Are you looking for a Bowflex Revolution home gym? I was fascinated by those fancy Bowflex infomercials and decided to buy one. I’m not usually an impulse shopper, but I took the challenge as they offer a 6 week money back guarantee if you’re not 100% satisfied. One of the important decisions I had to make was which model to choose.
Bowflex has 3 different flavors of the Revolution Home Gym. I’ve outlined the salient differences below to help you with your purchasing decisions.
But first, what is the Bowflex revolution? Bowflex Revolution is their flagship line of home gyms. Unlike your power bar units, the Revolution uses Spiraflex technology. Spira what? Spiraflex is a proprietary technology that uses elastic wrapped around a coil to create controlled tension. The result is greater muscle isolation, control, and faster development. I would better compare it to a high quality cable machine. Although Power Rods work quite well (found on earlier models), they don’t offer the versatility and intensity of Revolution gyms.
When you perform an exercise on the Revolution, the cables fight with you the entire time, providing consistent tension from start to finish. The result is an incredible pump as your muscles are completely shredded to complete failure! It’s similar to the feeling you get with weights, but it’s just better. With free weights, the resistance decreases toward the top of the contraction. Not so with the Revolution. Resistance stays consistent, leading to better, more intense workouts. Don’t worry, the Revolution will kick your ass and provide you with a super charged and refreshing workout that will leave your body energized and feeling great. He did it for me.
So, let’s compare the 3 different Revolution home gyms:
Bowflex Revolution FT: This is the entry level revolution. It includes 90 exercises, 400 variations and a lot of versatility. Includes leg press plate, 5-position foot harness, squat harness, and workout DVD. If you can live without a side tower attachment (only available on the flagship and XP model), you can save up to $1,000. This makes it the best deal of the three. The FT is perfect if you want a more compact home gym but with all the great features, results and versatility of the Revolution series. It contains 200lbs of resistance, which can be increased to 280lbs, making it a challenge for most athletes.
Bowflew Revolution XP: Sold only direct from the factory, the Revolution XP features the same number of great exercises as the FT but with the benefit of the side tower. For me personally, the price difference doesn’t really justify the need for the side tower, but I’m sure some will disagree. The XP is compact, versatile, and like all Revolutions, it’s quiet in operation. Offers 200 pounds of resistance (upgradeable to 280 pounds).
Bowflex Revolution: It’s funny how the name of the flagship is the same as the product line. This can be confusing. Regardless, Revolution is bigger and more versatile than XP or FT. It has 100 exercises, 400 variations, a side tower and all the other benefits of the other two. This would be the one to get if you must have the most training options. Athletes and serious weight lifters will benefit the most.
This guy comes with 220 pounds of resistance, which can be upgraded, to a large 300 pounds for upper body and 600 pounds for lower body workouts. No wonder this is the flagship! Certainly this model is the most expensive so it is something to keep in mind.
What is my favourite? It depends on your needs, but for me, my number one choice has been the FT. It gives me everything I need at a reasonable price and in a more compact size. If you need to do lat pulldowns, choose the XP. If you can afford it and want the ultimate workout, then the Revolution is for you. Whichever you choose, it will be impossible not to build a great body! And with Bowflex’s 6-week money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose.