The Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill: A Review

Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill

I tried to make this review as comprehensive as I can, so I'm quite confident that you will learn a lot about the Bowflex 7 and treadmills in general by reading it, but if you are in a great hurry to get your hands on this equipment, you can check out the ordering info immediately by clicking this link.

Looking For A Good-Quality Treadmill

My doctor has told me after a recent visit that my blood pressure was mildly high and that I needed to exercise more.

I like walking and so I thought of getting a motorized treadmill that will allow me to exercise indoors come rain, hail or shine.

I needed to learn more about treadmills, so I put on my researcher hat and spent some time to find the optimum home treadmill for the best price.

My search finally led me to the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill.

What To Look For When Buying A Treadmill

The more I researched, the more I realised that there are a lot of treadmills in the market and that buying one based on price alone could lead to problems later on.

I learned what important things should be examined closely when buying a treadmill. These are:

So stay with me as I share what I have discovered in my research and as I explain each of these important points in the relation to the Bowflex Series 7 treadmill.

How Much Horsepower?

One of the most important things to look for in a home treadmill is the horsepower and duty rating of the motor.

It is common knowledge that the greater the horsepower (HP), the more powerful the motor; and the more powerful the motor, the more reliable the machine.

It's All About The Duty Rating

Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill - Running

But what is not commonly known is that a motor must also have a duty rating appropriate to its application. Otherwise, the motor will burn out prematurely.

For example, refrigerators only need intermittent-duty motors because they don't have to run continuously as their thermostats allow them to stop and start.

On the other hand, for a treadmill to be as reliable as it should be, it should have a continuous duty motor that is capable of running for over 60 minute intervals without overheating.

Experts recommend at least a 2.5 to 3.0 continuous duty motors for runners or those planning heavy use of their treadmills.

The Bowflex Series 7 treadmill has a 3.0 horsepower continuous-duty motor. This makes it quite a powerful and reliable machine you can be confident will perform well even under serious workout conditions.

The Deck Is A Treadmill's Shock Absorber

The deck of a treadmill should always be thick enough to absorb the impact of 2 1/2 times your body weight. Therefore, the heavier you are the more important it is to have a strong, sturdy deck.

The Bowflex Series 7 treadmill has a deck thick and sturdy enough to handle the impact of a user who weighs up to 300 pounds or 136 kilograms. The rollers under its deck measure 2.5 inches or 6.4 centimeters - big and heavy enough to help reduce the wear and tear on the treadmill's belt and motor.

A Firmly Cushioned Deck Can Be Your Best Friend

Bowflex Series 7 - Jogging

The area where your foot strikes on the deck of this treadmill is cushioned, providing a soft landing and firm lift-off.

This firm, thick deck cushioning absorbs the force of each step as the belt moves over the deck. This should result in lower impact to your joints and ligaments.

However, you should always ensure that the deck is firm but not too bouncy or too flexible, as this can also hurt your joints. The Bowflex Series 7 satisfies all of these requirements.

Ensure You Have Enough Walking Or Running Space

Have you ever tried using a treadmill that is too short for your stride? This would not only be frustrating but outright dangerous if you happen to bang your legs on metal.

One advantage of this Bowflex treadmill is that it supports users with longer-than-average legs. It has a two-ply belt with a walking and running surface area that is 20 inches wide by 60 inches long, or 51 by 152 centimeters.

This generous walking area is longer than the normal area of 20 inches wide by 55 inches required to accommodate the legs of the average user.

What Is The Rate Of Incline And What Does It Do?

The Bowflex Series 7 treadmill is able to easily change the incline that you travel on as you walk or run.

This incline or elevation angle (of a hill or a treadmill) is measured as a percentage. One per cent incline on a road for example means that for every 100 meters traveled, the elevation of the road increases by one meter.

Roughly speaking, a one per cent increase in a treadmill's incline levels will require four more per cent of your body's energy.

There is research that states that exercising at an incline activates 9 percent more muscle per stride compared to exercising on a level surface.

Running or walking at an incline requires more effort than on a flat surface. So the resistance produced by exercising at an incline strengthens the upper leg muscles, expands the lungs and increases blood flow.

Ensure You Can Easily Change Incline and Speed Settings Even While Running

The Bowflex Series 7 treadmill has a 0-12% incline range which is 2% more than most treadmills. This allows you to accommodate a wider uphill exercise routine from light uphill walking to one that offers the greatest amount of resistance for marathon training.

In addition, it has a speed range of 0.5-11 miles per hour (0.8-17.7 kilometers per hour), allowing you to go from a leisurely walk to a brisk run.

This treadmill also has quick-speed and quick-incline keys with 10 settings, offering easy access for you to set your desired workout level, including a pre-programmed uphill/downhill exercise routine. So you can easily vary the difficulty of your exercise even while you're on the run.

Simulate Natural Uphill Running Through Convenient Pre-Programmed Incline Exercises

Bowflex Series 7 - Folded

A pre-programmed incline exercise routine on the treadmill makes life even more convenient for you because you can avoid the interruption of having to reset the Incline button.

It can give you a hill workout that will automatically and randomly incline the deck up and down throughout the run. This can simulate an outdoor run with rolling hills, as well as decrease the risk of getting an injury from muscle overuse due to continuous running at the same incline.

One Last Word On Incline Settings

Research has shown that setting the treadmill at a 1-2% incline will simulate the "intensity" of outdoor running by making up for the lack of wind resistance in exercising indoors.

What this means is that if you want to get the health benefits of running or walking on a flat surface outdoors, you may need to set your treadmill at a 1-2% incline and not leave it at a 0% incline which will be like walking or running slightly downhill.

Why Do You Need A Good Heart Rate Monitor?

Just like any other muscle, the normal heart will tend to grow stronger if forced to work harder than it would usually choose to do.

Research has also shown that a heart's rate of beating or pulse rate needs to reach a certain level for a prolonged period on a regular basis in order to grow and become stronger.

Bowflex 7 Dimensions

A heart rate monitor is the tool that gives you this pulse rate reading while you are actually exercising. By using a heart rate monitor, you may be able to get fit faster by exercising at the right intensity and within your optimum target heart rate zone.

What Is Your Optimum Target Heart Rate Zone?

In weight training, we often refer to "muscle overload" to explain how body muscle grows. In talking about the beneficial effects of running or walking on the heart muscle, we talk about training zones.

When exercising, it is important to stay within this optimum target heart rate zone to gain the most health benefits. This optimum rate is usually 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate.

But how do you calculate your optimum target heart rate zone?

First, get your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. For example: if you are 45 years old, then your predicted maximum heart rate is 175 beats per minute, (that is, 220 minus your age of 45).

Then get the optimum range by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 60% and 80%. For a 45 year old, this is 105 to 140 beats per minute for the duration of the exercise.

Are All Heart Rate Monitors Created Equal?

There are different types and styles of heart rate monitors with varying degrees of accuracy.

Light-Based Systems

Light-based systems shine a beam of light usually through the ear lobe; and are based on the principle that as the heart beats, blood rushes through the skin lessening the amount of light that passes through.

They take note and equate the number of changes of light that are received to your heart rate; are generally cheaper but can be relatively inaccurate.

Hand Grip Systems

Hand grip systems are more accurate than light-based systems. They pick up your heart rate from sensors in the metal bar as you firmly grip it.

Telemetric Systems

The last type is the telemetric heart rate monitor which is considered to be very accurate and can be as accurate as a hospital ECG machine.

It has two components: a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter usually fits next to your skin. It picks up electronic signals from your heart and transmits them wirelessly to a receiver which could be built into an exercise machine.

The Bowflex Series 7 treadmill has both built-in grip and telemetric heart rate type monitors that can very accurately monitor your pulse and help you stay within your optimum target heart rate zone.

Beat The Boredom Blues Through Varied Workout Programs

Bowflex Series 7 Display Console

Apart from calculating your heart rate, the Bowflex Series 7 has computer-assisted routines which can make it easy for you to vary your speed, incline, distance, intervals and intensity automatically.

It also has a non-reflective, backlit LCD computer display enabling you to easily read important feedback such as speed, incline, heart rate and other exercise data.

The 15 workout programs in this treadmill can be either pre-set or customized and include:

In addition it has 2 customized programs. It can even calculate your body mass index (BMI), which is the relationship between weight and height that is associated with body fat and health risk. A BMI of over 25 is considered overweight.

How Much Should You Expect to Pay?

The Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill is available on Amazon who consistently sells its products at low, competitive prices.

What's Included?

How About The Warranty?

Bowflex provides a quality warranty to this product that includes

What Others Are Saying

This treadmill has received excellent reviews from most consumers on the Amazon website. On average, they have given it a high 4 star rating out of 5. If you check around Amazon's Sports category, you will find that only a relatively small percentage of equipment sold garner 4 stars or higher.

Here are some of their comments:

It's worthwhile to note that the Bowflex 7 one of the most commented-on items in the fitness range: as of this writing there are more than 220 reviews - which means that the high rating is no fluke, as it is based on the experience of hundreds of users.

Any Complaints?

Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill Folded

Users of this treadmill have commented that this machine is big and heavy, but more as a testament to its sturdiness and larger running surface, rather than as a complaint.

One advice given is to make sure that you unpack and assemble it at exactly the right spot where you want it. The treadmill when assembled may be too wide for some doorways (it's 35 inches wide) and may be a challenge to move. It does help though that the Bowflex 7 has built-in wheels which make portability that much easier.

Actually, it should not be too difficult to find an area in your home or apartment where you could position the Bowflex 7. When in operation, it occupies a floor area of 83 x 35 inches (211 x 89 cm).

Also, it can be folded up, which reduces the footprint to 40.87 x 35 inches (104 x 89 cm). Check out the image on the right to see what it looks like when folded.

With Bowflex's SoftDrop® technology you need minimal effort to fold the Series 7. And when you unfold it again for your next session, it drops gently to the floor.

Where Can You Buy the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill?

You can buy this Bowflex treadmill from Amazon.com. Amazon can also ship this treadmill for FREE under its Super Saver Shipping deal. Click here to visit Amazon.

Where Can You Read More Reviews on the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill?

The best place to find reviews from people who have actually used this product is the Amazon website. Click here to read more.