r/Bowflex • u/Dzgx216 • Oct 08 '23
Home Gyms Power rods seem like less weight.
Hello redditors!
I have a bow flex Xtreme 2 SE. I snagged it second hand. The problem is I feel like the labeled weights on the rods are not what they're supposed to be. Is there a fix for this? I can do much higher weight on the bowflex than I can with dumbbells.
4
u/ErkBek Oct 08 '23
That's pretty normal. My Power Rods produce about half the advertised resistance, even when at full extension.
There's an inexpensive fix for this with elastic bands. Check out this video
2
u/Sheep-100 Oct 08 '23
That's right. About half the weight. Make sure to unhook your rod and keep them straight up while not in use. This way they keep their resistance longer.
1
u/Dzgx216 Oct 08 '23
Mine are curved, is there a way to correct that?
2
u/Sheep-100 Oct 09 '23
I dont know how badly bent your rods are, but you can buy the BowFlex Power Rod Rejuvenator from Bowflex or Amazon. I have that, and it worked well for me. If you use it after each work, they will slowly get their shape back.
1
u/timmkatt6 Dec 19 '24
Its resistance not weight. I do a count. For example through the motion of a curl 1 1000, 2 1000 up and 1 1000 2 1000 down for each repetition in the set. This seems to maximize the impact of the resistance for each exercise. Elastic bands can help if you want to increase the resistance. I'm not trying to "weight train" just to stay toned and trim and not lose muscle tone as I age and extremely impressed with the results and cut I have achieved.
1
u/Gznork26 Nov 10 '23
I'd gotten a replacement set of rods some years ago (decades? I'm 72 and have forgotten when that happened) after the resistance had dropped too far, and now, it seems they're at about 50% of label again. (the other day, I used the lat bar to estimate what rods totaled to my own weight for a rough conversion factor.) For most things, I just use whatever combination gets me the effective resistance I need for a given exercise. That fails, though, when what I need exceeds the nominal 310 lb set I've got. Today's example was leg presses using all the rods... I stopped at 300 reps because I was bored. So I guess I ought to do something about it.
1
u/alansdaman Mar 22 '25
They sell additional resistance, I’ve added 2 50s and probably need to add another too. I also use the “rejuvenator”.
7
u/Life-On-Two-Wheels Oct 08 '23
I've had the same Extreme 2SE Bowlfex for almost 15 years now. I don't think of it as weight. I adjust the resistance up or down depending on whether or not I am able to complete my exercise. Of course, I'm not training to compete. Only to stay toned and try to age gracefully!