Quick Stats:
Price: $2799
Number of Exercises: 100+
Resistance Weight: 220lbs (Standard), 300 lbs (Upgraded)
Size: 9'4" L x 5'3" W x 6'1"H
Warranty: 10 years Machine Warranty, 10 years Weight Stack
Extra Features:
- 220lbs of Sprial Flex Resistance (Standard), upgradable to 300lbs upper body and 600 lbs lower body
- Preacher Curl Attachment
- 5 Position Foot Harness
- Hand Grips
- Leg Press Plate
- 100+ Exercises with 600 variations
- Instructional Manual
- DVD Workout Video
- Rowing Station
Strengths:
If you're looking for a comprehensive home gym with everything you could ever want, the Bowflex Revolution is it. With over 400 exercise variations you can work every major area, plus get a cardio workout with the rowing machine.
The Revolution basically offers all the strength equipment you'd find at your local gym in one machine.
The Revolution uses Spiraflex technology - the first of its kind on the market. SpiraFlex was originally developed for use by astronauts on the International space station. The System uses a series of elastic bands inside a plate like container and is lighter than a traditional iron plate of equal resistance.
Spiraflex technology duplicates the benefits of free weights - giving you more control of your workouts. The resistance is linear rather than progressive (as is found with the Power Rod system), which many athletes and serious trainers prefer.
You get up to 300 lbs of upper body resistance and 600 lbs of lower body resistance. The Freedom Arms adjust 170° to work muscles from various angles. You also get the preacher curl attachment and leg press station.
The rowing machine is also a plus for cardio - it's more advanced than the ones on the Bowflex power rod gyms - smoother with better resistance.
Despite being rather new (it was introduced in 2005) the Revolution already rates well with experts. Men's Health rated it in their top 100 products of 2005. And Popular Mechanics wrote:
"We don't normally endorse anything sold via infomercials. But testing is believing and the Bowflex Revolution is the first Bowflex we've tried that lives up to its own hype."
Weaknesses:
Price may be an issue for some - there is a scaled down version of the Revolution (the Revolution XP) for $2299. However if you compare it to buying a full universal gym, the price is still pretty .
Overall Conclusion: Recommended
The Bowflex Revolution is an impressive machine both in the technology it uses and the sheer amount of exercises you can do. It's also built with a high quality of construction and covered by a lengthy 10 year warranty.
It's much more compact and lighter than other universal machines and the linear resistance (vs progressive) is preferred by many athletes and weight trainers.
While there are a few drawbacks like the lack of lat tower, overall if you're looking for all your gym exercises in one machine - with the results of free weight workouts, the Revolution is ahead of the pack.
Where To Buy At A Discount:
Plus they often offer shipping discounts.
