Compare PR3000 vs Xtreme 2SE
Bowflex Blaze Compare Bowflex Blaze vs PR3000

Powerlifters and bodybuilders can’t get the necessary resistance training by using a Bowflex Home Gym alone, as most models provide resistance up to 300 lbs. This weight is not sufficient for some body parts of serious athletes.

So what are the best exercises you can do on the Bowflex?

The following exercises are ones we believe you can perform most efficiently using Bowflex home gyms. These exercises, when done properly,  alongside proper nutrition, can help you achieve the results you want.

The chest press and chest fly can be executed very effectively with the Bowflex home gyms. These two exercises are excellent for building chest muscles. With the Bowflex, you can perform these exercises safely and with the correct form.

The Seated row and lat pulldown are great exercises for the upper back and these two are also easy to do with Bowflex home gyms.

For arms, the biceps curl, triceps extensions, and triceps pushdowns are very effective exercises. The feel of these exercises is quite similar to their standard cable tower counterparts.

To target your shoulder muscles, seated shoulder press, lateral raise, and rear deltoid row are the exercises we like.

Where we believe the Bowflex falls short for most people is in lower body exercises. It won’t hit your leg muscles hard enough, so if you desire an intense leg workout, consider purchasing a barbell and some plates. However, if your goal is to tone your legs, the Bowflex is a great option, especially for leg extensions.

For abs,  the seated crunches will work your upper and lower abdominal muscles and the twisting crunch will target your obliques.

Remember, fitness professionals often use free weights for a reason. In general, they are better than machines for building muscle. So if possible we recommend you to include some free weight exercises in your routine.

Best Bowflex Home Gym Exercises

Chest

  • Chest Press
  • Chest Fly
  • Incline Press

Upper Back

  • Seated Row
  • Lat Pulldown
  • Pullover
  • Reverse Fly

Shoulders

  • Shoulder Press
  • Lateral Raise
  • Rear Deltoid Rows

Arms

  • Biceps Curl
  • Triceps Extensions
  • Triceps Pushdowns
  • Hammer Curls

Lower Body

  • Leg Extension
  • Leg Curl

Abdominals

  • Ab Crunch
  • Seated Oblique Crunch
  • Trunk Rotation

As with any workout plans, the key to success is progressively increasing the resistance and maintaining consistency in your workouts. The same principles apply to using a Bowflex home gym. If you work out 3-5 times per week, increase the resistance gradually week by week, and eat the right foods, you will reach your fitness goals.