Ethiopian-born Dosho Shifferaw first had the idea for the Bowflex home gym in the late 1970s when he was studying industrial design at San Francisco City College. Shifferaw noticed that bendable polymer rods gave resistance like free weights without being heavy. He developed a prototype over the course of five years and was finally able to sell his gym to fitness investors. From that point forward, Bowflex home gyms became widely popular and many different models were created to suit various workout needs, including early models like the Power Pro XLT and later successors like the Bowflex Sport.
Exercise Types
Tom Purvis, head trainer for the National Academy of Sports Medicine, developed the exercise manual for the Power Pro XLT. It includes more than 50 exercises, ranging from the standard bench press to very specific exercises like the seated hip abduction. The XLT has 20 more exercises available than the base Power Pro model because it includes a leg developer, a lat tower and "Purvis" pectoral bar attachments. The Bowflex Sport gym has similar features to the Power Pro XLT, but can accomplish more than 60 exercises thanks to the addition of a low pulley station.
Upgradingc
The Power Pro XLT is a fully upgraded model that you cannot purchase additional accessories or power rods for as you become stronger. Out of the box, it has a maximum of 210 lbs. of resistance available through the power rods. The Bowflex Sport is fully upgraded in terms of exercise attachments, but you can expand the machine from 210 lbs. of resistance to 410 lbs. with the purchase of additional power rods.
Machine Specifications
The Bowflex Sport and XLT take up a similar amount of space in your home, each with a workout footprint around 100 inches long by 78 inches wide. Both gyms fold up when not in use to take up less area for storage. However, the Bowflex Sport is slightly larger in its folded state due to the addition of a squat plate on the base. Both pieces of equipment also support a 300-lb. user.
Equipment Safety
One drawback of the Power Pro line of gyms is that they underwent a major recall by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission in 2004. Nearly 420,000 gyms were called back to manufacturer, Nautilus, because the incline bench and lat tower attachments could break and cause injury to the user. Nautilus issued a repair kit that braced essential joints in the Power Pro XLT and subsequently made it safe for use. The Bowflex Sport has never had any major safety issues reported.
References
- Exercise Equipment Expert; Bowflex Sport Review; Bret Spottke
- "The Bowflex Body Plan"; Dr. Ellington Darden; 2003
- Bowflex: Bowflex Sport Home Gym Owner's Manual and Fitness Guide
- Bowflex: Bowflex Power Pro Owner's Manual and Fitness Guide
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Bowflex Power Pro Machines Recalled by Nautilus Direct
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