The Bowflex brand (www.bowflex.com) is owned by Nautilus, Inc. a world leader in health and fitness. They also own Scwhinn, Nautilus, Universal and Core Body Reformer.
In 1986 Nautilus, Inc. was known as Bowflex 2000. A few years later they changed it to Bowflex, Inc. and updated it once more to Nautilus, Inc. when they bought Nautilus, Schwinn and Stairmaster Fitness.
Bowflex is a name with a reputation in the fitness industry. They are renowned for the home gym equipment they design and sell, but also for the ellipticals, treadclimbers, treadmills and gym accessories.
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Bowflex invests more resources in producing and selling treadclimbers than in home treadmills manufacturing.
Treadclimbers (a Bowflex trademark) are mainly designed for weight loss workouts. They combine two simultaneous moves: climbing stairs and walking. Some models support also a third mode (treadmills) by allowing users to connect the two treadles in one. In this mode the treadmill can support only light jogging.
These machines have been on the market starting 2003. The first series Bowflex launched was successful 8 years in a row, but it lacked important features and they were very expensive. That's why in 2011the first models (TC3000, TC1000, TC5000, TC55000) were replaced by three new models (TC5, TC10, TC20), which have a few important updates and are sold at better prices.
All treadmills they've ever sold were removed from the catalog, except one model: the 7 Series. It's a basic machine that performed well 4 years ago when we first tested it, but it's outdated for 2012.
If you want to buy a treadclimber, be aware of some facts:
- These machines are not meant for runners. They can't help you develop endurance or speed in any way.
- They are expensive because there is no competitor.
- They help burn calories faster, but this doesn't happen without sweat or without daily exercise.
- They are large machines that require proper storage space.
The reasons why you could choose a treadclimber is to lose weight, improve your muscle strength or to help you go through an injury recovery period.
If you have any doubt about what model to choose, feel free to write us anytime.
