The Full Bowflex Blaze Home Gym Review – Best Bang For Your Buck?
Home gyms are the new deal today.
From the comfort of your home, you can work out anytime, for as long as you want. The ease and comfort that comes with it cannot be compared.
Issues of life can even make you miss out on gym schedules, allowing your gym membership to waste away in the process.
We can safely say that home gyms are wise financial investments.
One of the top dogs in the home gym industry is Bowflex.
They have lots of amazing home gym models.
We all know how confusing it can be when we have lots of great options to choose from.
To ease this stress a bit, we are going to be reviewing the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym.
I've carefully detailed the features of this home gym, analyzing its size, design, weight capacity, ease of use, bench, warranty, exercise options, pros, and cons.
At the end of the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym review, you'll know all this home gym has to offer and decide whether to buy it or go for other Bowflex models.
Here is a quick summary of the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym review in case you can't read to the end.
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The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym is a midrange gym that utilizes a power rod resistance system. It comes with a standard 210 lb resistance capacity which is upgradable to 310 lb or 410 lb.
This means it can be used by mild to advanced weight lifters. However, it may be a bit too simple for some extreme weightlifters. It has a max user weight capacity of 300 lb, and it comes with some fantastic accessories such as a lat bar, hand grips, ankle strap, horizontal bench, squat bar, and a leg developer.
You can perform 60 different exercises with this home gym. Concerning exercises, the manufacturers didn't leave users in the dark. It comes with an instructional manual that gives you an idea of the different exercise options you can carry out. Some exercises you can perform include curls, leg extensions, Lat pulldown, lower back extension, tricep pushdown, etc.
It is quite easy to put together. The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym comes with a warranty of 1 year on the frame, 60 days on parts, while the power rods have a 5-years warranty.
Pros
Cons
Takeaway
The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym offers about 60 exercises - good enough for anyone who wants to be at the top of their fitness game. For a midrange home gym, the warranty it offers is quite fair and guarantees the value it offers. The fact that people at different fitness levels can use it and the amazing features it offers make it an appropriate option for anyone who desires a quality home gym.
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Before I go into the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym review, here a little background info on the Bowflex brand.
About Bowflex
The name Bowflex is a popular one in the home gym industry today.
Apart from their reputation for producing quality products, they are also recognized for the power rod system of their home gyms. Besides home gyms, Bowflex also produces other products like treadmills, ellipticals, weight benches, etc.
The first Bowflex home gym was produced in the year 1986. The Bowflex 2000x was released that year with the power rod system.
Over the years, they have improved greatly and even have a home gym with a different resistance system (Bowflex Revolution Home Gym) among their other products.
Bowflex gave so many thoughts to their power rod system because it functions effectively as it should - allowing smooth and easy but effective workout sessions.
The power rod system built into Bowflex home gyms gives you that feel of weight stacks, without its downsides.
You wouldn't need to take breaks to change weights or worry about accidents as you switch plates.
It also allows you to customize the level of resistance that suits you. However, some people who are already accustomed to free weights may not prefer the Bowflex series.
Another feature of the Bowflex home gym is that they are versatile and do not occupy so much space. Many home gyms are quite effective, but you will have to worry about space and storage.
If you prefer having a lot of exercise options to try out, then Bowflex Home Gyms are what you want. Th number of exercises they offer is only rivaled by Total Gym machines.
Bowflex Blaze Home Gym Overview
The beauty of working from home cannot be overemphasized. Visiting the gym is beautiful. But nothing is as satisfying as working out from the comfort of your home.
The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym allows you to carry out over 60 exercises with ease.
It has an inbuilt power rod system that provides smooth resistance as you work out any area of your body.
You can target every area of your body with this home gym. With the sliding seat, you can carry out chest exercises or aerobic row.
Not all Bowflex home gyms provide the opportunity to carry out aerobic exercises. However, the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym is an exception.
You can make use of the leg extensions together with your hamstrings and quads to work out your full body. You can work your back, lats, and shoulder with the upper pulley. Also, squats are not left out.
Its compact and portable design is something you'll also appreciate if you have limited space in your house.
Additionally, you can move this machine from one place to another because it has wheels attached to it.
While this home gym is not the most portable of Bowflex models, the folding feature of the frame of this home gym allows you to save space during storage.
You don't have to worry about assembly because it comes with a manual with adequate instructions on putting the machine together.
Also, for exercise options, it comes with a DVD and an instructional manual that will guide you through different exercise options for targeting specific muscle groups.
Full Bowflex Blaze Home Gym Review
In this section of the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym review, I'll deeply examine all the features of the home gym.
Let's go!
Specifications
Dimensions | Workout Area | Resistance Type | Max Weight | Max User Weight | Exercises | Foldable | Quick Change | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
82 5''L x 38''W x 84.5''H | L 90" x W 38" x H 83" | Power Rod | 210 lb (upgradable to 410 lb) | 300 lb | 60+ | Yes | No |
Features
- Provide a variety of over 60 exercise options.
- A resistance that provides the same effect as free weights.
- Resistance capacity of 210 lb, which is upgradable to 310 lb or 410 lb.
- Comes with a pulley system that allows several positions providing ease as you work out.
- Comes with a Lat tower.
- Bench cushioning for maximum comfort.
- Sturdy construction.
- Multiple cable positions for custom workouts.
- 7 free trainer-built workout programs.
- Comes with a lower pulley and squat stations, leg extensions, etc.
- Enables aerobic rowing training.
- Excellent warranty.
Construction & Design
As with other Bowflex home gyms, the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym has a very strong and sturdy built.
The frame, which can handle a total user weight of 300 lb, is made of steel tubing. Every steel part on this machine has an anti-corrosive enamel coating.
It is not so small when it comes to its built, yet it is not as big as many machines out there. So it still takes a good amount of space. It has a footprint of 82.5 x 38 (L x W), and it is 84.5" high, which is about 7 ft.
This means you can't use it or store it in a room that's less than 7 ft. when assembled.
With the height, users that are as tall as 6'7'' can comfortably work out on the Blaze. You will need a workout area of 100 x 78 (L x W) to use this home gym.
Each point of the machine that contacts the floor is covered with a rubber stabilizer foot. This gives its stability as you work out, preventing wobbling.
The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym has a folding design - it's designed so that you can fold up the bench together with the front base and the leg attachment. Once folded, the length of the machine reduces significantly.
At the base, you will find two transport wheels built in to make movement easy in case you want to move the machine around.
However, it wouldn't be the easiest to move around because of its weight. So it's advisable to assemble it in the space you've designated for workouts.
Accessories
The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym has several accessories it comes with that enables users work out more efficiently.
It comes with a leg bar attachment that has a curved orientation, enabling you perform various exercises.
The leg attachment is well padded, which reduces the incidence of discomfort as you exercise. Its handgrip is also built with extra layers for the user's comfort.
A leg press strap is also included in its packaging. Its pulley system can move in all 360 degrees directions and is durable because it is made from heavy-duty urethane material.
It comes with an accessory tray you can link to the chest bar. This means you can put items like your keys, rings, water bottle, and phones as you work out.
Additionally, it comes with a sliding seat rail that allows you to carry out aerobic exercises.
Bench
The bench type is one of the differences between the Blaze and other Bowflex midrange gyms.
While the PR3000 and the Xceed come with a vertical bench, Bowflex Blaze Home Gym features a horizontal bench.
The horizontal bench is easily adjustable, offering you more exercise options, including aerobic rowing.
Resistance
Built into this home gym is a power rod system that offers a total resistance capacity of 210 lb, same with all Bowflex Home Gyms.
The power rod system is one feature that separates Bowflex home gyms from others and has made them one of the leading home gyms brands.
All of Bowflex's home gym uses the Power Rod system except the Bowflex Revolution.
Like I said, the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym comes with a standard resistance capacity of 210 lb distributed as follows:
- Two 5 lb
- Four 10 lb
- Two 30 lb
- Two 50 lb
However, its resistance can be upgraded to 310 lb or 410 lb, unlike in PR3000 that can only be upgraded to 310 lb.
The upgradable resistance makes this home gym suitable for beginners, intermediates and even some professionals.
To work out with a specific resistance, all you need to do is hook the appropriate rods to the cables.
While the rods are made of durable elastomer, you may need to change them because the resistance they offer will reduce as the years go by.
This is because the more you use them, the more they lose their elasticity. But the good thing is, your body will have transformed significantly too, so you will still get the value you paid for.
Exercise Options
The number of exercises a home gym offers is one thing to look out for when buying a home gym.
But another big question is, "what type of exercises can I perform with this home gym?"
Like other Bowflex home gyms, exercise options should be the least of your worries because they provide you with plenty of options to choose from.
This home gym offers over 60 exercise options, which isn't just a sales strategy from them.
You'll find directions on how to carry out these different exercises in their instructional manual. In fact, 66 exercises that target different body areas are pictured in the owner's manual.
There's also a quick reference placard attached to the lat frame of the machine.
That said, with this home gym, you can work out your full body and see visible results if you are consistent.
Here are some of the few exercises you can perform with this home gym:
Arm Exercises: Standing Biceps Curls, Seated Biceps Curls, Seated Triceps Extensions, Single Arm Pushdowns, Standing Wrist Extensions, French Presses, Lying Triceps Extensions, "Rope" Pushdowns, Seated Wrist Curls, Cross Triceps Extensions, Lying 45° Triceps Extensions, Standing Wrist Curls, Reverse Curls.
Abdominal Exercises: Reverse Crunches, Resisted Reverse Crunches, Seated (Resisted) Ab Crunches, Seated (Resisted) Oblique Ab Crunches, Trunk Rotations
Back Exercises: Bent Over Rows, Lying Lat Pulldowns, Low Back Extensions, Narrow Pulldowns with Handgrips, Pulldowns, Seated Lat Rows, Stiff-Arm Pulldowns
Chest Exercises: Decline Bench Presses, Bench presses, Decline Chest Flies, Incline Bench Presses, Incline Chest Flies, Resisted Punches, Shoulder Horizontal Adductions
Legs Exercises: Ankle inversion, Ankle version, leg presses, leg extensions, lying leg extensions, standing his extensions, prone leg curls, Standing Hip Extensions, Standing Hip Abductions, Seated Hip Adductions, Seated Hip Abductions, Standing Leg Kickbacks, Squats.
Shoulder Exercises: Front Shoulder Raises, Lying Front Shoulder Raises, Rear Deltoid Rows, Reverse Flies, Standing Lateral Shoulder Raises, Seated Shoulder Presses, Shoulder Extensions, Shoulder Shrugs, Scapular Protractions, Scapular Depressions, Shoulder Rotator Cuffs, Shoulder Rotator Cuffs, Seated Lateral Shoulder Raises, Scapular Retractions.
Even more impressive is that with the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym, you also get 7 workout regimens designed by Bowflex trainers.
Weight Capacity
The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym has a weight capacity of 300 lb, solid enough for many users.
Some people feel the higher the weight capacity of a home gym, the more effective it will be. That is not completely true.
A home gym of 300 lb is adequate for a lot of people and even shows the machine is sturdy.
If you want something higher, you'll have to look outside the Bowflex Home Gym series as they all have a max weight capacity of 300 lb.
Worthy alternatives are Total Gym XLS and Total Gym Fit.
Assembly
This piece of equipment comes with an instructional manual that makes it very easy to use and assemble.
While it comes with two Allen wrenches, you'll need some tools of your own to put it together.
Although it is pretty easy to assemble, thanks to the manual, it might take you 2 to 4 hours because there are many parts to fix together.
If you want to get it done faster, you may need to get a helping hand.
But it's still something you can do all by yourself because of the detailed instructional manual.
Warranty
Another thing to consider when buying a home gym is the warranty.
The warranty of a product gives you some form of guarantee or otherwise of its durability.
So it's quite understandable that everyone will want to check the warranty of a product.
For the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym, I'd admit that it comes with a good warranty.
The power rod comes with a 5-year warranty. The frame comes with a 1-year warranty, which is decent for a mid-range home gym. For the parts, you get a 6-months warranty.
This warranty doesn't apply to the normal tear and wear you should expect after using a product for long. It only applies to defect from the manufacturer.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Get The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym If:
- You want to option of performing 60+ exercises.
- You want to practice cardio exercises.
- You want an affordable home gym that offers versatility.
- You don't mind changing cables for exercises.
- You want a high resistance.
- You want the comfort an accessory tray provides.
Final Thoughts
That's that with the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym review.
From the features above, I'd say that this midrange home gym is a great option for those who do not like visiting the gym.
You can carry out over 60 exercises to work out your entire body.
It has a great warranty and is also quite affordable.
It also allows you to perform aerobic exercises, which I think is one attractive feature that makes it a great option and differentiates it from the Bowflex Xceed and the PR3000.
Does it give you the best bang for your buck of the mid-priced Bowflex Home Gyms?
I'd say that depends on what you're looking for.
If you want more exercise options, aerobic rowing exercises, and folding feature, going for the Bowflex Blaze is a no-brainer.
However, if the fact that you have to change cable positions puts you off, then you might want to go for the PR3000.
Overall, it's a home gym worth spending cash on.
