Bowflex is a leader in home gyms, offering individuals the ability to get in their daily workout without ever leaving the house. The Blaze and the Xtreme 2SE are two of the leading models on the market, but which model is the best?
That’s what we aim to find out in this comparison.
Bowflex Blaze Home Gym
Perform 60+ exercises on the Blaze, with 66 exercises pictured in the owner’s manual to follow. You’ll be able to perform 16 arm exercises, 8 chest exercises, 5 ab exercises, 9 back exercises, 14 shoulder exercises and 13 leg exercises.
This model is able to hold users up to 300 pounds and offers some of the industry’s best features, including:
Bowflex Blaze Features
- 60 full body exercises
- 210 pounds of resistance
- Sliding seat rail
- Lat tower
- Foldable
- Cardio row capability
- Squat stand and lower pulley
- Triple function hand grips
- 8’4″ x 6’6″ in workout area space
- Folds to 52″ x 38″
The Blaze weighs nearly 100 pounds, so it’s a difficult machine to assemble on your own, although it’s possible. I recommend having another person help with the assembly to speed things along.
A standard 210-pound resistance rod is provided, and for most people, this rod is more than enough to increase your fitness level.
if you’re more advanced, you can upgrade the resistance to a staggering 410 pounds. Livestrong states that you can lift more with a power rod than free weights, so keep this in mind.
When it comes time to do some cardio and increase your cardiovascular health, you can change the Blaze into a rowing machine thanks to the sliding seat rail. There’s also a lat machine and a lower pulley.
The lower pulley allows you to perform a variety of different leg exercises, including squats, curls and dozens of others. A leg extension attachment further helps you advance your lower body strength.
The Blaze is a great overall home gym that’s perfect for anyone new to fitness yet advanced enough to help even seasoned weightlifters increase their fitness levels. Cardio rowing allows you to accelerate your weight loss efforts, too.
Bowflex Xtreme 2SE Home Gym
The 2SE is a complete home gym that offers over 70 workouts and comes with power rod resistance of 210 pounds. If you need heavier weight, you can upgrade your power rod to 310 pounds and 410 pounds.
An angled lat bar and a lat tower have been included with the design of the Xtreme 2SE to allow for more advanced, complete back and shoulder workouts.
The 2SE offers exceptional workout options with top-of-the-line features.
Bowflex Xtreme 2SE Features
- 70 exercises
- 210-pound resistance
- Cable pulley system
- Leg extension
- Abdominal crunch harness
- Adjustable seat
- 5-way hand grips
- Ankle cuffs
- Multiple cable positions
- 79 pictured exercises
Bowflex‘s Xtreme 2SE is your go-to home gym when your budget isn’t an issue. There are 79 exercises listed in the owner’s manual, and I bet you can add a few extras in there of your own.
You’ll find that there are 24 arm exercises, 6 chest exercises, 3 ab exercises, 18 back exercises, 16 shoulder exercises and 12 leg exercises. That’s a lot of high-end exercises packed into one machine.
But you’ll notice something very important missing: cardio row.
This is a significant loss for anyone who wants to lose weight. Men’s Fitness ranks rowing as the third best way to burn fat and lose weight.
That said, you’ll also receive a lot of additional exercises with the 2SE. The manual pictures 13 additional exercises that the Blaze doesn’t offer.
A person who has some skill with assembly will be able to assemble this unit in less than an hour. The help of another person is recommended and will speed up the assembly process a lot.
The Xtreme 2SE is the right choice for muscle building exercises. While you might miss out on the cardio aspect that the Blaze offers, you’ll be able to make up for it if you do HIIT exercises to get your heart rate pumping.
You can do seated rows to work your back, although this is different than the cardio row featured on The Blaze.
In terms of strength training and versatility, the Xtreme 2SE is the clear winner.
Situations Where One Model Trumps Another
The Blaze is a great entry-level home gym, and while it offers over 60 exercises, it can’t compete with the 2SE, which boasts 70+ exercises.
With the 2SE, you’ll be able to perform 8 additional arm exercises, 2 fewer chest exercises, 2 fewer ab exercises, 9 additional back exercises, 2 more shoulder exercises and one fewer leg exercise. If you’re focusing on your arms, back or shoulders, the 2SE may be the better option.
But remember this model doesn’t include the cardio row feature.
So, if you’re more interested in losing weight or increasing your cardiovascular health, the Blaze may be the better option. When choosing the Blaze, you’ll sacrifice a few exercises, but you’ll receive the cardio row function.
Shape says you’ll burn 50% more calories when rowing than you do with an elliptical machine – that’s a significant difference.
Recapping: If you’re aiming to work on your muscle strength, especially your shoulders, back and arms, the 2SE is your best option. If you want to lose weight or want to boost your cardiovascular health, the Blaze will more than suffice.
I prefer the Xtreme 2SE because it is more versatile with the number of exercises you can perform. Running, swimming, playing a sport or just engaging in high intensity interval training is more than enough to get a great cardio workout.
But this is all preferential.
Some people love to row, and since rowing is known for burning more calories than most other forms of exercise, it’s definitely something to consider.
If I were to pick just one model, it would have to be the Xtreme because of the ability to perform over 70 exercises, with 79 photographs of exercises to help you get started.
Interested in a Bowflex home gym? Check out our other in depth Bowflex comparisons –
Blaze vs PR3000
PR3000 vs PR1000
