Bowflex Sport Review
Bowflex Sport Review by Marshall Kiker
I chose the Sport model for my home and budget. Interestingly enough the least expensive Bowflex, the Sport, is the most like the top of the line, the Ultimate with the XTLU package. That is to say that for less than half the price you get what you’d have to pay extra for on the Ultimate, the lat tower and leg extension. Both machines also fold up nicely, although the Sport doesn’t fold quite as much due to the lack of its retractable pulleys. With the Sport you definitely get the absolute most bang for your buck but with some compromises.
Think of the Sport like it’s the Ultimate in its general design but only after an efficiency expert had his wicked way with it. Corners were cut and some cosmetics had to be removed in order to offer you the lower price and appeal to a whole new market that can’t justify 2 grand for a luxury item.
You have a much shorter warranty with it, 5 years versus 10. This is a major factor to consider and I assume this to be a major factor in the price also since extended warranties can be quite costly. I for one think that five years is ample time to find structural problems and the Power Rods still have their separate lifetime warranty. Besides, five years from now I may want a new one anyway, just for prestige factor.
You also no longer have a choice about the lat tower and leg extensions, because that is now an integral part of the design and can not be left off. This however isn’t a problem to me since both options are in my opinion necessary to a complete workout and don’t hinder the machine in any way even if completely unused. Also as I mentioned before, the pulleys are no longer adjustable. Instead they run along a single fixed line that is predetermined to fit the average adult. This is fine for people of average height, but larger people may want to consult a sales rep before ordering.
I’ve been told that tall people need not apply. One last thing, you don’t get the freebies that the Ultimate offers, as in a video, poster, floor mat, or t-bar. The t-bar isn’t expensive, the video is available, and the mat should be purchased elsewhere because it’s nowhere near worth the cost just to get the name.
Now for my own personal story: I ordered my Bowflex Sport directly from the factory and it arrived in 1 week and five days. I’m told that such a prompt delivery is a fluke so don’t expect it when you finally plunk down the money for one of your own. The customer service rep promised me three weeks and I’m sure they’ll advise you of any possible delays. One week and 3 days later I got a surprise email letting me know of scheduled delivery. This was odd because I didn’t know that email notices were even offered much less that I
ever signed up for such notices.
The machine arrived in 6 boxes of varying weight a few days later. This brought up an interesting dilemma. If I worked out I could carry heavy boxes. If I could carry the boxes I could assemble the machine and work out. Unfortunately I could do neither. After nearly destroying my spine I managed to get the machine to its final resting-place. One thing Bowflex needs to do better is in the packaging and labeling of the parts. Three of the boxes were absurdly heavy while three were light. Many of the parts look similar, especially all the varied length bolts. If instead of offering so many close length options they had merely allowed some bolts to stick out ¼ of an inch more than others in similar places, sorting the hardware bag would have been much simpler. Also parts were banded together to allow them to ship better, but banding them would naturally make one think they are from similar areas. This however may or may not be the case. Some parts are banded together for ease of assembly, and some just to make sure they fit in one box rather than two.
When the instructions recommend that you read the entire book before assembly, ignore them. The book is so long winded that you are likely to fall asleep or at the very least forget what you were reading it for in the first place. Instead read each entire step, one at a time and completely. Even though the book takes an entire paragraph explaining the proper way to put a nut on a bolt, it also has valuable information that must be heeded. The actual assembly of the machine isn’t very difficult at all, but it can be somewhat time consuming. I recommend setting aside at least five hours, that way you have plenty of time to stop for breaks and won’t feel rushed. Patience is important here because of the modular design of the machine. A mistake in the lat tower for example would mean undoing hours of work only to start again at square one.
Once assembled you are told that it is next to impossible to move the machine to other rooms due to its size being larger than the standard doorway. I have found a way around this but you must be careful. Tilt the machine all the way down so it's resting on its power rods. Now you can remove the base, which is the widest part of the machine, and the only part that is too wide for normal doorways. The rest of the machine should now wheel through doors but due to its width and length some careful planning is in order.
Other comments from Bowflex Sport owners:
It's a pretty good machine for the money, and you can get
a good workout with the Bowflex Sport. I've been using it for about 3
months now, and have definitely put on muscle and shed some fat even
without paying much attention to the diet program. I'm sure if you were
dedicated and followed the diet outlined in the Bowflex
Body Plan you could see some awesome results. I have not used the
other Bowflex models, but feel the Sport is really a decent piece of
equipment and I am happy with it.
--Janet Smithback
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