Bowflex Machine

The Bowflex Machine is an exercise machine used for strength training marketed and sold under the Bowflex brand by Nautilus, Inc.. It is primarily sold through the use of infomercials.

Design and History

The Bowflex grew out of a now expired patent first conceived by an Ethiopian engineering student in San Francisco, Tessema Dosho Shifferaw. Bowflex of America, Inc. began marketing the first product, The Bowflex 2000X in 1986. Bowflex of America changed its name to Bowflex, Inc, and became a public company on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In 1999 the company changed its name to Direct Focus, Inc. and initiated an IPO on Nasdaq. With the success of Bowflex, the company bought the Nautilus Corporation, Schwinn Fitness, and Stairmaster Fitness. In 2002 the company moved to the NYSE and renamed itself The Nautilus Group and is now Nautilus, Inc. which owns and markets the Bowflex along with Nautilus, Schwinn Excersise, Stairmaster and Pearl Izumi lines among other brands. Fact|date=August 2007

Instead of conventional weights or pulley machines, the original Bowflex machine used a combination of polymer rods to create constant resistance or tension. The machines are marketed as taking up much less space than a complete set of weights and machines. The company held a patent (US patent|4620704) on this "power rod" design which expired in April 2004. [http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.5e4j.htm] [http://news.backchannelmedia.com/newsletter/articles/146/Bowflex-Recoils-After-Patent-Expires-Washington-Based-Nautilus-Fights-Back]

2004 recall

In January 2004, about 420,000 Bowflex machines were recalled due to mechanical problems. In November 2004, there was a recall of nearly 800,000 (680,000 Power Pro units and 102,000 Ultimate units) Bowflex machines after reports that several models had broken unexpectedly. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that the seats could unexpectedly break, and that the backboard bench could collapse when in the incline position on the Power Pro model. This recall was voluntary and the company offered every purchaser a free safety repair kit. [ [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6501930/ MSNBC "Nearly 800,000 Bowflex machines recalled"] ]

2006 new model introduced

In 2006, Nautilus released the Bowflex Revolution with a completely new design and new resistance technology. The new model uses circular plates containing coiled straps around a cam which can interlock in place of the polymer rods. Nautilus claims that the new system makes the machine easier to use than its predecessor. It has more adjustments to accommodate different sized users and provides a larger variety of exercise variations.

Bowflex Home Gym Models

* Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym (2007)
**95 exercises
**5 position adjustable pulleys
**310 lb (140 kg) weight resistance
**6' 10" (208 cm) H x 7'8" (234 cm) L x 3' 10" (117 cm) W
* Bowflex Utlimate XTLU (2007)
**90 exercises
**2 position adjustable pulleys
**310 lb (140 kg) weight resistance
**6' 11" (211 cm) H x 8' 2" (249 cm) L x 4' 2" (127 cm) W
* Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym (2007)
**70 exercises
**4 position adjustable pulleys
**210 lb (95 kg) weight resistance
**6' 10" (208 cm) H x 4' 5" (135 cm) L x 4' 1" (125 cm) W
* Bowflex Xtreme SE Home Gym (2007)
**65 exercises
**4 position adjustable pulleys (built-in)
**210 lb (95 kg) weight resistance
**6' 10" (208 cm) H x 4' 5" (135 cm) L x 4' 1" (125 cm) W
* Bowflex Blaze Home Gym (2007)
**60 exercises
**no adjustable pulleys
**210 lb (95 kg) weight resistance, upgradeable to 310 or 410 lb
**7' 0.5" (215 cm) H x 6' 10½" (210 cm) L x 3' 2" (97 cm) W
* Bowflex Xtreme SE Home Gym(?)
* Bowflex Motivator Home Gym (?)
* Bowflex Sport Home Gym (?)
**60 exercises
**210 lb (95 kg) weight resistance
**83" H x 84" L x 40" W
* Bowflex Xtreme Home Gym(?)
* Bowflex Power Pro (1990s)
**35 exercises
**220 lb weight resistance
* Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym (2007)
* Bowflex Revolution Home Gym (2007)

ee also

* Soloflex
* NordicTrack

References

External links

* [http://www.bowflex.com/ Bowflex.com]
* [http://www.nautilus.com/ Nautilus, Inc.]