Bowflex Max Elliptical – 5 Benefits You May Not Know About
The Bowflex Max Elliptical is a very popular hybrid elliptical-stair-stepper machine. It’s extremely popular right now – the main benefit is that it can help you burn 2.5 times more calories than a regular elliptical.
But the Max elliptical also has some other benefits that most people don’t even realize.
So with that in mind here are 5 little-known benefits of the Bowflex Max Trainer:
#1 Takes Up Less Space In Your Home
The Bowflex Max takes up less space in your home than a standard elliptical trainer. With a footprint of around 46.1″ L x 25″ W it’s about half the size of a regular elliptical or a treadmill.
This is great for smaller workout areas, condos or apartments. With a lower step on height than many ellipticals you also need less space above you (ceiling height) than a crosstrainer as well.
You need about your height plus 15 inches above you for the Max Trainer to fit comfortably in your room. So if you’re 6 feet tall you need a ceiling height of around 6 + 1 foot and 3 inches (15 inches) which gives you a ceiling height of 7 foot 3 inches.
#2 Engages More Core Muscles
Tests in the Bowflex lab showed that the Max trainer engages more core and lower body muscles than a standard elliptical.
It also engages up to 80% more upper body muscles. So you’re getting a better whole body workout – which helps you tone up quickly.
#3 You Don’t Need A Lot of Time To See Results
Bowflex designed special high intensity training workouts that are included with each Max Trainer model.
The most popular one is the 14 minute high intensity workout. You get all the cardio benefits of a much longer workout in just 14 minutes. If you’re too busy to workout or you don’t have a lot of time in your day this is a great way to make sure you still get fitness results.
#4 Take Advantage of the Afterburn Effect
High Intensity training workouts like the ones you find on the Bowflex Max elliptical have been shown to keep your metabolism revved and burning calories for up to 48 hours post workout.
So again, this is another way you’re going to burn calories (even after your workout) on this trainer.
#5 Online Tracking Now Available
Bowflex has added Bluetooth tracking on the M5 and M7 models. You can track your activity and calories burned using the free Bowflex App on your phone. This is a great way to stay motivated, set and reach new goals.
So is there a downside to the Max Trainer? Well, it does take some getting used to as this is more of a climbing, vertical motion vs a regular elliptical flat running motion that most people are used to.
So if you’re new to this kind of exercise, start slow and listen to your body. Only do what you can.
Another challenge Bowflex faces is that they’re not the only game in town anymore. There are similar machines coming out like the Proform Cardio HIIT Trainer with different options for people to choose from.
But at the end of the day, if you want a fitness machine that has been proven to get you better results than a standard elliptical, you really can’t go wrong with the Bowflex Max Elliptical.
