Anything Clearly Better Than The Nautilus/Bowflex Revolution?

[Blarg]

Kettlebells are fun and a skill challenge to use, too, which makes exercising feel like less of a burden, too, making you more likely to want to keep it up.

David, you seem like the kind of guy who would be both intrigued by the challenge and gratified by the undeniable simplicity and utility of kettlebells.

[cbloom]

Yeah, kettlebells + a full range of resistance therabands would be a pretty complete equipment set.

I'm not sure I would put my gym on the 2nd floor though. Garage would be a better choice. You need to be able to drop your weights if you have to and not worry about them going through the floor.

[jlp_2908]

If you can military press 170 lbs(assuming with free weights) then I really think your too strong for a bowflex or a nautilus.
Dunno who I would recommend one too anyway

[cbloom]

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If you can fight 30 five-year-olds then I really think your too strong for a bowflex or a nautilus.

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fyp

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, kettlebells + a full range of resistance therabands would be a pretty complete equipment set.

I'm not sure I would put my gym on the 2nd floor though. Garage would be a better choice. You need to be able to drop your weights if you have to and not worry about them going through the floor.

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Yup. A gym is best in a basement, or garage, or a separate purpose-built building even. Anyway, at least on the first floor. On the second floor, the noise will echo all through the house. Even if there are no plates dropping, machines create more momentum than you would think, and that sets up reverb through the flooring. I mean even an exercise bike will make a ton of noise if it's not on the ground floor. Seriously. Plus those little squeaks you don't even notice on a machine while you're using it carry further than you think.

On the bands note, I like them a lot too, and have used them separately and in conjunction with kettlebells for military presses. I've even deadlifted with them. They're inexpensive and take up little room and weigh next to nothing, so are easy to move around. Heck, you can even find a million ways to use them lying on the couch watching t.v. And they're fantastically portable. Their lightness and versatility make them perfect for travelers, too. They can also help on stretching and yoga exercises. Pretty much everyone can benefit from them one way or another.

[Packard]

David Sklansky is my favorite author. It feels strange giving him advice instead of me reading his advice.

Thanks for deleting Thremps post. Thremp was a good poster for awhile. He had been getting too aggressive and rude lately. I hope he comes back nicer. Now onto the point:

The advice on kettlebells and free weights is good advice.

I would not buy a Nautilus or Bowflex at all. I have been training 10+years, I can military press more than 170 lbs and I weigh around 250 pounds and I have bench pressed 400+, and I own a Total Bodyworks 5000. This machine is awesome for what pot odds you get for the price.

The Total Bodyworks 5000 is basicly a knock off of a Total Gym and both are very good. You can do over 50+ different exercises and you use your own weight as resistance.

A new TotalBodyWorks 5000 is under $100 online.

I would get one of these for a fraction of the Bowflex price and add some freeweights and kettlebells and dumbells.

[David Sklansky]

Hey guys,

Please stop trying to save me money. I already have an Olympic weight set in the garage and am a member of a gym. I might not look it now, but once was in very good shape and know quite a bit about the subject. I am fully aware that simple equipment used right is better than the best equipment used not as well.

But I have this extra room and I want to fill it up with an effective machine that also looks pretty good. The Powertec doesn't use an individual weight stack but rather plates. You can't drop the weight but at times it could weigh 1000 pounds. The Revolution uses something different than the bowflex rods and I have never seen it in person.

The two machines mentioned, to my knowledge, are kind of unique. The other alternatives would be the best Bowflex or one of the numerous type of multistation machines that uses weight stacks.

So far it seems like everyone here is kind of inexperienced about this stuff thinking that a 45 minute workout on a $100 machine is better than a 40 minute workout on a $3000 machine. Who taught you to think this way?

[Hendricks433]

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So far it seems like everyone here is kind of inexperienced about this stuff thinking that a 45 minute workout on a $100 machine is better than a 40 minute workout on a $3000 machine. Who taught you to think this way?


[/ QUOTE ] machines suck.

[shemp]

You aren't a sucker because those machines are expensive-- you are a sucker because you are slurping up a marketing campaign designed for suckers and you think you understand the opposition, but you don't.

I could go on, but you apparently are gifted with such superior analytic abilities that whatever I think is based on a faulty construct (even if I were right) or a lack of appreciation of your fitness level/needs.

So good luck with your home gym. I'm sure one of those machines could be part of an excellent home fitness routine and I hope you are happy with it as an accessory, too.

[David Sklansky]

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You aren't a sucker because those machines are expensive-- you are a sucker because you are slurping up a marketing campaign designed for suckers and you think you understand the opposition, but you don't.

I could go on, but you apparently are gifted with such superior analytic abilities that whatever I think is based on a faulty construct (even if I were right) or a lack of appreciation of your fitness level/needs.


So good luck with your home gym. I'm sure one of those machines could be part of an excellent home fitness routine and I hope you are happy with it as an accessory, too.

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Where did all that come from? I just want to know which machine that takes up about fifty square feet looks and works the best in a second floor room.