BowFlex Revolution Home Gym

The Bowflex Revolution: (TL;DR review at bottom) Background: I am a 28 year old male, 5'11" / 180lbs. My wife is a 28 year old female 5'7" / 120lbs. We are of above average fitness, but are in no way comparable to athletes, body builders or frequent gym attendees. We stick to at-home calisthenics, running and swimming. Our fitness goals are to become overall more physically fit, NOT to become professional bodybuilders. Decision: We already have a good diet and consistently exercise. We wanted to work out together in the privacy of our own home. We wanted an at-home machine that would assist us in our fitness goals and be potentially more effective and entertaining than calisthenics. We looked at several home gyms and decided to go with the Bowflex revolution because of primarily two reasons: 1) Rowing machine with free moving chair. 2) Leg Press built in. Shipping: This product was available with Amazon Prime shipping, so it was shipped as expected. Promptly and intact. No issues here. Assembly: The assembly was surprisingly easy. It took approximately 2 hours from the time I opened the first box. The instructions are very clear and concise and the boxes are labeled 1 through 5. Box one has the words "Open this box first" which I thought was pretty awesome. Advice: Do NOT open any other box except box 1 until you have read the directions. The installation manual instructs how to assemble the machine from INSIDE the box... Look/Feel: After the installation, I am very satisfied with how sturdy and well built the machine is. It is definitely made from good quality parts. The pulley system is very smooth and very quiet. I am able to work out when people are sleeping in the next room (Given my music isn't too loud) Weights: The weights are... interesting to say the least. I have no proof or facts behind this, but I don't believe they are intended to "match" traditional free weights. I believe they are made solely for use with a Bowflex workout programs and not to be used with other "weighted" programs. For example: 130lbs on the Bowflex Revolution is A LOT heavier than 130lbs free weight barbell. I don't know why it is this way, it's just something I have noticed. The weights were originally difficult to put on due to the method that is required. After practice and use though, it became very easy and have no trouble with them. Manual: The manual is very informative. It contains pictures and descriptions of all the workouts on the Bowflex. It also has many prearranged workout programs to fit your needs. Cons: A couple things I am not completely satisfied with are unfortunately what made me buy the machine the first place. 1) The row machine was slightly disappointing, not quite what I expected. 2) The leg press caters to the tall. My wife is 5'7" and finds a hard time to get a good workout with it. When she gets low to get a deep press, the machine loses resistance (due to size, not due to defect). This means she cannot get a full press and defeats a lot of the exercise. Despite these minor complaints, the machine is still everything we wanted. ****UPDATE****: The leg press machine works fantastic. We were originally using it wrong, but, have since fixed our issue and are using it right. The leg press is a great feature. Warranty: With a 10 year warranty that is backed by Bowflex, it guarantees that you get the life out of your machine. **I called Bowflex and the sales representative stated that Amazon was an authorized distributor thus warranties are honored if purchased through Amazon**. 10 years is more than enough time to get your money's worth. We have a 9 year old son who can use this all the way through high school and have it STILL be in warranty. TL;DR: If you are looking for a home-gym to either 1) work on general fitness or 2) supplement your current gym regime, the Bowflex can do it well. It is well designed, well made and well supported. Do not expect this to make you a body builder or anything close to that. Expect this machine to make workouts fun and private. DO NOT EXPECT RESULTS WITHOUT PROPER DIET!. 5 out of 5 stars - Easily - Would purchase again.

Gives a great workout, and relatively compact compared to any other home gym (talking about the full Revolution, not the condensed XP). It takes a little getting used to the positions (just a couple sets) but is a little more natural if you are a prior gym rat that has worked with cables before. The only downside (which is kind of a big one) is that I'm 5'11 and I don't really get a good full range of motion on some exercises, such as the leg press, I'm only getting good tension through about half of the repitition. The spiraflex plates seem to work pretty well though, and the equipment is rather sturdy. (Heavy too).

PURCHASE DATE: 02FEB14 PURCHASE PRICE: $2,006.19 UPDATE #1: 23JAN18 UPDATE #2: 01DEC23 I was never one for Bowflex infomercials, but the cutting-edge technology behind the Bowflex Revolution intrigued me. Extensive internet research, including positive YouTube reviews and an endorsement from Brett Favre, convinced me to give it a shot. With a demanding career, hitting the gym wasn't always feasible, but this machine changed the game. After thorough research, the Bowflex Revolution emerged as the ideal all-in-one solution. I contacted Bowflex directly to clarify warranty details when purchased through Amazon. They confirmed it's honored if directly from Amazon, not a 3rd party - a crucial tip for potential buyers. The delivery was prompt, with courteous personnel placing the sizable packages exactly where needed. While the installation seemed daunting due to the package size, it turned out manageable, taking around 3 hours with careful attention. Once set up, I appreciated the seamless transition between exercises. Super quick and easy. For a home gym, this machine offers versatility comparable to a traditional gym setup. After diligent use, I've noticed improved muscle definition thanks to the cable system. UPDATE #1: 23JAN18 - No issues with product quality. Highly recommended for those seeking a comprehensive at-home workout solution. UPDATE #2: 01DEC23 - We had a loud squeak coming from inside the main unit. I called Bowflex Customer Service and they were easy to work with in step by step troubleshooting. We were able to fix the issue and then we dismantled the entire machine since we moved to a new home. Still own it and no regrets. PLEASE NOTE: I did NOT receive any type of incentive to write this review. This review is my honest opinion after doing much research and purchasing this product for use. Prior to purchasing any product I conduct thorough research. THANK YOU!

I like the Bowflex Revolution a lot. BEWARE: Nautilus is not honoring the warranty unless the seller is an authorized dealer. I bought this product from "THE FITNESS OUTLET" through Amazon and I'm having trouble getting Nautilus to accept my warranty registration. So far, I have not had any problems with the gym...I just hope I don't need the warranty.

Overall this is a good, but not great, all-in-one home gym. I like that I can do just about everything with one machine. Moving the arms and the bench around between exercises is quick and easy. Adding and removing weights takes a little more time compared to a machine with a weight stack. The resistance is not the same as what you will find with free weights or in a machine with a weight stack. It does feel more natural than the old "soloflex" style rubber bands. Although it's close to a "real" weight feel, the weight/resistance increases slightly as you move though the motion. You will have less weight at the start of a motion, and progressively more weight towards the end. Other observations mentioning: 1) Weight increments are large: The system needs a 2.5 lb weight, the smallest weight is "5 lb.". For many light weight exercises adding the 5lb weight to the stack is just too much. The actual 2) Large weights are hard to take on and off: The larger 40 lb. weight can be very hard to take on and off. The spiraflex weight packs require you to "load up" the weight slightly by turning counter clockwise so it will lock into place. With the 40 lb. weight, this can be quite difficult. It would have been better for them to just add two 20 lb. weights. This does get a little easier over time once you get used to the machine. 3) Size: The machine is huge. Bowflex recommends a 10 ft. x 7 ft. "workout area". 4) Decline bench is hard: It is really hard, if not impossible to push heavy weight on a decline benchpress exercises with this machine. The main reasons is that the cable handles are just two short, even on the "long" setting, and hard to get up to chest level. Also, the bench only has two positions, flat and 45 degree. This limits your choices on how to grab and handle the cables. 5) Assembly: The assembly took about 4 hours. Instructions were easy to follow and the machine is built in such a way that it's easy to put together.

I took a little bit of a risk when I bought this. I am used to a full gym, and I lift a relatively large amount of weight (not bragging, just a fact relevant to my review). After reading mostly good reviews, there were bad reviews that discouraged me. I was worried about quality/longevity, having enough resistance and lastly complexity of assembly. I didn't want to have to send this back after receiving it if I didn't like it. I can say that I no longer have any worries with the exception of longevity. I can say the quality seems pretty solid, not as good as profession gym equipment, but those pieces are very expensive. I can't speak to longevity yet, but it does have a 10 year warranty that I will use if I need to. As far as weight, I definitely have enough weight for almost every exercise (I got the 300lb weight increase). For reference, my normal weight used for bench (8-10 reps) is 315. This machine does not feel the same as Olympic bar bench press, but I certainly am getting a good workout. I actually really enjoy using this machine. I don't think it's a replacement for a complete gym, but I think that is obvious. I do think this is giving me exactly what I need when I'm too busy to go to the gym. As far as assembly, I took less than 2 hours to assemble. I can imagine it taking a few hours for most people, but if it took 8+ hours to assemble I do not think it's the machine's fault. In summary, this machine has plenty of weight for most exercises. It won't replace the dozens of machines in a gym, but it replaces enough of them. Its quality is not professional quality, but I think it's good enough. I think its level of quality and functionality justifies its price, I would even call it a bargain (my idea of bargain may be different than yours). Assembly isn't terrible. I highly recommend, as long as you understand that it won't replace a full gym.

First off, I think this machine is probably fine for someone who doesn't plan on using a lot of weight in their workout or doesn't work out very frequently. It's relatively compact for what it does, easy to use and safer than using free weights. However, while the quality of most of the materials used in its construction is decent or good enough, one of the most important components is junk. Specifically, there are two yellow straps made of nylon, or something similar, that connect the cams to the cables. As you pull the cable out and let it back in, the yellow strap comes away from a small pulley and then wraps around it again. This repeated action creates a small amount of visible wear on the strap over time and eventually causes it to break. I broke my first strap about five years ago and have been breaking one every 9 or 10 months lately. If it breaks while I'm doing a bench press, I have full weight on one cable while zero on the other so it pulls me off one side of the bench and onto the floor. Admittedly, I probably use this thing at the edge of what it was designed for. I use it two or three times a week with around 300 lbs (220lbs included + 80 purchased separately) for a few of my exercises, three sets each. However, since this was designed to handle 300lbs, it shouldn't break at all. These straps are simply too thin and it takes way too much effort to replace them. If one breaks, you don't just change the strap but, instead, you have to replace the entire cam. That's just bad design. This thing has a 10 year warranty so Bowflex has been good about sending out replacement parts. However, I'm concerned about how expensive this will get once the warranty expires in a couple of years. The bottom line is that this machine will probably last a reasonably long time if you don't plan on purchasing the extra weight set but, if you think you'll use something heavier, you should probably get a nice set of free weights at a much lower price.

So far I'm very impressed with the Bowflex Revolution. Simple to set up, easy to switch and change for different exercises, good range of weight, and overall a good design. It folds up nicely as well, which is a plus. It does take some getting used to if you are accustomed to linear movements with free weights, but can be just as, if not more effective. The only limitation I've found is that it is difficult to get a good lat pulldown exercise given the way the machine is designed, but that's a minor limitation. Also, I tend to use dumbbells in addition to the machine.