Exercise machines

Triton

Triton

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2000
Messages
35,980
Hello all,

Someone here at work was asking me about the best all around exercise machine to purchase. He was thinking Bowflex but I thought I had heard somewhere that there were better and cheaper options. I think to some degree all those things are a racket (and the commercials are absurd) but figured if anyone would know you guys would...

Thanks!
 
Forget the machines.

Your co-worker is better off with a good set of dumbbells and a weight bench.

Cheaper too!
 
Either that or bodyweight exercises. Once you start doing handstand push-ups and chin-ups, you'll get strong pretty quickly. Best thing is, it's all free and takes little space. A good weighted jump rope is a good thing to have too.
 
Get one that doesn't cost a lot of money. Coat racks shouldn't be very expensive, IMO. :D
 
There's nothing worse than cheap exercise gear. Most of it is designed to be used for a few weeks and then become a coat rack. A lot of it is downright frightening from a safety standpoint and it's certainly not designed to give the best workout. Either buy serious stuff or join a club.
 
I agree with all of the above. I suggested the gym myself but he seems adamant about buying a workout machine. I did some looking on line and the Wieder Crossbow or Max seems to be highly recommended for about half the price of the bow flex. Of course I don't know if you will look like those bowflex television models in only 30 minutes a day three times a week like you will with the bowflex :rolleyes: so...
 
Make sure you stay away from anything associated with Tony Little, especially the Gazelle line - unless the idea is rehabilitation from injury or surgery. This stuff is not for serious workouts.
 
mycroftt said:
Make sure you stay away from anything associated with Tony Little, especially the Gazelle line - unless the idea is rehabilitation from injury or surgery. This stuff is not for serious workouts.
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Oh man... and he always has the hottest spandex spangled girls on his infomercials too... :(
 
Triton said:
Oh man... and he always has the hottest spandex spangled girls on his infomercials too... :(
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Oh yeah, the good news is you'll have a lot of hot babes in spandex hanging around you if you work out on Tony Little's machine, but the bad news is you'll turn into an obnoxious and repulsive dwarf with a ponytail down to your waist too.
 
mycroftt said:
Oh yeah, the good news is you'll have a lot of hot babes in spandex hanging around you if you work out on Tony Little's machine, but the bad news is you'll turn into an obnoxious and repulsive dwarf with a ponytail down to your waist too.
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LOL LOL :D Darn! There's always a catch isn't there?
 
The Concept rower is the best endurance machine you can get. Strength training...I would stick to free weights with an adjustable bench.
 
Lanza said:
The Concept rower is the best endurance machine you can get. Strength training...I would stick to free weights with an adjustable bench.
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Wow. I was going to post the same, but was glad to see Lanza's post here. Nothing better. Less than $1000 and the USA Olympic Men's eight trains on it. It will get you 'fit'..... ;)

www.Concept2.com

Coop
 
I had an olympic weight set with a professional bench but it took up too much room.

I bought a Bowflex Power Pro (now it is the older model) about 6 years ago and it is still going strong, no problems whatsoever.
 
I like the ergometers as well, but you really have to be careful that you are doing them correctly. I rowed on a crew team and I can't tell you how many people I see using them incorrectly. You have to make sure that you extend your legs fully first, then move your back a little, then row with your arms. Going back to the start position you do the exact opposite. You don't want to be moving your back too much otherwise you'll hurt yourself.
 
I have no experience with the big machines.

Having said that, for far less money, I'd suggest a few dumbells, a chin-up bar, and an incline bench for sit-ups and the jump rope.

If your friends goal is just to get into shape and lose some weight, a regular program of calisthenics, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, stretching and jumping rope can take about 30 minutes or so, every other day.

Many years ago, I had taken a class in one of the Chinese martial arts classes. Every class began with twenty minutes of strenuous calishtenics. There were no machines, or free weights. The only resistance was with your own body weight. There was one guy in the class who looked like he was in is forties, and seriously out of shape. This guy actually stuck with the program, and about six months later, his beer gut was gone, and he ended up with wider shoulders and a narrow waist.

It does take a bit of self-discipline do all that, just as it will when one uses a machine, and the results will be almost identical to that with the machines, IMO. The major difference is how much space the equipment takes up when it's time to put away, and the cost.
 
m_calingo said:
Many years ago, I had taken a class in one of the Chinese martial arts classes. Every class began with twenty minutes of strenuous calishtenics. There were no machines, or free weights. The only resistance was with your own body weight. There was one guy in the class who looked like he was in is forties, and seriously out of shape. This guy actually stuck with the program, and about six months later, his beer gut was gone, and he ended up with wider shoulders and a narrow waist.
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M - Can you describe some of the exercises you used to do to warm up for class? I'm always curious about these things.
 
I've used a rower that I believe was by Concept, but it had a video screen where you would race the computer's rowing team. You would see them gaining on you and you would push that much harder. It was great in that it really keeps you motivated, much more so than just a timer or powermeter. I looked for one for my home gym and never found the same one though.
 
Look who makes Bowflex, Nautilus Inc. Long tradition in exercise excellence. Anyways I spend 2 x 45 min in the gym a week and am one of the stongest in my gym. Workout smart and and grow the rest of the week.
 
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