• Get a total body strength workout with affordable home gym; includes rowing machine rail


• Provides as little as five or as many as 210 pounds of resistance via Bowflex Power Rods


• Over 30 strength exercises; includes horizontal bench press and lat pull down


• Sliding seat rail adds aerobic rowing training for calorie-burning cardiovascular warm-up and cool-down


• 300-pound maximum user weight; requires 100 x 78-inch minimum workout area

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Bowflex PR3000 Does Everything I Need

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.

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certwelder56

I purchased this product for my wifes birthday. the ad shows someone moving it around effortlessly not so. It is very heavy and hard to store so we elected to leave it set up. It is a rugged piece of equipment so we are going to keep it. So before you buy this make sure you have room to keep it set up.More detail ...

Great Product

These rings are great! I use them for CrossFit training and find that the portability of this particular product makes working out while traveling so much more convenient. The rings are constructed well and the accompanying straps are easy to adjust and appear safe for larger people. Fast shipment.More detail ...

Great small home gym

This home gym is small and compact. Designed really for general fitness and strength training not for huge body-building. It needs assembly but that only took me about 4hrs by myself. The only thing I would say is don't follow the pulley installation instructions. Place the cable and pulley on the machine in order of feeding the cable then tighten the pulley bolts to the machine.



This machine does just what you need as a home-fitness gym. It is compact and both my wife and I find it great to maintain tone without wanting huge bulk. It has 150lb in stacked weight which is fine for your general fitness needs. If you want larger weights then I would buy some free-weights but if you want a decent well put together home gym that works arms legs & chest then you can't go wrong with this machine.More detail ...

Excellent more than we had hoped for

We had seen so many different types of equipment that we didn't know which ones really provided an excellent workout without killing us in the process. My wife and I were very happy when we received this product with minimal setup (10 minutes) and we were following the DVD moments afterward. What a great workout! We also have a bowflex but this new equipment can do things the bowflex can't. We use them in unison and recommend the Total Gym to anyone willing to workout 15 minutes every other day.More detail ...

good quality straps - pricey but a sold workout that you can bust out.

I used this product in the gym to break up the workout. You use three forces when you use the TRX: gravity pendulous effect and vectors. Anyhow for doing core exercises it is very good. I still liked to break it up with weight lifting. I was doing fairly workouts and you can go from one position to the next quickly. You do need to be in good shape to really get the most benefit out of it. Space is your friend when it comes to the TRX and a clean floor I would wear gloves while working out since the floor was clean but you couldn't eat from it. I also traveled with it and it came in handy. It is a little bulky but small enough to fit in a day pack with a few pieces of clothes. The TRX went to Puket Thailand Laos China and Sao Paulo Brazil to name a few. It's nice in the sense that you can knock out a workout without running around time looking for a gym. A pole chainlink fence or a tree branch is about all you need to use the unit. Like i said most of the exercises are advanced core training. Try a google search for TRX and you will get the idea. I am planning on building a home gym so i will incorporate this into my workout regimen.More detail ...

Tips on using the Bowflex

First of all I have the Bowflex Sport which is the same as the Blaze just with different trim and labels but which is being discontinued to Bowflex (however if you can find one they are cheaper than the Blaze).



Before I get into my tips I'll give a brief review. I've had this machine for 10 months now and I am mostly pleased with it. I started out as a computer desk nerd with no strength and I've worked up to about average guy strength - I can bench about 200 bowflex pounds now more than twice what I started at. So it works - just don't expect the miracles they advertise. The best thing about it is that is uses a pully system which makes it extremely versatile. The worst thing is the bows which are elastic. If you can find a machine that uses pulleys like the Bowflex but has a weight stack instead of bows that would be best but I don't think there is one in this price range.



Now for the tips.

1. The bows work by stretching and can get stretched out of shape like a rubber band. So make sure you tie them back with the included strap after every workout. If you mess up and stretch them out you *could* try connecting them to the opposite hook and leaving them like that for a couple of days. I did this and it seemed to fix the issue.



2. By the same token the resistance varies with temperature. I found this out by accident when my AC stopped working. The temp went up by 10 degrees and I was suddenly able to lift about 10% more.



3. The bows are not like physical weights. The resistance changes from easy at the beginning of the motion to hard at the end. Also I believe they are overall lighter than physical weights.



4. The weight labels on the bows don't add up mathematically. For example 30lbs + 10lbs + 10lbs is much "lighter" than the 50lb bow. So while you are making gains you should actually increase from 45 to 30 + 10 + 10 to 30 + 10 + 10 + 5 to 50 instead of jumping directly from 45 to 50. Another way to think of it in your head is that the 50lb is actually 60-ish in Bowflex units. This is also true for the jump from 25 to 30. Since there are only 2 10lbs weights I get around this by doing extra reps at 25 until I can finally do a full set at 30. You could also try raising the room temperature by about 5 degrees which should soften them up to start and gradually increase it with each workout.



4. Despite what Dr. Bowflex says the machine just isn't made for a cardio. I got a schwinn exercise bike to compensate for this. I immediately noticed being able to have longer workouts due to my increasing cardiovascular endurance.



5. The manual also states not to rest more than a minute between each exercise. I did this at first but then (anecdotally) I discovered that if I rested longer in order to catch my breath I could do more reps and make faster gains.



6. Certain exercises just don't work that well - basically anything involving legs feet or cardio. The supposed rows are not even worth it. Also the leg curls are very awkward. The manual does not even describe how to do them but according to an old manual I found on the net you need to lie halfway on the leg station seat and halfway on the bench (the opposite exercise - I forget the name - let's call it "leg raise" - does work rather well though). Finally the leg press might be worth it after you upgrade to 310 or 410 pounds but at 210 even someone completely out of shape might find them wanting - mainly because your legs are the strongest part of your body even on a sedentary person. On top of this it is hard to get the leg press strap to stay in place when you are first getting into position.



7. In my case there were some exercises that hurt my joints. I've never had joint injuries that I know if so it may just be my body shape. I'm pretty sure I did them correctly. However in the manual it lists the muscle groups of each motion. Instead of trying exercises that hurt I picked others that would exercise the same groups.More detail ...

Good buy for beginners

Yes there are a few downsides to this system. It can take up a bit of floorspace and it is a bit pricey. But... I had this system a few years ago and loved it. I had to sell it when I moved into a tiny apartment and needed all the space I could get. I recently repurchased the item again and don't regret it at all. There are so many exercises you can perform with this unit and after two and a half weeks I'm already seeing results. This is a great product for beginners or for those who want an inexpensive home gym.More detail ...

Worthwhile purchase

My wife has been wanting to buy a Total Gym for some time now and we're glad we waited because the Total Gym 1800 seems a bit better than the 1700 for a very similar price. We had a hard time finding enough info on the 1800 but decided to take a chance. Although we're not familiar with the 1700 there doesn't seem to be anything "missing" and the 1800 does include a few extras such as larger glide board and ab boards. It also has leg pulley kit one foot harness dip bars press up bars and the wing accessory many of which I think are included in the 1700 as well.



Pluses: Convenient and easy to exercise many different muscle groups compact and reasonably priced. Adults and older kids can use it comfortably. I don't find it difficult to make adjustments even raising and lowering but may be difficult for people who weigh only 100 lbs or less.



Minuses or things that may take some getting used to:



(1) Lot of adjusting required. Different exercises require different attachments some of which get in the way of each other so you don't (can't) have everything permanently attached. At least with the hitch pins it's easy. What's not so easy is adjusting the effort level because the only way to do this is by raising or lowering the glide table so it's inclined at a different angle (all exercises require raising your body on the glide table at a steeper angle this requires more effort). So where I've started is level 1 (easiest) for a few exercises then I adjust to level 3 for a couple of other exercises. While I do expect to get stronger at the level 1 exercises I kind of doubt that I'll ever be at the same setting for all exercises.



(2) Mechanical design leaves something to be desired. (a) I have yet to find a good place to keep the handles when not using them so they just kind of rattle around on the floor. (b) There's a safety hitch pin but either I'm not using it right or it doesn't fit well - there's a hole it seems it should go in but it either goes in cockeyed or it bangs up against the main spring loaded pin that holds one end of the glide table up. (c) There's a velcro pad on one of the rails the pulley fitting rubs against this and it's going to come off sooner or later. (d) There's a foam pad that goes under the unit. But when you raise or lower the glide table the distance between the feet changes and the foam pad shifts around. Minor nuisance keeping the unit on the foam pad I'm inclined (no pun intended!) to get a nice big plywood sheet and keep the Total Gym on that. (e) Depending on the attachments in use the plastic-sheathed cable may rub on the attachment.



(3) At first it was awkward getting started with each exercise but I'm getting the hang of it. Seems to help to grab both handles of the rope-pulley and then adjust your body position. And empty your pockets ;-)



(4) Be careful with loose hair. First time my wife tried her hair got caught in a pulley assembly.



Drawbacks notwithstanding a good deal for the money.More detail ...

Great Product



This just arrived today. Took about 2 hours to assemble but it's pretty easy. I almost bought this from another site because they were going to assemble it (would've been 200 extra dollars for that) and I am very glad I did it myself.



This unit is extremely sturdy and well put together. I was a bit nervous to buy this because I have young kids I did not want to trash it. Believe me they couldn't! This is far too well-designed and durable.



Worked out for about an hour and I love it. Lots of exercises you can do (both muscular and cardio) and you can really feel it.



As others have noted on other models I can see how the weights (200 lbs) might not be enough but I am not looking to become the Incredible Hulk. This unit is perfect to stay fit and not let those holiday meals get the upper hand.



I really recommend this to anyone who wants to work at home and does not want to be bored with the same old routine (treadmill stationary bike etc.)



Great job Bowflex!More detail ...

Bowflex PR3000 Does Everything I Need

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.

More detail ...

I finally found the perfect workout machine.

I've been looking for quite a while for an "all-in-one" home gym to replace several pieces of gym equipment that I've been using regularly for several years: a Weider 8510 pulley-type machine a Roman crunch bench; a Body by Jake; and free weights.



I looked at the "Total Gym" machine (the one pushed by Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris). I went to their website and requested their free video; a few days later I got a phone call from them telling me that if I bought it that very day I could save $100. "I want the video" I said. I never got the video. That sent up "red flags" in my head for the Total Gym people. I resent being hustled.



Then I found this item the Total Body Works 5000. I could not find a single negative review for it anywhere.



I bought it. I love it. Even though I've been working out for years I am impressed. It will help free up a lot of space in my basement!More detail ...