Bowflex Accessories, A Good Buy?
Bowflex Mat
The mat is a simple rubber mat with the Bowflex logo on it. The mat is very nice and will keep the machine from marking up wood floors or sliding on slick carpet. The Bowflex monogram is sure to help improve your motivation because it makes the set up feel more complete and adds a certain prestige value to the entire set up. The price tag however is a bit steep for the casual pauper. If you get a good combo deal, go for it. If you buy on credit, then again I say go for it because the price spread out over a year will be marginal. Otherwise just go to your local hardware store and pick one up for 1/3 the price. Let your budget make this decision because the mat is very nice and you won't be sad you got it.
Bowflex T-Bar
The T-bar is a miniature version of the squat bar and helps with rowing type exercises. It is relatively inexpensive so if you want the complete set, just for peace of mind, then it's not too much of a commitment. Rather than having the two separate hand straps you will hold onto the single bar for a different feel. The bar is very sturdy but it lacks the attached rings that the squat bar and lat bar have. Instead you are expected to wrap a nylon cord around the bar. That to me is a serious design flaw and makes the bar seem cheap. If you plan on doing a lot of aerobic rowing, or possibly even strength rowing, then you may want it. If you have ever actually been in a racing skull, then you will defiantly need it to get that feel. For those of us who think of either our heads or the consumption of grain alcohol when we hear the word "skull" then it's not really that necessary. You can get the same quality workout without it. Like the mat however, the cost spread out on the credit plan is marginal, so don't fret too much if you've already ordered one.
Thanks to Marshall for his comments on the mat and T-bar.
Also see Bowflex
Attachments.