BowFlex Max Trainer Series

So I've waited a month to write this review. I'm in my 30's, female, and about 220lbs. when I started working out on the Max Trainer, I have since lost 12.3lbs. I have worked out 23 out of the 30 days I have had it.. my 1st work out I burnt 350 calories with 3 sets of 14 mins HIIT work outs throughout the day, a total of 42 mins, my 23rd workout that I just finished I burnt 652 in that same amount of time! It is an AMAZING workout, absolutely the best imaginable and that I've ever had for sure. I quietly tell it I love it like every day lol. So this was pricey for me but I'm glad I took the chance. I did A LOT of research and landed on this machine. Even if money wasn't an object I still would go with the M3 as opposed to the other, more expensive models. They only add a backlit display, a more convenient cup holder, and heart rate sensors on the machine, which I don't find neccessary, you know you're getting an amazing workout on this machine w/o the HR monitor, although the M3 comes with a strap on one but I found that uncomfortable. Putting it together was rather easy. I am a woman and I'm not a weakling but I'm not super strong either and I found this to be a rather enjoyable experience ( I like putting things together). I did have a friend help with the mounting of the body, I would imagine that would be super hard with only one person handling it. Once that was set I did the rest myself (the arms where a bit trick but still duable with just me). The delivery was tricky though. The delivery date kept changing on me and I had to reschedule work for it..it was really frustrating. When it arrived the delivery guys were very nice and asked if the could bring it upstairs ( I have an apartment on the 2nd floor), which was amazing because of the weight I was planning on taking it apart downstairs and bringing it up piece by piece. There was a hole on the box that some parts fell out of inside of my apartment building. that I didn't notice till I was putting it together, luckily my landlord had picked it up for safe keeping and gave it to me a few days later. I did purchase the insurance on this as Bowflex only provides a 1 year warranty on this machine, (but fingers crossed) so far so good. The machine is smooth and durable, that said, you should 100% tighten bolts regularly and keep and eye or ear out for any squeaks or abnormal noises, it should be maintained as you use it. This is literally the most expensive thing I've ever purchased and I absolutely love it. It has given me control over my body that I was desperately needing without access to a gym since Covid hit. If you feel like maybe you can't handle the work out..you can! You can set your own pace and work up to where ever you want to get to.It is pretty small I have it in my "storage room" with the Christmas decorations, doesn't take up too much room like a treadmill would. 110% would reccomend!

I intensely dislike working out. I've tried all kinds of products, regular bike, stationary bike, cross country skiing machine, treadmill, etc. I could tolerate the treadmill but I have a bad toe that gets aggravated walking too long. Many years ago, I had a great little staIr stepper. I still have it but the pistons gave out quite a while ago. I like ellipticals somewhat, but not entirely their motion and definitely not how much room they take up.I've been looking at the max trainers in sporting goods stores on and off for the better part of a couple years. I've always liked the elliptical stair stepping motion it has. This year I decided to bite the bullet and get one, a basic one is all I need. We received our Max 3 trainer about 3 weeks ago. I am still in process of building up to a full 14 minute session on it, but I really love this machine. It was a little tough to get started the first week as I was so out of shaoe, but after about 3-4 sessions, I'm coming along and really enjoying. It's easy to wake up, do a session on it, watching TV, and go on with my day. My husband likes it too. He said assembly wasn't difficult, just more time consuming than he'd expected. It took the better part of 3 hours, with a break for lunch.I love that this is a fairly quiet machine and the fact that it takes up about 60% of the space that a true elliptical would.We considered similar machines from some unknown (to us) brands suggested in the Amazon search, but decided to stick with the Bow flex because it is a well-known brand, is generally well-regarded, and because we could try out other Max series machines in the sporting goods stores so we knew it was a sturdy, quality device and the difference between the basic Max 3 and other higher levels was more about programming and other such features, but the overall motion is the same.So, in summary, I still hate that I have to work out, but this machine makes it almost pleasant. As a result, I love this machine.

Burns calories quickly, faster than jogging, without being too crazy as far as a work out, mainly by engaging big glut muscles. I like balance of cardio and glut/leg muscle workout. My go to workout is quick, 20 minutes 300 calories, and I will break a substantial sweat and feel a little sore for a few hours in my gluts and thighs. Also engages paraspinal muscles, which I feel helps lower back pain issues I have (as opposed to jogging which tends to aggravate).I have M3. Really like simple interface as a I'm typically on my phone anyway and like the cals/min gauge and manual mechanical resistance setting (like a bike). In fact I wrote whole review during a work out on it. Fan is loud, I use airpods. I've had for a year or two, low/intermediate use, still works great. I can kind of hear the chain on the gear (like a bike), probably just needs some WD-40 in the right spot. Takes up the least real estate in my home gym relative to treadmill, cycle, and bench. Overall very happy with purchase and value.