Exercise machines all vary widely in terms of the different advantages they have to offer. They also come with very diverse names. What's in a name? What will a machine with the word "revolution" in its name actually do for you? Let's take a look at an early version of the Bowflex Revolution Home Gym from Nautilus, shall we?
The Bowflex Revolution does feature some fascinating technology, no question about it. This technology is called SpiraFlex, and was first utilized on the International Space Station. In space, without gravity, standard weights offer no resistance. According to Nautilus, astronauts lose nearly 20% of their bone and muscle mass during a four-to-six month space odyssey, due to the lack of exercise. The brave men and women of space can now build up their strength in zero-gravity conditions, thanks to SpiraFlex.
SpiraFlex's unique technology is now being exploited for an earthly purpose, in the case of the Bowflex Revolution. The technology is made up of elastic straps that are tightly wrapped around a coil. The coil is contained in a small canister that resembles the free weight plates that add heft to typically encountered health club exercise machines. These unique plates are called power packs, and as you work out, the packs rotate around a center, stretching the elastic straps even tighter and creating resistance.
To get an idea of how this works, here's an example. If you were to pick up a standard 40-pound free weight off the floor of your gym, it would indeed weigh 40 pounds. However, the plate you slide and stack on the Bowflex Revolution home gym to provide that same 40 pounds of resistance actually weighs just 4 to 5 pounds. And, the plate used to provide 10 pounds of resistance on the Bowflex weighs just about a pound. All told, there are 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-pound packs.
Furthermore, the resistance provided by a regular dumbbell would vary depending on the angle at which you pick it up. But with the power packs, the resistance stays constant throughout your entire range of motion - regardless of angle.
According to Nautilus, the Revolution can accommodate about 135 exercises with 400 variations. These exercises include bench presses, chest presses, shoulder raises, oblique abdominal crunches, bicep curls, leg extensions and curls, and a 600-pound leg press. However, it isn't obvious how to take advantage of the capabilities of the Bowflex Revolution [http://lasertargeted.com/bowflex/bowflex-total-gym-systems-compare.html]. It may be necessary to hire an expert, such as a personal trainer, to show the consumer how to use the device.
The machine comes with 220 pounds of weights and a leg-press plate, foot harness, hand grips, and a "preacher curl pad" to help with arm exercises. An 80-pound upgrade can be added for .
The price tag of ,399 comes with a 10-year warranty, instruction manual, wall chart, and DVD. The Revolution is 9 feet 4 inches long and 5 feet 3 inches wide, so you will need a good-sized space for your workouts.
So, while the Bowflex may indeed be revolutionary, this machine may or may not be practical for your everyday workout needs here on Earth.
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