Is Bowflex or Total Gym Better Than Free Weights?

Is Bowflex or Total Gym enough or do you have to use free weights?

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Eugene Thong: Any kind of implement that gives you enough resistance so that you need to exert effort is fine. A machine like Bowflex or the Total Gym is better than a dumbbell, kettlebell, or sandbag because it allows you to easily change the amount of resistance you’re using, so that as you get stronger, you can progress to higher levels of resistance. The key is the twin principles of sufficient effort and progression.

Your muscles don’t have eyes, so they don’t know (and don’t care) whether you use a Bowflex, a dumbbell, a gallon of milk, your kid sister, your own bodyweight, or a perfectly cammed and tuned exercise machine from MedX Corporation; they simply grow and get stronger in response to effort and tension (and get smaller and weaker in the absence of that stimulus). So whatever you choose to use will work well.

While having a multi-station machine like a Bowflex or the Total Gym does make it easier to switch weights and switch from exercise to exercise, they tend to be costly. Free weights are certainly more cost-effective, take up less space, and are more portable. Consider these issues more in your decision and fret not about the implement’s effectiveness. If you use it, it’ll work for you.

In the dark as to how to use these implements? Need exercise routines? Check out the articles and how-to section of MCNewsletters. You’ll also find fat burning routines in the Black Book of Secrets.

About the Author:

Eugene Thong, CSCS, was born a weak, skinny, bespectacled child. Now, thanks to a steady diet of martial arts, scientific inquiry, and heavy compound movements, he's no longer weak. His scientific bent, Zen-like demeanor, and efficient but intense methods have made him one of New York's most sought-after personal trainers.

When not helping clients cultivate their own inner 6-packs, Eugene can be found arm barring opponents at Renzo Gracie's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy or sailing through the air on his snowboard. Read Eugene's semi-weekly musings on exercise, fitness, and fat loss at his blog

Eugene is Mike's co-author of The Black Book of Secrets. You can purchase it by clicking here.

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