Product Description

Looking for a space- and time-saving workout, all at a great price? The Bowflex(r) PR3000 is a home gym value leader with more than 50 strength exercises and no cable changes needed between sets - all in a compact, space-saving design.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1579 in Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Bowflex
• Model: 100142
• Released on: 2008-09-22

Features

• Get a total body strength workout with affordable home gym; no cable changes needed between sets -
• Provides as little as five or as many as 210 pounds of resistance via Bowflex Power Rods (upgradeable to 310 pounds)
• Over 50 strength exercises; includes vertical bench press and lat pull down
• Upholstered roller cushions for leg extension and leg curl, triple function ankle cuff grips
• 300-pound maximum user weight; requires 100 x 78-inch minimum workout area

Amazon.com Product Description
The Bowflex PR3000 home gym is a great way to strengthen your muscles with over 50 strength exercises and a built-in rowing station. With up to 210 pounds of Power Rod resistance (can be upgraded to 310 pounds), this versatile machine helps work the abs, arms, chest, back, shoulders, and lower body. It includes a no-change cable pulley system, vertical bench press, triple-function hand grips for lat pull-down, and four-inch upholstered roller cushions for leg extension and leg curl exercises.

The PR3000 utilizes Bowflex's patented Power Rods, which provide resistance, or weight, that feels as good as or better than free weights--but without the inertia or risk of joint pain usually associated with free weights. You can hook one, two, three, four or all of your Power Rod units to the cable pulley system and go from as little as 5 pounds all the way up to 210 pounds of resistance.

They're precisely manufactured from a high-tech composite material under the highest quality control measures, then sheathed and tested 4 separate times to ensure quality and durability. The Power Rod units are so strong, you can flex them repeatedly but you won't be able to wear them out.

Features and Specifications:

• Multi-use Hand-Grip/Ankle Cuffs designed to add flexibility and performance to any workout
• Workout Placard displays workout descriptions for easy reference while you're exercising
• Number of available exercises: 50+
• No-change cable pulley system
• 210 pounds of Power Rod resistance (which can be upgraded to 310 pounds)
• Four-inch upholstered roller cushions for leg extension and leg curl
• Vertical bench press
• Triple function hand grips for lat pull down
• Triple function ankle cuff grips
• Leg Attachment
• Height: 83 inches (211 cm)
• Length 64 inches (163 cm)
• Width 41 inches (104 cm)
• Workout Area: 100 x 78 inches (254 x 199 cm)
• Maximum User Weight: 300 pounds (136 kg)

Exercises:

Bench Press Decline Bench Press Incline Bench Press Crossover High Rear Delt Rows Seated Shoulder Press Shoulder Shrug Lateral Shoulder Raise Shoulder Rotator Cuff (internal) Shoulder Rotator Cuff (external)

Standing Low Back Extension Narrow Pulldowns Stiff-Arm Pulldowns Reverse Grip Pulldown Triceps Pushdown Triceps Extension Seated Biceps Curl Triceps Kickback Seated (Resisted) Abdominal Crunch

Trunk Rotation Leg Extension Squat Standing Calf Raise Standing Hip Extension (knee bent) Standing Hip Adduction Standing Hip Abduction Hip Flexion

Manufacturer's Warranty
Frame - one year; Rods - seven years; Parts - 60 days

Customer Reviews

Bowflex PR3000 Does Everything I Need
Brief story - months ago, I was in the market for a home gym that uses free weights, but I happened to try out the PR3000 at Sports Authority, and I really liked it. We bought another unit, but it didn't turn out to be exactly what we needed, and eventually I found myself remembering the PR3000 fondly.

When we finally decided to go with a Bowflex for a couple reasons - less weight on our floor and not having to move weights around our apartment. I thought I'd go for one of the long ones that let you do rowing and - I thought - leg curls. But after I tried the units with rowing, I didn't actually care for the slightly loose feeling in the seat when it was locked in place, and I also discovered that some Blowflex don't do leg curls and others have a complicated way of doing them.

So I went back and tried out the PR3000 again - and it was as much fun to use as I remembered it, plus it has a no-cable-changes design that made switching exercises easier. So I tried a workaround someone reviewing a different Bowflex on Amazon recommended for another unit, which was basically do the leg curls while standing and facing the unit. I tried that on the PR3000 at the store and it worked fine for me, so I finally got it and I love using it.

The pluses:

* It doesn't take much floor space
* I don't have to move heavy weights around during my workout
* It's very quiet
* No cable changes keeps workouts moving along
* Motion is smooth (smoother than the Weider Platinum)
* Very good assembly directions
* A lot of things adjust for different sized people
* Top pulleys are on hook-and-eyes so that they swivel
* Can be upgraded to 310 pounds
* Very well-made, more attention to detail than other equipment we've had

The minuses:

* Doesn't come with a lat bar, although you can do pulldowns with the hand grips
* The manual isn't as detailed as other Bowflex units, although still better than most other home gyms.
* Very short warranty on smaller parts. I got an extended warranty.
* Bows resistance isn't the weight specified (I measured and it's lighter) but there was still more than enough resistance to give me a burn. Larger men and very fit people should probably get the 310 lb upgrade pretty quickly.

Nice for the Price
Like most people, I had seen the Bowflex commercials on TV and was skeptical of just how such a machine would produce the gods and goddesses shown in the ads. However, the idea of an all-in-one resistance machine was appealing and I often considered buying one. I finally took the plunge after undergoing quadriceps tendon repair surgery. Since my usual exercise was out of the question (running and martial arts) I decided to give the Bowflex a try. After all, I don't want to become psychotic and fat while I'm recovering. :) While I cannot do the leg exercises yet, my experience has been positive.

Pros: On the plus side, the machine provides a wide range of exercises that enable you to work almost all of the muscle groups. It was easy to assemble and comes with fairly clear directions. It also includes a basic workout book, although you will probably want to supplement this with additional information about working out. Properly assembled, the machine seems very solid and as long as you maintain it, it should provide a safe workout.

As you can see from the pictures, it has three sets of handles: one high, one middle and one low. This allows you to get a wide range of workouts and replicate most traditional free weight training moves. It also has the attachment for doing leg lifts. The seat can be easily removed to allow you to safely do standing exercises.

A major plus for this machine is that the power rods connect to all the handles. In other words, you do not need to constantly switch cable connections for your workout. Some lower end models lack this feature, which would be a bit annoying.

Cons: While the machine allows you to do a large range of exercises, it does have clear limits. For example, you can only do leg lifts with the leg exercise attachment (although you can do leg exercises using the handles). Also, it suffers the inherent limitations of a rod based machine relative to free weights. For example, the weight on the resistance rods seem rather optimistic (I suspect the weight is based on the resistance offered at maximum bend). To compare the machine with free weights, I did curls with the 50 pound rod and with a 35 pound free weight. The free weight provided far more resistance (in the form of weight). This is because the weight always weighs 35 pounds and the rod's resistance increases as it is pulled.

You will also want to spring for the 100 pound upgrade-this consists of two 50 rods. I think the rods should have been included, but I suppose that some people would be fine with the stock rods.

I'd suggest getting them when you get the machine, otherwise you'll have to take the "rod box" off the machine so as to put in the rods. Mine didn't come with instructions (just two rods and two screws in a cardboard box), but this is what I did: carefully lean the machine to one side, preferably with someone trustworthy holding it (make sure that they are not the beneficiary of your life insurance). Unscrew the three screws holding the box in place. Remove the box and take out the plugs (two of them, just ahead of the installed 50 rods). Insert the rods and screw the included screws into the rods (at the bottom). Put the rod box back in place and then screw the screws back in. Carefully test the rods to make sure they are secure, and then you are ready to go.

BOWFLEX PR3000
I bought this item last week from a local store for $847.00. It has been nothing but, wonderful. I will definetly need to upgrade to 310lbs later but, for now it is just great.
PROS- Easy to put together, a perfect machine for me even at 6'3" tall. Felt a little awkward at first doing kickbacks but, got used to it quickly.
CON - It states it has over 50 plus exercises but only lists 27 in the book. I called Bowflex and they told me to go to their site and look up the exercise manual for the Extreme 2. I did and it shows ALOT more exercises because both machines are very similar except for the lat pulldown bar on the Extreme 2.
Everything else is perfect. I will definetly be using this machine for a long time. The fact that the weight is upgradeable to 310lbs and the no pulley change system are huge differences in the workout saving valuable amounts of time to focus on lifting.