Review by Patti Cake:

Brief story – months ago, I was in the market for a home gym that uses free weights, but I happened to try out the PR3000 at Sports Authority, and I really liked it. We bought another unit, but it didn’t turn out to be exactly what we needed, and eventually I found myself remembering the PR3000 fondly.

When we finally decided to go with a Bowflex for a couple reasons – less weight on our floor and not having to move weights around our apartment. I thought I’d go for one of the long ones that let you do rowing and – I thought – leg curls. But after I tried the units with rowing, I didn’t actually care for the slightly loose feeling in the seat when it was locked in place, and I also discovered that some Blowflex don’t do leg curls and others have a complicated way of doing them.

So I went back and tried out the PR3000 again – and it was as much fun to use as I remembered it, plus it has a no-cable-changes design that made switching exercises easier. So I tried a workaround someone reviewing a different Bowflex on Amazon recommended for another unit, which was basically do the leg curls while standing and facing the unit. I tried that on the PR3000 at the store and it worked fine for me, so I finally got it and I love using it.

The pluses:

* It doesn’t take much floor space

* I don’t have to move heavy weights around during my workout

* It’s very quiet

* No cable changes keeps workouts moving along

* Motion is smooth (smoother than the Weider Platinum)

* Very good assembly directions

* A lot of things adjust for different sized people

* Top pulleys are on hook-and-eyes so that they swivel

* Can be upgraded to 310 pounds

* Very well-made, more attention to detail than other equipment we’ve had

The minuses:

* Doesn’t come with a lat bar, although you can do pulldowns with the hand grips

* The manual isn’t as detailed as other Bowflex units, although still better than most other home gyms.

* Very short warranty on smaller parts. I got an extended warranty.

* Bows resistance isn’t the weight specified (I measured and it’s lighter) but there was still more than enough resistance to give me a burn. Larger men and very fit people should probably get the 310 lb upgrade pretty quickly.

Review by Michael LaBossiere:

Like most people, I had seen the Bowflex commercials on TV and was skeptical of just how such a machine would produce the gods and goddesses shown in the ads. However, the idea of an all-in-one resistance machine was appealing and I often considered buying one. I finally took the plunge after undergoing quadriceps tendon repair surgery. Since my usual exercise was out of the question (running and martial arts) I decided to give the Bowflex a try. After all, I don’t want to become psychotic and fat while I’m recovering. While I cannot do the leg exercises yet, my experience has been positive.

Pros: On the plus side, the machine provides a wide range of exercises that enable you to work almost all of the muscle groups. It was easy to assemble and comes with fairly clear directions. It also includes a basic workout book, although you will probably want to supplement this with additional information about working out. Properly assembled, the machine seems very solid and as long as you maintain it, it should provide a safe workout.

As you can see from the pictures, it has three sets of handles: one high, one middle and one low. This allows you to get a wide range of workouts and replicate most traditional free weight training moves. It also has the attachment for doing leg lifts. The seat can be easily removed to allow you to safely do standing exercises.

A major plus for this machine is that the power rods connect to all the handles. In other words, you do not need to constantly switch cable connections for your workout. Some lower end models lack this feature, which would be a bit annoying.

Cons: While the machine allows you to do a large range of exercises, it does have clear limits. For example, you can only do leg lifts with the leg exercise attachment (although you can do leg exercises using the handles). Also, it suffers the inherent limitations of a rod based machine relative to free weights. For example, the weight on the resistance rods seem rather optimistic (I suspect the weight is based on the resistance offered at maximum bend). To compare the machine with free weights, I did curls with the 50 pound rod and with a 35 pound free weight. The free weight provided far more resistance (in the form of weight). This is because the weight always weighs 35 pounds and the rod’s resistance increases as it is pulled.

You will also want to spring for the 100 pound upgrade-this consists of two 50 rods. I think the rods should have been included, but I suppose that some people would be fine with the stock rods.

I’d suggest getting them when you get the machine, otherwise you’ll have to take the “rod box” off the machine so as to put in the rods. Mine didn’t come with instructions (just two rods and two screws in a cardboard box), but this is what I did: carefully lean the machine to one side, preferably with someone trustworthy holding it (make sure that they are not the beneficiary of your life insurance). Unscrew the three screws holding the box in place. Remove the box and take out the plugs (two of them, just ahead of the installed 50 rods). Insert the rods and screw the included screws into the rods (at the bottom). Put the rod box back in place and then screw the screws back in. Carefully test the rods to make sure they are secure, and then you are ready to go.

Review by Just:

I was torn between these and the PowerBlock dumbells I kept reading about. I had a chance to check out the 2008 and prior model Bowflex Select Tech’s at Dicks Sporting Goods, and I remember thinking about how easy it was to spin the dials to adjust the weights.

My only concern and hesitation was that a few reveiws mentioned the possibility of the weights rattling and people were worried they could fall off? I had not heard this before, so I researched it more and although the PowerBlock dumbells had gotten good reviews, I simply could not get past how ugly they were, and the fact that they used a magnetic pin to hold the weights in.

I decided to spend the few extra dollars on these 2009 model Select Techs (assuming any prior issues they may have had were corrected) and boy am I glad I did, they are AWESOME! The dials, in my opinion, are ten times easier than the magnetic pins of PowerBlocks, and these Bowflex dumbells look ten times more fashionable (our gym equipment is on our loft, so yes my wife and I have a style standard). These dumbells are about 15 inches long, but neither of us have any issues with their size (I think the PowerBlocks were only a 3 inch difference anyways).

We are 100% happier we bought these, and we bought the stand from Amazon to go with them also (it is better for your back if you lift dumbells from a standing position instead of from a squatting one). I hope you enjoy your SelectTechs as much as we enjoy ours!

Review by Robert R. Rowntree:

No question great design – 5 out of 5 rating for sure. Support is a 4, pretty good. Where they fall down is on ruggedness. There may be improvements in the 2009 versions but the main problem with my 2008 set is many of the parts are made with plastics. There is 52 lb maximum of weight and thats alot to ask to support of some of the types of plastics used to construct this product. The minor flaw in my view is the choice of materials for this product. For example, the spindles that pick up and hold each plate in place are made of a thin hard but brittle plastic. If you do a set on a bench, get exhausted and drop these weights by more then a inch or 2 on the floor, these plastic spindles have a tendency to break. The hand unit, minus the weights will need to be replaced. Bowflex has a 2 year warranty and were pretty good about sending out a new handle. The handle got to me within about 5 days. For me I would rather they make the spindles out of a metal and pay more. That is a testament to how much I love these weights. I am more careful with them now. So if you can see your way to either being very caring with these weights or rough on them and getting replacements (for free under the 1st 2 years warranty), I would not hesitate in buying these units. Otherwise, save yourself some aggravation and buy something else.

Review by Javier:

First off, this is a great product, but I will not spend the time reviewing the great things about this product because I feel there are many other reviews that have already done that. Here are some things I found I thought should be helpful to others:

1) In the “most helpful critical review” it is listed that the rectangular chrome handles are a pain to deal with. This almost compelled me not to buy this product. However, after trying out the DBs, I did not find it much of a bother. The “rectangular” handles are pretty much round with a hint of “rectangulariness” if you will. Not much of a bother to me, but some thick tape cloth should remedy the problem if you have sensitive hands.

2) To those that do not want to buy the 0 stand, I found that instead of picking the DBs off the floor, you can simply make use of the shipping boxes as a custom made stand. Just turn over the Styrofoam and cut off the top lid of the box and place the DB within the box and you are set. The DBs are still a little low, but it is better than picking them off the floor.

3) If you ever have the problem of a DB not fitting within the base evenly, the dials are stuck, and one of the plates does not attach to the DB, do not send in the DB to the manufacturer just yet (I had this occur to me today). After some experimenting, I finally figured out that all I had to do was remove the DB from the base and remove the plates from the base until the base was completely emptied. Then, with the emptied base, place the DB back within the base (without remaining plates on the floor). You should be able to switch the dials back to 10 lbs with plates from the DB coming off. Then simply place back all the plates within the base and place the DB back within the base with the plates ready to go. The DB should pick the plates right back up. This experiment saved me a lot of money because I forgot to send in the warranty mail within 30 days (it’s on the back of the paperback instructions). Hope you found at least one of these points helpful!

Review by L. Shulthise:

I’ve been using the 1090′s for a few weeks now. I have a very limited amount of workout space in my apartment so I don’t have the room for a full dumbbell set. This set provides 90 lbs for each arm which is more than enough for every exercise that I do. 50 lbs was not enough so I’m glad I bought the 1090′s vs. the 1050′s.

The 1050′s have a nice rubberized handle grip but the 1090′s have an all metal grip with a rough texture. I find them less comfortable than the rubberized grip but a little tape takes care of the issue.

The dial selector is very good and is super easy to use. It just takes a couple seconds to dial in the weight you want and off you go. This is a very high quality product and it works very well.

The only drawback I’ve seen is that the bar is pretty long so you are using a large and long dumbbell even when you only need 10 lbs of weight. I’ve had some trouble doing double arm curls because the weights hit when I get my arms close enough together to do the exercise properly. To compensate, I just do one set with each arm individually. 90% of the exercises I do are not affected by the length so its not a significant issue for me.

I highly recommend this set. You should consider getting the stand to save your back. 90 or 180 lbs is a lot of weight to lift from the floor and especially if you are doing it repetitively. The stand is at the right height and orientation to allow easy pickup of the dumbbells without straining your back.

I bought the 1090 dumbbell set (two dumbbells) and the stand new for 0 at Play it Again Sports. I haven’t seen any deals that good online. If you don’t want to spend the money for a full set of dumbbells and/or you if you have limited space, then I highly recommend this product. I have to say I still enjoy dialing in the weight every time I do it. I guess the gadget factor is something to consider also

Review by J. Duncan:

…right off the bat, if you do calf raises you’ll need more than this. You’ll do a lot more weight with shoulder shrugs than you think too.

Mine didn’t come with instructions. You have to take the rod block off the machine so you can get to the bottom of it to put in the screws. Just pop out the two covers (I used a flat screwdriver to pry them out), insert the rods, and put a philips screw into the bottom of the block to hold the rod in (screws are included).

Review by MR:

I’m a 42 yr old male, in good shape and experienced with working out and weight training. I lift weights to tone up, and to balance the running portion of my workouts. I’m not looking for size or “gains”. My goal in purchasing a Bowflex was to save time and space. I purchased the Bowflex Extreme with the 310 “lb” resistance upgrade. To date I have not purchased the leg attachment option. I have used this machine for six weeks.

Overall – I’m happy with this purchase. This machine is a good concept, and produces good results. In my opinion, it offers several advantages over free weights. It’s well constructed, but has some minor flaws (described later). While not the top-of-the-line model, this machine allows me to do more exercises than I could ever possibly need.

The resistance feels different than free weights, and takes some getting used to. First, the poundage listed on the rods does not correspond to free weights – it doesn’t need to. The goal is to provide a repeatable, controlled resistance. Second, the resistance increases through the range of motion, unlike weights which require you to overcome inertia. Initially, this makes the exercise feel too easy, but I’ve found that if I work through the complete range of motion in a controlled manner, I get a good workout.

In my opinion, because resistance increases through the range of motion, the Bowflex works stabilizer muscles better than free weights. In addition, since you’re not limited to working against gravity, you can exercise through ranges of motion not possible with free weights. Free weights do offer some advantages, but I’m happy with my results to date.

The actual size of the Extreme is pretty much what I had anticipated. It requires a 7ft wide x 9ft deep x 8ft high workout area. You’ll not want to move it once setup, but it can be used in a second bedroom. I like how the bench is set up in a vertical position to save space.

One flaw is that some of the components seem cheap. Overall, the system is solid and well-constructed. However, my rod binding strap split into two after a couple of uses. Also, the plastic covering on one of my cables started flaking off after a few workouts. Another flaw is that the 210 “lb” standard resistance is insufficient. The machine should come with 300 “lbs” of standard resistance – Bowflex should ditch the useless 5 lb rods, and add two more 50s.

A couple words of advice – Read the ENTIRE manual before assembling or working out. I read the assembly portion of the manual, and easily set the system up in an hour. However, thinking I was experienced, I jumped into my workouts without reading (or watching the DVD) on how to use the machine. I later found out that I was doing several of the exercises, and using several of the attachments, incorrectly. Perhaps this contributed to the flaking cable covering. Finally, I’ve found that grouping exercises by pulley location (high, middle, or low pulleys), shortens my workouts.

Review by Harry Hogg:

I bought the Select-Tech 552 dumbell set w/stand, so I needed a bench to go with it. I saw this was the ‘matching’ bench and had good reviews, so I went with it without much shopping around. I think I paid 0 with no tax or shipping. As I did not shop around, I don’t know if this is a good ‘value’ compared to other brands.

As far as the bench itself, it is very sturdy. No wobbling while you are using it – this is a big plus. It also looks very nice and obviously matches my other equipment.

The adjustment options are nice to have, but to me they are mostly unnecessary. I only use it in the flat position and one incline position. I can’t imagine what one would do with all the other positions, but maybe someone who is more sophisticated in their work out could utilize them.

The leg attachment, again, is very sturdy. I didn’t buy it for sit-ups, nor would I recommend this to someone who wanted it solely for sit-ups, but if you want a bench primarily for lifting that gives you a sit-up option, this will work just fine.

As to the negatives… This was mentioned by another reviewer, but there is a opening in the bench where it folds up. It is really in a bad place (atleast for me, I am 6′ 3″) – right on the small of the back. It is uncomfortable and seems like it could cause injury. I am able to get around it by scooting my rear as close to the end of the bench before I lay back. Still, it seems like this could have been designed better.

The assembly was simple and consists primarily of using washers and bolts. On mine, on the bottom end, the welds were in the way of one of the holes I needed to put a bolt/washer through. The washer would not sit flat and it was very difficult to get this one tight.

Another complaint would be that the wheels are useless the way they are positioned – you will just end up dragging it from one place to another. And the bench does not fold up for storage, so it may not be the most compact bench to tuck away when not in use.

Overall, I would recommend the bench and I would buy it again, but it is far from perfect. If you shop around you may be able to find a better option for your individual needs. Hopefully my insight helps with your purchase decision!

Review by wildseven:

If you’re looking for a versatile workout bench to do your decline, incline, and flat bench presses, this bench is an excellent choice. I’m very happy with the quality of the construction, and it’s as sturdy as most benches I’ve used in commercial gyms. The back can be adjusted from the decline position for situps/decline bench press to a full upright 90 degrees which is great for doing shoulder presses. The seat also has 2 adjustable positions, flat and decline. I like to workout with free weights most of the time and this bench allows me to do just about any exercise I need that requires a bench. The total assembly time took about an hour total, and was very easy. Although it’s pricier than some of the other benches on Amazon, I think it’s worth it.

Review by TxFarmer:

*I am writing this ‘review’ not from the standpoint of purchaser, but rather from the standpoint of informer. I hope this can save someone from maybe buying the wrong Revolution.*

There are 3 different Bowflex Revolutions. There is the ‘regular’ model (the Revolution) (footprint of app. 3′X 8′), then the [space-saving] Rev. XP, and also the [space-saving] Rev. FT (footprint(s) of app. 4′X5′).

It seems as though the FT does NOT come with a seat/chair/bench (unless “added on”). Some [other] places offer the 3.1 bench included in the price of the FT. Purchaser should be aware that unless added, no bench will come with FT (again, this is from my research..please correct me if I am wrong).

I am needing a bench that is able to be ‘attached’ to the unit, so the bench is stable…not wobble-like, or shaky ; therefore, I am opting for the XP. The “FT” is the retail version of the Revolution. Also, I personally see no provision(s) for a [true] preacher curl.

I love the design and footprint of the [space-saving] Revolution(s), just wanted to clear up a potentially confusing situation.

Review by popgodazipa:

I have been working out on my new FT for just a few days. So far I am incredibly impressed with the workouts and the level of flexibility of the FT. I opted for the FT because I think that not having the bench attached to the actually unit gives me a little bit more flexibility in my work outs..the bench in my opinion would get in the way. I bought an after market bench from Target. It works perfectly and is an added plus when I move to my selecttech dumbbells. First lets talk about the setup.

Setup was pretty simple. The directions are straight forward and well put together. I ran into a snag at the end when I noticed that one of the chords was off track inside the actual housing of the FT. Customer service was closed for the weekend so I had to wait until Monday. Bowflex should either place these instructions online or include them in a troubleshooting guide. All in all there wasn’t much to it. Customer service is great. On to the workouts.

To get the most out of the FT or any Bowflex with the spiralflex tech remember these words..”Form Is EVERYTHING” 4 seconds out and 4 seconds in, is the rhythm needed to get the max out of your workout. You will have to experiment with the spiraflex plates to figure out what works for you but once you find that sweet spot you will be rewarded. The workouts are intense and give you a great amount of “burn” and feedback. I group my exercises so that I can work a couple of different muscles in a given arm and grip position.

Here is my only negative…The chords loose their tension after a few sessions. Bowflex has a knob that you turn that is suppose to tighten the slack when this happens. Every time I touch that knob to adjust the tension the chord becomes tangled and I have to open the whole thing up to straighten it out again. I hope it’s something I’m doing wrong, and very well maybe..but it is annoying.

Conclusion…Buy it! The FT is a couple of hundred bucks cheaper than the XP and works just as well as the others. It really doesn’t take up that much space I think it would fit perfect in an apartment or loft. My motivation for buying it was to spend more time at home with the family and less time on the road to and from the gym. To that end the Bowflex is just right for me!

Review by B. Valentine:

Note: If you are thinking about buying these, you need these first: Bowflex 310 lb. Rod Upgrade.

Installation of the 410 lb upgrade is a lot eaiser than the 310 lb upgrade as these slip right on the back of your existing rod block and lock in place. The 310 lb upgrade requires you to remove your rod block and pop off the caps and screw them into the rod block from the bottom of the block. Not super hard to do, but does require you to disassemble the rod block from the machine (at least it did on my Extreme 2).

Neither the 310 lb nor the 410 lb upgrade came with directions. It is fairly easy to install them, but directions would have been nice. The Extreme 2 installation instructions don’t mention anything about installing extra rods either.

I have found in working out that I rarely ever go with all the rods. I am no giant, but I am no small guy either. So your call on if you need to buy these. My advice would be to buy the 310 lb upgrade and see if you ever need more. These are really easy to add (compared to the 310 lb upgrade), so see if you are max’ing out at 310 and then buy these if needed.

Review by Clinton Kardos:

I don’t know how closely these “bows” translate into real world pounds, but it’s nice to max out the potential of your Bowflex. I’m already a strong guy and have been a recovering gym rat for years. But, I can’t bench 410 lbs normally, and even with this upgrade I’m still doing repetitions of like 10 after doing 4-5 sets previously.

I know it has to do with pulleys and the variable resistance with the amount of flex in the bows, but still. These bows aren’t even close to real world weight. But hey, it still beats driving to the gym and waiting for machines and free weights. Unless you want to become a hardcore bodybuilder, the Bowflex is convenient and sufficient.