Customer Reviews

Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have seen those Bowflex infomercials for 20 years now and was the first to say "Yeah right". I believed there was no way it can be as easy as they say it was. I couldn't be MORE wrong. I've owned the Bowflex for 1 month now and cannot believe how easy, fun and fast results have happened. Its simply AMAZING! I love it!

Let me start with the quality. As I was putting it together I was shocked at how well its built. Very study, heavy duty. No cheesy parts.

Second, the DVD that came with it explained everything to me on how each exercise should be preformed safely and to get the best results.

Third, it tells you that you have to commit to a complete healthy life style. You can workout on it as much as you want but if you don't eat right, your NOT going to see the results your looking for.
So, I did just what they told me too.... 1 month, dropped 13 pounds. I can actually SEE the results too! Pants are not staying up, shirts are not as tight and I feel GREAT! Its SO easy if you commit and now that I am actually seeing and feeling the results I am excited to see what happens at the end of 2 months, 4 months, 6 months.

If you have joint problems like I do, this machine is awesome. I struggled with free weights. My joints would ache while working out. With the Bowflex... NOT ONE ISSIUE!

If you're tired of looking like a marshmallow and feeling like a piece of balsa wood, I strongly recommend the Bowflex. It WORKS! Worth every penny I spent on it.

If I had to say anything negative it would be this. It took me about 5 hours to put together but I was able to do it by myself. It wasn't that it was hard or confusing to put together, just took a little while. Still, I am PRO Bowflex. Love it, Love it, LOVE IT!

We purchase the refurbished model by Nautilis. Note that Bowflex is made by Nautilis. The refurbished gym we bought looked brand spanking new. I primarily got this for the family since they don't like weight-lifting in our unheated garage in the winter. Postive aspects of the gym are;
1) fits a small space in the house.
2) easy to assemble and only took a couple hours.
3) has a wealth of different exercises.
4) very good machine for most kids and women.
5) operates smoothly and thus far appears to be pretty stout.
6) easy to switch apparatus when changing the exercise.
7) beats having to pay gym fees for a family when you pencil it out. This assumes you have plenty of outside areas to get cardiovascular exercise in.

Downside of the gym;
1) For those in good shape and/or lift a lot of weight your going to find the exercises are very easy. I'm just guessing but the bench press at 210 lbs on the machine feels like about 130-140 lbs for free weights. So we intend to upgrade with another 100 lbs for the machine which will add a little to the final cost.
2) For smaller kids, less than about 5 ft, some of the basic exercises won't provide a full range of motion (e.g. overhead press). We solved that by placing a 8 inch piece of wood on the seat when out youngest is using the gym.
3) We didn't like doing squats with the machine, all prefered using our squat rack and free weights.

Overall - Nice system despite some of the drawbacks. The machine has and will get much use in our house.

The Bowflex Extreme 2SE, which I purchased came in 5 cartens bound together on a single pallet, in one delivery. Putting it together took about 3 hours and does require some tools.
The Bowflex 2SE is pullied to eliminate changes in cables, which makes it easier to operate. I found the construction of the Bowflex to be sturdy, and with the normal 210lbs of resistance, it seems enough for the average person. I would recommend this piece of equipment for anyone with limited space.

Most of the previous reviews have covered the construction and setup of the Xtreme 2 SE, so I will provide some hints on how to get the most from your machine; a major complaint seems to be that the exercises are too easy. This is true if you only follow the cable setups given by Bowflex. The power rods are never moved to their most "xtreme" (sorry, couldn't resist) positions; in other words, the rods don't move to their limits, which is where the maximum simulated weight occurs. What I do is experiment with different cable connections and combinations; for maximum benching, I will slide the top pins to the holes nearest the tower, and criss-cross the cables, connecting them to the hooks used to support the lat bar when it is not in use. I connect the bottom cables to each other, and slide the pins to the third hole away from the tower. The middle is set to the second holes away from the tower, with individual grips. I set the seat to the lowest position; I call this "5", since I am using the 5th and lowest seat position (by the way, I am 54 years old,5'10" and weigh around 210 pounds; you will need to experiment to find the combination of cable connections and pin positions which best suits you). This setup makes using the 210 lbs provided very difficult (of course, this is also because I pre-exhaust my chest doing incline and decline presses, and cable crossovers first; I am ready to purchase another 100 lbs. of rod). Watch out when attaching the rods, they will be "loaded" because the cables they hook to will now be much shorter. Experiment with your other exercises, always looking to require that the rods use up almost all of their possible range of motion; when you have fully flexed or extended, the rods should be fully flexed too. Also, don't be limited by the exercises given by Bowflex; you can attack your muscles from every angle because the machine is so versatile. Make up your own. I have been using my Xtreme for just over a year religiously, and people think I have lost weight; I haven't, I just swapped muscle for the fat I was carrying. One note: some exercises, when done through a complete range of motion, are too easy at the beginning, even after these adjustments; you will need to break them down, performing partial reps which comprise about 60% of the movement, do your three sets, then change the setup so that you can perform rest of the movement, with a little overlap from the previous movement, under a similar heavy load. I also have gone to a rotating workout: Day 1 Biceps/triceps, Day 2 Shoulders (both pressing and raising exercises), Day 3 Abs, Quads, and Hams, Day 4 Chest and Back. I don't really believe that you can work out all body parts 20 minutes a day and get great results...I spend about 45 minutes to an hour working out, and that's with the ability to set up different exercises quickly. I take a day off whenever I feel I need to, but I will tell you, with this Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE in the house, I want to exercise, and get a little depressed when I miss a workout for uncontrollable reasons. One Caveat: Bowflex does not endorse using the cables this way, and injury/breakage is always possible when loading rods to their limits; I, however, know that the Xtreme 2 SE is very well engineered, and has held up to a year's "abuse" without missing a beat. Be sure to occasionally re-tighten all connections and replace any fraying cable, too. Safety first!

Hopefully, after this explanation, you will go back to your Bowflex and find that it is more of a challenge than you thought. True, it is not the same as free weights, but it takes less room, you can change exercises quickly, and you don't need a spotter even when using extreme "poundages". If you are looking for a Bowflex, check Craigslist; I got mine for $300. At that price, there is no contest. Finally, let me say: I LOVE MY BOWFLEX!

I waited over a month to write this review so I would have some time using the machine.
The refurbished machine saves you money, but it might not be completely worth it. Mine was missing pieces. Amazon could only send another full machine, and they didn't have any at the time. I was directed to Bowflex and they sent out the pieces for no charge, after verifying the purchase. But it took over a week to get them.
The rods really do seem used. When I bought the machine I bought the 310 and 410 resistance upgrades. Those rods are straighter than the ones that came with this. After being tied together with the included strap they straighten up, but only for the first few exercises. Then they stay bowed. And just the weight of the cables and pulleys will pull two 10 pound rods almost halfway down.
The machine is very sturdy and seems to give a good workout, despite the bowing rods. The resistance is not the same as actual weights. But for someone who is just trying to get in shape, that really doesn't matter. As long as you can feel your muscles working, and keep improving you are doing good.
The included workout poster is good. It has two groups of exercises so you can grow with the machine from the start.
If I was to do it again, and had the money, I would buy new over refurbished. But I would buy this machine again. When I miss a workout, I feel bad that I didn't spend time with the machine. In the month I have been using the machine three times a week with the beginning exercises I have lost about 10 pounds. My waist has also shrunk 1-1.5 inches, and I "seem" to have more energy.

As a woman, I have struggled for years with my weight. It seemed like nothing I did worked. I eat sensible, healthy meals and worked out regularly at the gym and yet my weight just kept creeping up. I was getting extremely frustrated. Then, a few weeks ago, my husband came home with the Bowflex Xtreme 2. I have to admit that I was sort of skeptical on whether or not it would deliver the results it claimed.

It has exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. I have been using it every other day for just over 3 weeks now. I have lost almost 11 pounds and 15 inches. I have a long way to go to reach my weight loss goals, but now they seem reachable.

I would recommend this machine to any and everyone. It is easy to use and has more than enough variety of exercises to keep you interested...and it works!

Sold my old "Power Pro" for $500.00 and Scored the Xtreme 2 SE used for $800.00.
No shipping. It's exactly like new-No scuffs on any of the fasteners even.
I can say honestly if one follows the routines/guidelines that are in the instruction booklet you will see results in a very short time. Just like with any workout routine you may have, or that you are going to start, you must set aside a few minutes a day & dedicate yourself to it. Working out isn't just doesn't do a body good-It's also good for the mind.
My advise is to Go slow-Get the correct movements/correct positioning memorized and you will see and feel the results in no time. And most of all "Eating Right" it's all common sense!

this is a great machine, but you must be committed to using it. the machine alone will not give you results like the ripped dudes and chicks you see in the ads. you have to eat well and also do cardio to really see the full results. but if you do...oh my god! you absolutely can transform your body in a matter of a few months (six weeks takes WAY too much discipline for the average person). buy it in february and by june you will not feel completely ashamed to bare your body at the beach or pool.

setup was very easy. i finished in less than three hours and was working out right away. everything was marked well and the instructions were dead on and very easy to follow. haven't had the need to contact customer support for anything, so i don't know how good they are.

again, if you are the kind of person who joins a gym and never goes or buys expensive gear thinking you will turn over a new leaf and get your self in shape, maybe this is not for you. it's expensive (at least it was for me) and looks pretty lame as a clothes rack. possibly buy a yoga mat and some dvd's and see if you stick to it (yoga, by the way, is a great complement to the bowflex), then take the $1500 plunge. i bought a concept 2 rowing machine a few years ago, and everyone i knew told me i would never use it. a few years later i have put over 3 million meters on the thing and it was one of the best investments i ever made in my health. so i knew i would use the bowflex if i got it. i also live in the sticks and going to a gym does not make sense with the travel time and my schedule, so the bowflex works great for me.

I already own an Olympic weight bench, Bowflex dumbbells, and a plethora of other exercise equipment in my home gym. I was looking for a machine that would allow me to do a combination of things, one of which is to do some exercises that I can't do with free weights.

So do I go with resistance or stack weights? I obviously chose to go the former route. I don't regret it but I was really hoping this would be the incredible workout machine and it falls just a bit short of that. I'll be keeping the Xtreme 2 SE but I do question if there's a better fit for me out there. Here's why it's so great and why it's not perfect for me:

-INSTALLATION-
The directions were clear and it took me about three hours to put this together by myself from unpackaging to building to clean-up. I took my jolly ole time and had no difficulty.

-FUNCTION-
Everything works well. I also purchased an additional "100 lbs" of rods that I actually never need. I feel like I can get a decent workout but I don't feel the same level of soreness afterwards as I do with free weights.

-DESIGN-
The footprint is very small considering the large number of exercises you can do with this. It looks great in a home gym environment as well.

-USABILITY-
It comes with a DVD that teaches you how to use the machine. That's when you quickly realize how much you'll be switching configurations between exercises. It takes 30-60 seconds to switch to most configurations, which fine between sets. The problem is that I want to rest or drink between sets, not play with the machine. Sometimes I find myself too lazy to do this and settle for an alternative exercise instead.

-DURABILITY-
Overall, the unit is strong and sturdy. Although the rods are currently firm, I wonder if they will last. I also worry if the rods' bases, where they are attached, need routine maintenance to keep them secure so I'm not unpleasantly surprised in the middle of a rep.

-RECOMMENDATION-
This is a pretty good alternative to free weights at an excellent value. Just spend some time to learn the machine and expect to take a minute between each exercise to change configurations.

Bought directly from Bowlfex for $1,399 / free shipping and a free mat. Google Bowflex codes to find a deal.
This is an incredible machine. Shipping was a very easy process. There are about 5 - 7 boxes total with a lot of parts. I ordered directly from Bowflex because I knew there would be no warranty issues if I had to have something replaced. I did go with the 210 - 310 lbs power rod increase. If this is something you are planning on doing in the future, buy now because assembly will be much easier.
We have all see the late night commercials and felt that weights or a gym was a better option. In my opinion, this system is much better than weights or being financialy committed to a gym.
I had help from my 9 yr old son putting this together. It does take a while so just have patience. Once put together the hard work pays off almost immediately.
There are many Bowflex programs to follow and in the beginning I did. After a few weeks I decided to tailer my own program and keep trying new exercises every few weeks. The ease of going to exercise to exercise is just so smooth and easy. I use the machine every other day and average 25 - 32 exercises a day with 2 - 4 reps per motion. 30 - 45 minutes workout time. The pully system works fantastic. Do the power rods actually equal the same lbs in weight, I do not know. When using the system the power rods feel like weights to me. You actually become addicted to using this and it is so much fun to see the results happen almost within a few weeks.
My one regret is that I did not purchase this sooner.
Buy with confidence and become stronger.