Bowflex Xtreme2 Review
The Bowflex Xtreme 2 came in 9 different boxes. Two of the boxes were quite heavy and the rest were light and easily managed by one person.
My husband and I hauled it down to the basement and opened everything up. There was Styrofoam everywhere and everything was in perfect condition. Just pulling it out of the box, we could tell that this was going to be different than any other home gym equipment we had ever seen. All the nuts and bolts and other hardware were blister packed and nicely labeled.
Following the directions to a tee, we put it together in under 2 hours. The directions were so easy that a little kid could follow them. The only thing that seemed to be wrong was that we didn't get a video tape with it showing us how to do all the exercises. However, all the exercises are demonstrated in the book that comes with it and the software.
We both immediately jumped on the Bowflex and tried out almost every possible exercise. The rods are nice and smooth all the way through each movement. The only thing we noticed is that you need practice at knowing where to put the adjustable pulleys that are on the bench press, lat tower, and squat to get the maximum resistance on the rods. With a little practice we figured out that if you keep the squat pulleys on the last pulley out, that everything felt much better when doing any upper body work.
The machine itself feels very sturdy and strong, and the pads are very thick just like you would find at the gym. The weight on the rods feels a whole lot different than regular free weights. It is much smoother and more isolated on the Bowflex. The thing is whisper quiet also. We also both like the upright position of the bench press. The machine takes up way less room than a standard flat bench press and includes all the other attachments.
Oh yeah, one other thing, the foot pads on the leg extension machine have several different positions that you can put them in also. I would suggest that you and your significant other both test out where you need the foot pad and compromise somewhere in between because it would take too much time to change out the foot pad. All the other pulleys and cables can be very quickly changed out.
Lastly, the Bowflex Xtreme2 is expensive. I think they do overcharge, but you do get what you pay for don't you! I would recommend a Bowflex to anyone who asked me about it!
--Amanda Tyner
Comments from Other Bowflex Xtreme 2 Owners:
The Extreme 2 was relatively easy to assemble (even during a power outage) by myself. The five boxes were numbered and stated their contents on the outside. All of the pieces were properly labeled and easy to identify. All of the hardware was blister packed on a card and each piece was labeled. Assembly took about 2 hours. After assembly I tried every exercise listed in the manual. The transition time between each exercise was minimal. I found that each exercise was comfortable to do and full range of motion was achieved. With the Xtreme 2 there is no need to make cable changes as with other models which helps with transition from exercise to exercise. The additional pulley positions help with peoples various frame sizes. The only problem that I see with the eXtreme 2 is doing leg curls. The positioning is uncomfortable and the seat tries to rise up on you. Other than that I believe this is a fine piece of equipment that I plan to be using years from now. --James Anaya
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