Bowflex Ultimate 2

Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym

Bowflex Ultimate 2 Description

Bowflex offers you the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym. The Bowflex Ultimate 2 gives you the ultimate workout that your body needs to build and strengthen muscles. With more than 95 types of exercises, it is an ideal total-body workout solution.

What the Bowflex Ultimate 2 owners got to say?

Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym - Users' comment from Amazon.com.

I've been working out for over 15 years and have mostly been a member of commercial gyms. However, I work from home and I knew having a way to work out at the house would be beneficial. So I started researching. If you've done any research on the Bowflex products, you'll notice that there are people who love them and people who respond "you'll do better with free weights". Check the validity of their statements and only listen to someone who has owned or consistently used a Bowflex. I've owned mine for just over two months. I have not had to deal with customer service, though I've heard some poor things about them in online forums. My review will deal with the product itself. I am getting a better workout on the Bowflex than I've ever gotten in the years I worked at gyms. There are a few reasons for this, which I'll outline below:

PROS 1. The variable resistance of the Power Rods actually makes a lot of sense for many exercises that involve moving your arms or legs. It gives a more linear resistance profile than any free weight or cable machine would. 2. Changing weights or exercises is simple, so you'll find yourself working out more often. 3. If you are familiar with your body, you can "make up" exercises that don't exist with traditional weights because you have an infinite number of ways to use the cable resistance. 4. The leg and ab attachments are very useful, though you can do a few great ab exercises without the attachment. 5. I added 100 lbs of power rod weight and would suggest the same to anyone planning to work out their legs.

CONS: 1. You will need to adjust yourself and your workout to the way the Bowflex works. It is not exactly the same as using weights. For instance, just sitting under the lat tower and trying a lat pull down will make you think the power rods are useless. However, slide back to the back of the bench, causing the rods to begin flexed, and you'll have the best contraction from a lat pull down you've ever had. 2. If you are very tall, the Ultimate 2 may present some problems for squatting, lateral raises, or some other exercises. I suggest checking your measurements against those of the machine. 3. While they say the Ultimate 2 folds up and can roll away, this is not simple. Make sure you have room for the equipment before purchasing it.

Overall, I have seen more results in two months than I've ever seen at gyms. One more thing to note is this: if you plan to host your home gym on a second story or above a pier and beam foundation, free weights can be tricky because you don't want to damage your floors. That is one huge benefit to a Bowflex. No heavy weights being dropped on the floor. I highly recommend the Ultimate 2 to anyone who wants to manage their fitness from home

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If you're expecting to duplicate a well-equipped commercial gym with the Bowflex Ultimate 2, you'll be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you have reasonable expectations and are looking for an effective, versatile home gym, you'll be fairly pleased. Assembly: As other reviewers have noted, my boxes looked like they were dropped off at my driveway from an airplane. The boxes were crushed, ripped and had holes. But there was little damage inside, other than a few scratches in unnoticeable places. I assembled the main unit and the included accessories (i.e., leg and squat attachments) by myself, and it took maybe 5 hours of uninterrupted work. The optional equipment I purchased (ab attachment, accessories rack, dumbell stand and bench) took about another 2 hours. One person can assemble this machine, but some may need help installing the lat tower. The unit and accessories came in many boxes (I also purchased the dumbells and a bench), so take your time and follow the directions. The equipment takes up considerable space, so be certain to check the dimensions before purchasing. Keep in mind that you'll need additional space behind the machine to permit the "power rods" to flex somewhat backward. Also, the leg attachment will add to the overall length.

Quality:

The machine itself seems to be very sturdy/solid, and it looks nice. Some of the smaller parts, however, seem rather cheap. Examples: (1) the pulley wheels are plastic and have no ball bearings, just a plastic wheel rotating over a metal shaft; (2) after two months of use, the plastic balls at the ends of the pulleys (which prevent the pulley end from being pulled through the pulley) are already chewed up; and (3) there are nylon straps attached to the preacher curl bar and leg attachment (the leg attachment is also used for preacher curls), to which the cable hook is attached. This is a rather cheap design.

Power Rods:

My primary reservation about this machine was the power rods. I have worked out in commercial gyms most of my adulthood (I'm 38), using free weights. I question the life of the power rods. I'm not concerned they'll break, but I wonder how long it will be before they lose significant resistance. This isn't a criticism, just a concern. Also, if you plan to work your legs hard, especially if you use the squat attachment, purchase the 100-lb. upgrade for the power rods. I'm about average when it comes to leg strength, and I can easily squat the entire 310-lb. standard "rack" for over 20 reps. Don't be deceived by the advertised weight. My unit came with 310-lbs. of resistance, but I never squatted 275-lbs. for more than a couple reps at the gym using free weights/squat rack, and that was with knee wraps. I'll be purchasing the upgrade soon.

Accessories:

I am pleased with the accessories, including the leg extension/leg curl attachment, ab attachment, and preacher curl. Though it doesn't compare to a traditional squat rack and bar, I was surprised with the quality of the squat attachment. It works better, and is more true to form, than any other home gym I've tried. The only problem for me is that I can't squat quite as low as I want, since the attachment strikes a portion of the machine. This is partially a function of my height (5' 5"), so taller users probably won't have that problem. Also, see my comments above regarding the power rods and the nylon straps. The ab attachment works well, but you can get the same ab movement from other exercises. The accessories rack does a nice job of keeping everything organized. You'll have a mess on your floor otherwise.

Customer Service: Nice people, but woefully inept. For my accessories rack, 4 "washer hooks" were missing from the box. Customer service would not overnight the hooks to me, but rather I had to wait about 10 days to get them. When received, they sent me a bag of bolts, but no hooks. I called again, and had the hooks "expedited," meaning about 7 days. This time, they only sent 2 of the 4 hooks. Another call to customer service resulted in a delivery 5 days later of 12 hooks. The reps were always friendly and apologetic, but the service itself was unimpressive.

The Workout:

This is a versatile machine. There are many exercises you can do for each muscle group. Some of the advertising is a little misleading. For example, you can do incline, flat or decline bench press. What the advertising doesn't say is that the only difference between the 3 is where you finish the exercise (in other words, where your hands are when you complete the repetition: high for incline, straight for flat, and down for decline). The same is true for cable flies and a couple other exercises. Here's some general comments:

Pros:

Easy to switch between exercises.
For the most part, the movements are relatively smooth.
The power rods provide good resistance at the end of the exercise (when the rods are flexed the most).
The user's manual includes a couple of effective exercises I haven't seen or done before.
As another reviewer noted, you can "make up" exercises. After about 2 months of use, I've "made up" about 6 exercises not included in the manual.
The unit is solid, structurally sound and looks nice.
This unit has the most important feature, in my view: You can get a good and varied workout which delivers nice results.

Cons:

For many exercises, the power rods don't deliver enough resistance during the initial stages of the movement. (Tip: if you find that the power rods don't flex enough for a particular exercise, try moving the chest bar pulleys and lat tower pulleys to the outside settings: this will start the exercise with more tension on the power rods).
For some exercises, the cable is too short. I hook up a chain (about 8") with the included cable hooks for these exercises.
The squat attachment should go lower before it "bottoms out."
The machine should include more resistance, such as making the 100-lb. upgrade standard.
It takes a little time getting used to the power rod resistance and you have to make some adjustments to your form to get the most out of the exercises.

As a final matter, I also purchased the 90-lb. dumbells (and stand). These not only add variety to your workout, but, in my view, will add to your results. They're not a necessity given the versatility of the BU2, but are a nice addition.

If you're male or female, young or older, and whether you're looking to tone up or gain significant muscularity, you'll probably get the results you're looking for with the Bowflex Ultimate 2.

I knew I wanted a bowflex and couldn't decide between the models available. This model offers the most range in exercises and still has the ability to fold up small enough to be able to set up a double air mattress in my "spare/exercise" room for a weekend guest.

This product came in several large boxes and is best assembled by a two person team (A husband/wife team worked for us).

This is the first exercise equipment I have been consistent with. It is fun to use and takes no effort to change between sets. I also have the Ab attachment. Love it.