Bowflex Xceed home gym review
Our Verdict
The Bowflex Xceed is a great piece of equipment for those who want to get in shape. It's an affordable machine that will help you achieve your fitness goals without wasting time or money on other machines. Bowflex has been making quality home exercise equipment since the 1980s, and the Bowflex Xceed continues this trend.
The convenience of having a home gym cannot be overstated. No more unused gym memberships and you get to schedule your workout into any free time you may have in a busy day or week. Maybe leaving home is not even an option where you are. The Bowflex Xceed may be exactly what you need.
A Good Home Gym?
The Xceed is a midrange Home Gym product from Bowflex. It is part of a large number of home gym products, making it difficult to make a choice. They do, after all, have similar feature sets.
Is the Bowflex Xceed worth your consideration? That is what you will find out in this review. What follows is a thorough overview of what the Xceed has to offer as a home gym.
Summary Specifications
Resistance:
Standard configuration: 210 lbs. (95.3 kg)
Maximum configuration: 410 lbs. (186 kg)
Dimensions:
53” L x 49” W x 82” H (135 x 124 x 208 cm)
Workout Area:
125” L x 121” W (318 x 308 cm)
Assembled Machine Weight:
157 lbs. (71 kg)
User Weight Limit:
300 lbs. (136 kg)
Included Warranty:
Frame: 1 Year
Rods: 5 Years
Parts: 60 Days
Features and Benefits
- 210 lbs. of Power Rod® resistance.
- Upgrades to 310 lbs. or 410 lbs.
- Includes leg extension attachment.
- Compact size that fits smaller workout spaces.
- 65+ exercises to choose from.
- 210 lbs. of Power Rod® resistance
- Heavy-Duty Steel Frame
- Multiple Cable/Pulley Positions
- Adjustable, Quick Release Seat
- Ab Training Strap
- Squat Bar
- Lat Bar
- Vertical Bench Press
Special Features [Pros]
The Bowflex Xceed makes use of the power rod system, a feature that sets it apart from other home gyms you may know of or may have seen. The first thing you’ll notice is the lack of weight plates, and you may be a little confused, but it is not a bad thing.
Safety:
Because the Xceed has no weight plates, there is an assured safety when making adjustments to resistance. There is no worry of anything slamming down, its all power rods here. These rods are fixed on one end and attached to a cable on the other. This immediately bumps it up to one of the safest home gyms you can have, perfect for the inexperienced or the elderly.
Versatility:
The rod and cable system makes the Xceed very adaptable to whatever exercise you want to perform. With the same power rod set up, the multiple pulley system allows you to configure a wide variety of exercises, and this personalisation of workouts makes it stand out among other home gyms.
Smooth, Powerful Resistance:
You may be thinking that the lack of weight plates means lower resistance, but you’d be surprised by the amount of resistance you get when using the Xceed. The standard resistance is 210 lb, which is upgradeable to anything between 310 to 410 lb. However, the use of a pulley system must be taken into account.
The resistance feels high quality, as if you are using a resistance band. It is gradual. The start of the workout is easy enough to get you going but the resistance builds up the further the power rod bends. The Bowflex Xceed offers a healthy resistance range with a mmaximum of 105 per arm.
Space-Efficient:
The Bowflex Xceed has a space-saving design. Space occupied is a huge consideration for home gyms, as they should be able to fit in whatever space you can spare, and leave room for other exercise equipment.
Strong Build:
While the power rod is made of a special elastic material, the frame is made using heavy duty steel. The base of this vertical home gym design has a reinforced X shape to ensure maximum stability.
Convenience & Comfort:
The Xceed has foam cushioning and a leather upholstery on the adjustable seat. This seat accommodates up to 300 lbs. The Xceed includes multiple rip handles, leg attachment, a squat bar, and multiple mid-positions for the pulley. It is very quiet when in use.
Drawbacks [Cons]
Cables, Cables, Cables:
While it does offer a lot of versality in the type and number of exercises you can do, the Bowflex Xceed also requires you to make a lot of cable connections and adjustment to configure it for different exercises. It may be overwhelming if you mind that sort of thing.
There are some quick-switch configurations, but other than that, you may find yourself referring to the manual before you eventually master your favourite configurations.
Assembly:
Putting the Xceed together can be a bit of a task with equipment packed in several boxes. You will need a variety of equipment.
The Xceed cannot be bolted into the ground.
Muscle:
If your intention for getting a home gym is building up muscle mass, the Xceed may not be for you. It is not suited for intense muscle training.
Setup
Unfortunately, the Xceed comes disassembled. Also, you may be put off by the number of parts you’ll find in the package. But once the initial shock wears off, you will be happy to eventually realise that Bowflex has some articulate assembly instructions. Everything is neat and tidily put together.
It can be a one-man job, but if you want to get up and running in the shortest time possible, having an extra pair of hands is always welcome. In a few hours, you should be able to get your first workout on your new home gym.
Workouts
It would not be far-fetched to say that the exercises are the strong point of the Bowflex Xceed. With a possible 65+ workouts, the Xceed is about as versatile as a home gym can get. The pulley system coupled with the various handles and attachments make for a one-stop-shop exercise machine.
Exercise you can get done on the Xceed include:
- Ab Workouts like crunches.
- Chest Workouts like bench presses and chest flies.
- Arm Workouts like biceps curls and pushdowns.
- Shoulder Workouts like shoulder press and shoulder raise.
- Back Workouts like reverse grip pulldowns and lat tows.
- Leg Workouts like squats and kickbacks.
The Bowflex Xceed is great if you want to tone your body and build some muscle. It helps you with endurance, power, weight training, and coordination. The smooth resistance from Bowflex’s power rod system eases you into the exercise and continuously challenges you the further you go into the workout.
The Xceed has a weight capacity of 300 lbs, which accommodates a wide variety of body types, with a large, comfortable seat that does a great job of not compounding back sweat. The seat is adjustable and is able to accommodate users who are a maximum of 6’5” in height. It has twin D handles for extra grip during the most demanding of routines.
Bowflex Xceed home gym alternatives
Bowflex Blaze Home gym
The Bowflex Blaze is here to start your transformation into a toned, defined you! The workouts are more engaging and intense with 60 plus exercises for complete body workouts. 210 pounds of Power Rods allows you to graduate up in weight as easy as ABC- no equipment has ever been so flexible. Cushioned hand grips arm cuff attachments allow for precise weight placement to target the muscles precisely, and make sure that this 30 minute workout becomes your best one yet!
Bowflex PR 1000 Home gym
This machine is one of our favorite machines for those looking to keep their workouts quick and compact. It uses a power rod resistance design that can go up to 210 pounds, so you don’t need any more than your own body weight! The exercise options are limited at only 30 different exercises though, which may be too few if you want variety in your workout routine. see full review
Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym
The Bowflex PR3000 is the most versatile machine available. Its diverse range of exercises will provide you with a lean, toned body in no time! Unlike other strength products like dumbbells and barbells which are outdated by their inability to upgrade resistance without replacing parts—the PR3000 can do so simply by replacing Power Rods (upgrade only).
Body-Solid G6BR Bi-Angular Home Gym
Body-Solid G6BR Bi-Angular Home Gym will help you reach your goal of getting and maintaining a high level of fitness. You'll be able to follow any routine, from Boxing to Fly Enough! Plus this heavy duty piece of equipment is available in two different heights for any workout preference - just make sure that you inspect every component before starting assembly, especially check nuts, bolts, screws or washers for missing parts so the Body Solid product does not fall apart while being used.
Bottom Line
The Bowflex Xceed is a great home gym. While it may relatively be a little bit of a pain to assemble, it more than makes up for it when it comes to its space-saving design and the sheer number of exercises you can do.
Bowflex eliminated the need for weight plates, making this unique home gym score highly when it comes to safety, while still providing smooth resistance and resistance variations. You can bump this up as you advance, from the base 210 lb to a maximum of 410 lb.
It is built to last, with a warranty period that will always have you at ease in the event that something goes wrong. It is sturdy, comfortable, quiet, and as versatile as home gyms get. The pulley system is phenomenal. Granted, configuring the Xceed may be a bit of a chore at first, but once you figure out your preferred workout configurations, you can confidently put away the user manual.
If you are looking for a home gym to help with your fitness and developing a lean and toed physique, the Bowflex Xceed is for you.