Ultimate ex

After nine exhausting hours, spread over a few days, my Bowflex Ultimate 2 is more or less put together. I plan on watching the instructional DVD all the way through before I start using it, though.

This sturdy behemoth replaces my Bowflex Power Pro that I had for five years. The poor little guy sits partially disassembled in my master bedroom. I took one last photograph to remember it by (below).

We have been through a great deal together at three addresses (Plainsboro, Millburn, and Kingston. I have sat on that bench at 274 pounds, at 180 pounds, and quite a few ups and downs in between.

So why the trade in—and such an expensive one at that? Well, that $1000 off was hard to turn down. I could never get close to that on eBay if I were to sell it. Plus, when you think about it, the Ultimate 2 is not that expensive when compared to a $600-$900 annual gym membership.

Most of all, though, I had a few annoyances with the Power Pro that was really starting to negatively impact my motivation. I talked with the Bowflex sales guy for over a half-hour last month, and most of my concerns seem to have been addressed.

• First and foremost 410 pounds of resistance on the Power Pro was not nearly enough for many of the exercises, including the leg press, the calf extension, and the shoulder shrug. 410 was so inadequate for the leg press I would often keep performing repetitions of the leg press until I got bored.
  
  But the Ultimate also maxes out at 410, so what’s the difference?
  
  This part was quite illuminating. As anyone who has seen the informercials knows, resistance is created on the Bowflex by flexing these composite Power Rods. Each rod has a number on top that rates how many pounds of resistance it provides. However, at the top of the rod’s flex, the rod only provides two-thirds of its rated resistance. The rod’s full resistance is only realized when the rod is fully flexed.
  
  The way the rods are positioned on the Power Pro, one rarely gets that full flexion.
• Ab exercises on the Power Pro sucked. One of the exercises has you stretch the handgrips over your shoulders as you do a crunch. However, because of the machines design, even in the resting position, there is a tremendous amount of strain on the shoulders. Doing this exercise guaranteed that I would have welts and bruises on my shoulders the next day.
• Also with the Power Pro, taking off and putting on the leg attachment or the lat bar was always a pain because of having to thread cables. The pulley and cable system of the Ultimate 2 makes that a thing of the past.
• The Power Pro is kind of light. On some of the exercises, the entire machine would lift up. Let’s just say, the Ultimate isn’t going anywhere.

Here’s hoping I get a much better workout with my new machine.