I'm planning on buying a Soloflex and training like a madman between now and summer 09. Wondering what type of bodytype I should shoot for...Brad Pitt style or maybe more muscled like Big Poppa Pump Scotti Steiener?
Long ago, in another forum, someone asked me to comment on Bowflex and Soloflex... here's what I had to say:
I’ve never tried Bowflex, but I used to be a Soloflex owner (I threw mine away) and I think that my experience with it is applicable to many of these faddish home gyms. A friend of mine has a Bowflex machine and, like Soloflex, it does not involve the use of real weights. If you have spent any time in a real gym, you will quickly notice the difference; using real weights is decidedly better.
Having said that, one can get used to using a Soloflex, or Bowflex, or anything else... My main grip against the various home gyms is that they try to do everything and end up do nothing very well. My (used) Soloflex was given to me by a friend who got tired of using it. I was happy to have it at the time, but having used it I can honestly say that I would not have paid more than $20 for it! You have to reconfigure it every single time you want to do a different exercise and
that gets old real fast!
Bowflex requires fewer adjustments, but from what I’ve seen of it I’m not impressed. I’d probably take one if someone were giving it away, but like the Soloflex, I don’t think it is worth paying for. I don’t remember what my friend paid for the Soloflex, but I do remember being stunned when I heard the price (the Classic Soloflex is no longer in production and cannot be purchased new though many are available on the used market. To my mind, all the various gyms are way overpriced.
It may be useful to remember that 99% of the models you see on TV did not get their bodies from using the product they are endorsing. I’ve seen the Bowflex ad on TV, for example, and I know that guy did not get his body from using it; he got it from going to a real gym. It is also worth remembering that no workout can effectively sculpt your body unless it is paired with a strict diet and aerobic workouts.
My advice: skip the Soloflex/Bowflex route and go to a real gym 3 or more days a week. If you are new to lifting then get advice from someone who knows what they are doing like a friend or personal trainer.
