[Sportsandrec] Home gyms for Ryan Smith

[Thornbury, Kelly]

Greetings Ryan,

I use both the Total Gym and the BowFlex, and here are my opinions on both.

The Total Gym is nice in that you don't have to mess with weights or flex 
bars (which becomes a concern in my unheated garage during Wyoming winters). 
The system is based on body weight, and is a little cumbersome to change the 
angles of the sliding bench to go from stronger muscle groups to smaller 
ones. The advantage is that you can switch from one exercise to another 
instantly when the different muscles are of similar strength. Also, a lot of 
the exercises really require you to engage your core muscles, building 
strength and balance there. Another downside is that it actually takes up a 
lot of room. Its not very wide (as wide as you can stretch out your arms 
typically), but it is very long as compared to other equipment.

The BowFlex, or the CrossBow, simulate weights through the use of composite 
poles that bend as you "lift" the weight. These systems offer a wider 
variety of exercises typically, and offer much higher resistances than the 
typical TotalGym. These systems require wider workout areas (to allow for 
the flex of the rods), but I find them to be shorter overall. Also, in the 
case of the BowFlex, if you workout in cold environments (in the garage for 
example), the rods are prone to breaking (but I think BowFlex now has a 
lifetime warranty on their rods). Also, as with any composite rod flex 
system, the "weight" increases with the flex of the rod (i.e. the 50-pound 
rod is only about 60% at the beginning of its flex). This may matter 
depending on what your goals are. For general fitness, the lighter weight at 
the beginning of the lift (increasing as you flex the muscle) is okay, but 
if you were interested in powerlifting or strength activities, this will 
create a deadspot in your lift. The BowFlex allows for doing squats if that 
exercise interests you, and the leg attachment (for leg extensions and leg 
curls) isn't bad for a home system (but the angles of the apparatus don't 
quite match gym quality equipment). Another drawback to the BowFlex/CrossBow 
are cost, as both pieces are quite expensive (although, I believe the 
CrossBow is much cheaper than the BowFlex). I'm also really impressed with 
the build quality of the BowFlex, and am happy with its purchase despite the 
cost.

Regardless of what you choose, its value will depend on whether or not you 
use the equipment. If you can find dealers in your area for whatever 
equipment you are interested in, you will be much better off (being able to 
actually put the equipment through its paces).

Hope this helps with your question.

Kelly Thornbury
B.S. K&HP
ACE PT
ACSM HFI