Buying My Bowflex Power Pro

During my five years in the Army, I did PT every morning and often lifted weights at the base gym in the evenings. I was in fairly good shape, but when I got out, I went back to school and started working from home. After two years of this sedentary lifestyle, I had gained weight and lost much of my fitness.

My back was hurting from too many hours every day sitting at a computer, and it was getting hard for me to get my work done. Though I had other reasons for wanting to get into shape, this was the primary motivation that prompted me into action. I figured if I could strengthen the muscles in my back, it would be less susceptible to pain.

I spent some time looking at my options. Of course, like everybody else, I had seen the Bowflex infomercials dozens of times. I had purchased fitness equipment off TV before, though, and was wary since I had always been disappointed. The AbFlex props open a door in the basement. The Jackie Chan CableFlex, advertised as small enough to fit under the bed, is currently... under the bed (where it has been for more than a year).

My original thought was to join the local gym, but I had gone this route once before and ended up paying the monthly dues for six months after I stopped going. Traffic isn't that great where I live, and a trip to the gym was always a multiple hour event. On top of that, I had never been particularly interested in the aerobics classes or the indoor cardio equipment offered at gyms (save the exercise wheels for the gerbils, thank you very much), preferring to go outdoors for jogging or rollerblading. Since I was paying for school at the time, the gym's $300 signing and processing fee which didn't include monthly dues wasn't appealing either. All in all, the gym option didn't seem right for me.

So, again I found myself thinking about home gyms, something where if I spent money I'd at least own a piece of equipment. I tried the Weider Crossbow at Sears, played with the Total Gym at a friend's house, and finally tried the much touted Bowflex at a local reseller. Of the options, I liked the feel of the Bowflex best. It also seemed like the sturdiest most durable of the choices. The offsetting part was the price. Before shipping, handling, and tax (I live in Washington where Bowflex headquarters is located, so I would have had to pay tax on any purchases), the Bowflex Power Pro with no attachments is $999. I figured that would bring me up close to $1300 with all the extra costs.

I looked into the Bowflex Motivator, but decided I wanted the Power Pro because of the sliding seat, something the Motivator lacked. Leg presses are my preferred leg exercise, and the rowing feature looked interesting (both require the sliding seat).

Since monetary costs were a concern, I decided to check eBay [more on the risks and benefits of buying a Bowflex from eBay]. I was a little surprised at the pages and pages of Bowflex machines and Bowflex paraphernalia for sale. Resale prices were fairly high, which told me that Bowflex held up well and retained its value. Of course, the number of Bowflex machines for sale also told me a lot of people were buying them and not using them. I decided to take the plunge anyway (hey, I'm not like those people...). I found somebody who had experience packing and shipping Bowflexs, and purchased my new Bowflex Power Pro sans attachments for $800 (shipping across the country included in the price). After making my largest payment ever through Paypal, I sat back and waited to find out if I had made a good purchase or wasted my money.

Next: Receiving/Assembling My Bowflex
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