If you are planning to make your own home gym, the Bowflex machine can be one of the best options for your dream.
Once you build your home gym, you don't need to commute to the gym every day and you don't need to wait in the long line for your chest workout.
But even you figured out the Bowflex machine can be a good choice for you, there are still a lot of options in Bowflex.
So we prepared a detailed breakdown of the top five Bowflex machines that can be a part of your home gym right now. Let's dig.
Header | |||||
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Model | PR 1000 | PR 3000 | Xtreme 2SE | Blaze | Revolution |
Rating | |||||
Price | $ | $$ | $$$ | $$$ | $$$$ |
Exercise | 30+ | 50+ | 70+ | 60+ | 100+ |
Resistance | Power Rod 210 lbs. | Power Rod 210 lbs. | Power Rod 210 lbs. | Power Rod 210 lbs. | Spiraflex 200 lbs. |
Upgrade | 310 lbs. | 410 lbs. | 410 lbs. | 300 lbs. | |
Quick Change | |||||
Bench | Horizontal | Vertical | Vertical | Horizontal | Vertical |
Squat Bar | |||||
Foldable | |||||
Aerobic Rowing | |||||
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1. Bowflex PR 1000 - Best Value for Money
Brand / Model | Bowflex PR 1000 |
Feature | Best Value for Money |
Cost | $ |
No. of Exercises | 30+ |
Resistance | Power Rod / 210 lbs |
Upgrade | |
Quick-Change System | |
Foldable | |
Dimension (L x W x H) | 103" x 80" x 82" |
Pros
Cons
You can perform over 30 exercises with Bowflex PR 1000. Comparing other home gym machines of Bowflex it sounds like a small number,
but it covers various exercises targeting major muscle groups. Also, you can perform aerobic rowing workout for fat burning.
In Home Gym Mania's opinion, it is good enough for beginners as it provides balanced workout options.
The big plus of PR 1000 is it's a very affordable price. It provides the best value for the money you invest.
PR 1000 does not have a quick-change system, so it can require some time to change between your workout.
And you cannot upgrade the weight. It's weight covers up to 210 lbs. For advanced people, it can be a minus factor.
But overall there are more upsides than downsides.
2. Bowflex PR 3000 - Best Efficiency
Brand / Model | Bowflex PR 3000 |
Feature | Best Value for Money |
Cost | $$ |
No. of Exercises | 50+ |
Resistance | Power Rod / 210 lbs |
Upgrade | Upgradable to 310 lbs |
Quick-Change System | |
Foldable | |
Dimension (L x W x H) | 64" x 41" x 83" |
Pros
Cons
You can perform over 50 strength exercises with Bowflex PR 3000. You can upgrade the resistance system up to 310 lbs from 210 lbs if you are looking for heavier resistance.
The best advantage of PR 3000 is its efficiency. Bowflex PR 3000 is equipped with a quick-change system. So you don't need to
change cables between your workout set. That is a huge time saver and it also saves space with a compact configuration.
PR 3000 does not have aerobic rowing functionality and it has a vertical bench. If you are looking for a simulating bench press workout, a vertical bench can be a minus factor. But the advantage of PR 3000 is bigger than the downside.
3. Bowflex Xtreme 2SE - Best among Power Rod machines
Brand / Model | Bowflex Xtreme 2SE |
Feature | Best among Power Rod machines |
Cost | $$$ |
No. of Exercises | 70+ |
Resistance | Power Rod / 210 lbs |
Upgrade | Upgradable to 410 lbs |
Quick-Change System | |
Foldable | |
Dimension (L x W x H) | 53" x 49" x 83" |
Pros
Cons
You can perform more than 70 strength exercises with Bowflex Xtreme 2SE. You can upgrade the resistance system up to 410 lbs from 210 lbs if you are looking for heavier resistance.
Like Bowflex PR 3000, it is equipped with a quick-change system. So you don't need to change cables between your workout set.
It has a vertical bench, which means you can not perform aerobic rowing. But the squat bar is a big plus of Xtreme 2SE.
The only downside is that it is a bit heavier.
4. Bowflex Blaze - Upgraded version of PR 1000
Brand / Model | Bowflex Blaze |
Feature | Upgraded version of PR 1000 |
Cost | $$$ |
No. of Exercises | 60+ |
Resistance | Power Rod / 210 lbs |
Upgrade | Upgradable to 410 lbs |
Quick-Change System | |
Foldable | |
Dimension (L x W x H) | 90" x 38" x 83" |
Pros
Cons
Bowflex Blaze can be a great choice if you can invest a little bit more money. Blaze is an upgraded version of PR 1000.
You can upgrade the resistance system up to 410 lbs from 210 lbs if you are looking for heavier resistance.
You can perform more than 60 strength exercises with Bowflex Blaze. It comes with an angled lat bar and squat bar.
A downside is it does not have a quick-change system. So it can be a minus factor.
5. Bowflex Revolution - Most Professional home gym
Brand / Model | Bowflex Revolution |
Feature | Most Professional home gym |
Cost | $$$$ |
No. of Exercises | 100+ |
Resistance | Spiraflex / 200 lbs |
Upgrade | Upgradable to 300 lbs |
Quick-Change System | |
Foldable | |
Dimension (L x W x H) | 112" x 38" x 73" |
Pros
Cons
Bowflex Revolution adapted SpiraFlex technology which is different from the usual power rod system. As discussed above, it is initially designed to help astronauts' muscle maintenance in the space station.
SpiraFlex gives more consistent gym-quality resistance throughout your movement with the relatively lightweight disk. You can perform more than 100 strength exercises with the Bowflex Revolution. You can upgrade the resistance system up to 300 lbs from 200 lbs if you are looking for heavier resistance.
It also has a quick-change system to save your time between workout sets. Revolution has a leg press station and rowing functionality for cardio.
The only downside is that it is expensive.
Home Gym Mania's Final Thoughts
We reviewed the top five Bowflex Home Gym machines. But there is no one size fits all choice because each person is standing at different points of their home gym fitness journey.
If you are just starting and looking for the most value for the money, Bowflex PR 1000 is the way to go.
If you want one extra mile from PR 1000, Bowflex Blaze is the way to go.
If you want maximum efficiency, PR 3000 can help you to save time and space with its compact design.
Overall, if you are an intermediate level and want to invest more for the next level, Home Gym Mania recommends Xtreme 2SE or Revolution.
Xtreme 2SE is the best in the traditional power rod line and Revolution adapts new SpiraFlex technology.
Hope this review helped you to choose the right Bowflex machine for your home gym. Boom!