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Bowflex Sport Home Gym | Bowflex Power Rods

The mechanical difference between the Bowflex Sport Home Gym and other kinds of strength training equipment? It lies in the patented metal rod and cable apparatus known as Bowflex Sport Gym "power rods,"  a resistance strength training system designed to simulate and theoretically improve upon conventional free weight and home fitness machine exercise. Bowflex training is all about bending power rods in various exercise routines that methodically stress and build your body's muscle groups.

The Bowflex Gym. Home Sport Exercise Through Controlled Resistance Training
Bowflex Home Gyms are designed as multi-function home fitness stations that can be quickly adapted to different home fitness routines. Power rods make that possible by allowing users to rapidly and easily change exercises. Manufactured to different levels of stiffness that correspond to the resistance levels of conventional strength training equipment, (five pounds, ten pounds, etc) power rods provide the fitness training, "bowflex weights" that make various kinds of resistance exercises possible. Users simply hook power rods to different parts of the Bowflex Sport Gym to mix up the exercise routine. 

The Strength Curve
Like other strength training equipment, the Bowflex Sport Home Gym builds and tones muscles through resistance, but unlike most other strength building equipment such as free weights or conventional fitness machines, the Bowflex home gym provides an approach to exercise that spreads weight resistance out evenly over the entire range of movement, a movement known within kinesiology and the fitness industry as the "strength curve."  

The Power of the Power Rod
Picture a bending metal rod tempered to provide sustained resistance (and to withstand repeated use). A single power rod will provide light resistance, but when combined with others, can provide a level of resistance that's very high. Bowflex Sport Home Gym users select different "Bowflex weights," combine those "Bowflex weights" by hooking up multiple power rods via a cable, and then use different exercises and muscle groups to create a varied exercise routine. The bending of the rods of course is what gives the strength training equipment its name, one synonymous with the exercise, "Bowflex." Home Gyms  based on Bowflex's power rod technology are able to simulate a wide variety of other weight or band resistance exercises and are designed to replace other strength training equipment such as leg, back, shoulder and abdominal equipment.

So what happens when you bend a power rod? Imagine a typical biceps curl. Starting at an outstretched position, you curl the dumbbell up and then back down. Unless you work with a very controlled movement, you can easily bring the dumbbell up and down too quickly, especially in those spots where your arm is strongest and weakest. Now imagine the strength training resistance from a tempered metal fitness rod- the power rod of a Bowflex Sport Gym. The resistance remains essentially the same throughout the whole bicep curl, both upward and downward motions. At least in theory, you're going to get a more complete, better rounded workout routine because your entire arm is receiving the same resistance. In reality, since exercise is a very subjective experience, it may not always work out that way. You may actually prefer a dumbbell set or a more conventional home fitness machine to the Bowflex Sport Home Gym, especially if you already have a lot of experience with free weight equipment, but for some, with its smooth, even resistance training, Bowflex sports equipment is just the ticket to a more regular, better sustained workout program.

A Caveat: No Replacement For Cardio Equipment
While this is a truly an all-purpose, multi-function fitness trainer, none of the Bowflex Sport Home Gym models (including the Bowflex Pro and Bowflex Revolution) provide the other half of the home fitness equation - cardio exercise. So if you plan to buy any of the Bowflex home gyms, additional cardio equipment such as a treadmill or an elliptical trainer (the company produces a separate line of cardio equipment in its Treadclimber cardio exercise line) should be high on your list of  must-have home gym equipment.

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