Bowflex Revolution review

Bowflex has been manufacturing home gyms for over 30 years. Traditionally, they have relied on their patented power rod technology for resistance. But with the Bowflex Revolution home gym, they have introduced a new form of resistance call Spiraflex Technology.

As we all know, exercising regularly will lead to overall better health. Doctors and physicians are always emphasizing the importance of regular exercise.

If you’re a busy person, there can be a problem with finding the time to exercise. Not everybody has the ability to travel to a gym and then spend one or two hours there for a workout.

So more and more people are investing in working out at home which means purchasing home gym equipment. This offers you the convenience of working out when you want and also exercising more efficiently.

So you’re not wasting time traveling to a gym and waiting for equipment to be available.

bowflex revolution

 

But traditional home gyms are bulky and require a lot of floor space. This is where Bowflex has really changed things with their line of home gym equipment and bowflex machines.

If you have been looking for a home gym, the Bowflex Revolution is a popular choice. But is this equipment worth its price tag? Read our Bowflex Revolution home gym review to learn more…

Bowflex Revolution Features

The Bowflex Revolution is a foldable, compact and yet high-tech home gym designed to offer you with a full-body workout. The machine comes with various parts to work out your arms, abs, back, chest and legs.

It is claimed that over 100 different exercises can be performed on the machine, making it versatile.

Here are a few of the features:

  • Ability to do over 100 exercises with 400 variations
  • Up to 300 lbs of weight resistance.
  • Rowing machine capability
  • Easy to fold away
  • 10′ x 7′ workout area required
  • 4′ 7″ x 3′ 2″ when folded
  • 10-year warranty

The Bowflex Revolution is the very top of the line of home workout equipment from Bowflex. So this is also one of the most expensive pieces of home workout equipment that the company offers. It also has the longest warranty of any other Bowflex machine at 10 years.

Bowflex Revolution upright

The machine provides the most weight resistance out of all the Bowflex models at a whopping 600lbs on the leg press. It requires a clear floor area of 4 by 7 feet to use the machine and it accessories. It’s a good idea to have a further few feet around the equipment so you can move around freely without hitting anything.

Bowflex Revolution Folded

Bowflex Revolution Folded

SpiraFlex Technology

One of the biggest differences between the Revolution and a traditional Bowflex machine is that it uses their SpiraFlex resistance technology instead of power rods. This technology was originally created for Nasa to allow astronauts to exercise on the International Space Station independent of gravity.

Bowflex SpiraFlex technology

Using this technology, the revolution is able to create a type of resistance that feels like free weights or cable machines but requires much less space.

The resistance feels smooth and linear throughout the entire range of motion.

The use of this resistance technology also means there is a reduced chance of injury. No risk of weight plates being dropped on your feet and you don’t need somebody to spot you while you do your strength training.

Spiraflex

Plus, it’s quiet. There will be no banging or crashing of weights annoying your neighbors like with traditional home gyms.

The weights are easy to add and remove from the machine to get your desired level of resistance.

These weights are giving a rating in pounds depending on their resistance. They are 5, 10, 20 and 40 pounds. These all weigh the same regardless of their actual weight resistance rating making it easy to stack them and take them off the machine.

The Accessory Rack

The Revolution is pretty versatile. So to perform particular exercises, you will need to remove parts, add parts of adjust weights. So what do you do with all of these parts when they are not in use?

You put them on the separately available Accessory Rack.

Bowflex Accessory Rack

This is handy for storing the following items:

  • Tall Seat Back
  • Leg Press Plate
  • Leg Press Seat Back
  • Preacher Curl Assembly
  • Resistance Packs
  • Handgrips & Foot Harnesses

Bowflex Revolution Exercises

As mentioned earlier, the manufacturers claim that the machine provides access to 100 different exercises. This may seem hard to believe until you see the user manual.

It goes into detail about just how you should plan your goals, perform your workouts and each exercise that you can do on the machines. 51 pages of exercises to be exact!

They are split up into the muscle groups of chest, shoulders, back, arms, abdominals, and leg exercises. It allows for a full body workout.

Here’s an example of the bench press guide:

Bowflex Revolution bench press exercise

And here is the leg press guide:

Bowflex Revolution Home Gym Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Compact – The above resolution takes up little space when compared to other exercise equipment. It can be placed in the corner of a room and requires a workout space for all exercises of only 10′ x 10′.
  • Assembly – Instructions are clear and concise making it easy to understand what goes where. You can expect it to take around 4 hours to assemble. Ideally, you will have somebody to help you.
  • Exercise variety – Traditionally, home gyms would require you to purchase a range of different equipment to work out your entire body. But the machine allows you to perform over 100 exercises for a full body workout. It also has a guide detailing them and helping you to plan your exercise routines.
  • Solid design – When using the machine, it feels sturdy and the parts are made from high-quality materials. It looks like a well-built piece of equipment after it is put together.
  • Technology – The Bowflex Revolution utilizes SpiraFlex technology which has a more natural feel than power rods. This is cutting-edge technology allows you to exercise like you are using free weights but with far less requirements on space.
  • Quiet – Useful if you want a quiet workout without disturbing your neighbors or children. The mechanism is also smooth and linear.
  • Great warranty – The machine comes with a 10-year warranty and Bowflex as a company has a solid track record of honoring it.

Cons

  • Price – There’s no hiding it, it is a pricey piece of equipment. You can easily purchase a lot of free-weights for much a lot less. The price tag may be too high for some. It may be worth considering other equipment or other cheaper Bowflex home gyms.

FAQ

Does The Bowflex Revolution Fold Up?

Yes, the Bowflex Revolution consists of a foldable frame. The central bar that has the seat and bench folds up but it does not have a set of wheels on its base platform to move it.

Conclusion

The Bowflex is easy to use but some aspects take a little learning to get used to. This is because of its versatility and the wide range of exercises that can be performed with it. The padding and seats on the machine are comfortable and some issues found on other Bowflex home gyms to have been addressed. It comes with a range of accessories including preacher curl attachment, leg extension attachments, a leg press and quite a lot more.

It is a durable piece of equipment so if you are willing to pay the price tag, it will certainly worth it in the long term. For new gym users, they may find that the resistance levels on the home gym are a little higher than they’re also used to. But within a few sessions, they usually soon get used to it.

If you can afford it, we highly recommend the Bowflex Revolution. It will allow you to have a gym in your home without taking up anywhere near as much space and should keep you working out happily for many years to come.