Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym Review

 Bowflex is one of the leaders in home gym equipment and designs versatile equipment for multiple levels of fitness. 

The Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym model has a few features that make it stand out from its competitors and older models. This piece of equipment is pretty versatile and allows a lifter to perform over 70 exercises. Xtreme 2 SE is a compact model, which means it doesn’t include the fold-down bench. It comes with a descriptive exercise manual which is beneficial for anyone who may be newer to working out or targeting certain muscles.

Xtreme 2 SE comes with the standard 210 lbs of power rod resistance. If that’s not enough resistance, then you have the option of upgrading to 410 lbs, but the extra rods are sold as an add-on. You will be surprised how quickly you will need to upgrade.

The machine has a 7-year manufacturer warranty, while the resistance rods are covered for a lifetime.

You will need 8'x6'5" and the room has to be 83.75 inches high. The machine itself comes in at 53″ long, 49″ wide, and 83.25″ tall.

Bowflex states that this is one of their best-selling home gyms, and after 1 year of use I can see why.

Weight training + resistance training = Bowflex

I just found a post about resistance training, Resistance band workouts are everywhere – but do they work?, and it just makes another case for Bowflex.

Many of us know that strength training is important. Not only can it help us build strength, it can slow muscle deterioration as we get older, while increasing muscle mass can also increase metabolism. While you can build some strength through bodyweight-only exercises like squats or lunges, often the key to building a greater amount of strength is by creating resistance.

This is often done using weights or weight machines. But in recent years – especially at the height of the pandemic – resistance bands have become a popular way of creating this resistance to build strength.

In other words, if you combine resistance and weight training you get Bowflex home gym. Perfect.

"Bowflex is an excellent source of resistance training"

Bowflex in 1996

When looking for a home gym many of us wonder how good Bowflex really is. Is it as good as the commercials we remember from 10, 20 years ago?

I went to the website I know well, WebMD. Here are the pros they found with Bowflex:

Bowflex Home Gyms can be useful for people who want to achieve and maintain a general level of muscular fitness. They're easy to store and easy to use. The Bowflex is safe for most people and has even been used in rehabilitative settings. Further, working out with the Bowflex may result in less muscle soreness than free weights, especially for beginners. Bowflex seems to require less negative work on the muscles - that is, stress when the muscle is lengthening to return to its starting position -- than free weights. ... For people trying to lose weight, a Bowflex Home Gym is an excellent source of resistance training to supplement daily cardio exercise and a reduced-calorie diet.

For me, that is good enough. 

Medical News Today list Bowflex among 5 best home gyms

 Health information portal Medical News Today (MNT) just posted the reviews for home gyms and named the five best ones in five different categories. Bowflex Blaze is among them in the 'For Rehabilitation' category.

Reviewers state that the lower weights on the Bowflex Blaze may be beneficial for those who need rehabilitation from previous sports injuries. They also report that the home gym is easy to assemble.

I don't know what to make of that, but right after reading that I did hit my 'home gym' and I can tell it is the best in at least one other category.  

Still, it's good to know that my decision to buy a Bowflex was not a "boneheaded" move.

For my workout, I used my "Bowflex 20 Minute Better Body Workout Journal."

Path to improved fitness and health

 If you want to improve your fitness and health you need to get serious about it. How do you get serious? You record everything you do.

A food diary, or journal, is a daily log of what you eat and drink each day. The diary helps you and your doctor understand your eating habits. It can help you realize what you consume. Once you know this, you can make changes to your diet to improve your weight.

An exercise diary, or journal, is a daily log of what you eat and drink each day. The diary helps you and your doctor understand your eating habits. Once you know this, you can make changes to your diet to improve your health or just weight, or bought. 

As I write this I just reached the last page of my 90-day workout journal. I have already selected a new one for the next 90 days. It is a slightly different program, from Advanced Strength to 20 Minute Better Body, so I have to compare notes, etc. It feels like I accomplished something and even for this small pleasure it is worth it.

There is more to Bowflex

 Bowflex is still one of the best home gym makers on the market, and there is more to Bowflex than you think.

With Bowflex, you can build a real home gym. To tell the truth, if you just bought one of their home gyms you would already own everything you need. You just need to read their workout programs carefully and you will see that it may take you years before you will fully realize its potential.

Obviously, you may need few accessories on the way, and we can help you with that, but you are in the possession of the equipment that may change your life.

Longevity with Bowflex? Really?

 Since I am turning 60 this year and losing family members and friends left and right, my wife and I have decided to look into longevity issues.

Believe it or not, there are quite a few theories and ideas out there. Even Popular Mechanics, in its July/August issue, published an article about it.

There are several theories involving the role of exercise in extending our life expectancy. One of them says that 150 minutes of exercise or more each week will increase life expectancy by about seven years over those who didn't do regular moderate exercise. That would be 25 minutes a day for six days a week. Another one says if you do a 6-minute workout twice a day, you will also get great results. It doesn't mention how many years longer you will live, but you will be healthier.

So, would a guy like me, who already invested few bucks in Bowflex, should do? How about doing what I am doing, and it takes about 27 minutes each, and do it twice a day. Yeap, I am taking my Advanced Strength Training routine and doing it twice a day, in the morning and the late afternoon. I don't know how long I will keep it up, but I will try. 

I don't necessarily want to live longer, but I do want to live better.