Comparing the Bowflex Bow Machines

Home gyms that cover all the bases

In the home gyms that use flexible rods instead of weight stacks arena, Bowflex is considered a hands-down winner. With a large variety of machines and attachments, and a forever warranty on the patented “power rods”, it’s no wonder. Compare the models below to see if one of them is what you’re looking for.

Motivator 2
This affordable Bowflex home gym offers just the basics, and then some. There’s no squat station, adjustable pulleys and it doesn’t come with the no-change cable pulley system, but it does offer aerobic rowing, leg extensions, leg curls and lat pulldowns. Plus, like many of the others it can be folded up and rolled for storage.

• 50 exercises
• 210 lbs resistance
• $900
• 3-year warranty
  

Blaze
The next step up is the Blaze, which adds a squat station and lower pulley to the features of the Motivator 2. The rowing on this machine is also smoother with a sliding seat rail.

• 60 exercises
• 210 lbs resistance
• $1,100
• 5-year warranty
  

Ultimate
The Ultimate adds 2-position adjustable pulleys. It also ups the resistance by 100 lbs, which is something most women won’t be concerned with. For a machine that costs over $500 more than the model before it, the extra features don’t seem worth it for most women’s needs.

• 90 exercises
• 310 lbs resistance
• $1,900
• 10-year warranty
  

Ultimate 2
Bowflex Ultimate 2 is the company’s top selling power rod home gym. And with features including 5-position adjustable pulleys, a no-change cable pulley system that doesn’t require the user to switch cables between different exercises and a bundle of attachments including preacher curl and ab crunch, it’s not surprising. But it’s questionable whether the average woman is ever going to need over 300 lbs of resistance. In truth, a heavy-duty high-priced machine like this is probably overkill, but if you’re okay with that, the Ultimate 2 has earned some excellent reviews.

• 95 exercises
• 310 lb resistance
• $2,400
• 12-year warranty
  

Vertical bow gyms

These home gyms boast a space-saving vertical design, which means some features, like aerobic rowing, had to be left out. Both have lat towers, leg attachments, lower pulley and squat stations and 4-position adjustable pulleys.

Xtreme

• 65 exercises
• 210 lbs resistance
• $1,300
• 7-year warranty
  

Xtreme 2
The Xtreme 2 improves upon the original with a no-change cable pulley system for easier transition between exercises, an adjustable ergonomic seat, a 4-position lower pulley squat station (instead of 3) and an adjustable lat tower.

• 70 exercises
• 210 lbs resistance
• $1,600
• 7-year warranty
  

Any one of the Bowflex home gyms can be a great choice for beginner and advanced users, as long as it has the right features. But as most professional and consumer reviewers will tell you it’s beginners - who need guidance, stability, easy workouts and a bit of motivation - that will get the most benefits from a Bowflex.