So from what i have seen and tried (older bowflex version) i can say that this is a great all in one machine to have for home training.

I do feel that its more for isolation then building muscles.

The recent advertisement is what bothers me a bit about bowflex, the actors if i can say it like this say (I am not on a diet i am on a bowflex) a bit like ok now i train 3 times a week for only 20 minutes on my bowflex and i dont need to be on a diet. (Which is the worst thing even) because anyone who trains knows that diet is 80%.

I am from the old school of bodybuilding free weights better then machines, squats, deadlifts and the compound exercises.

Since i got injured in 2001 with back pain i cannot lift heavy anymore, i just started 3 weeks ago doing the vince gironda 8 X 8 type training where you dont lift heavy but you take only 15-30 second break between sets, i did not change my diet, water intake, supplements and i gained 5 pounds in 3 weeks, don't think its fat either because my waist is the same size.

So my guess is that it might be possible to build some muscles without overloading them with heavy weights.

Also i have seen some pertty amazing results from people doing ciruit training a la bowflex, losing a lot of weight but not building the type of physique the actors on tv have.

But still its possible to lose weight doing circuit training but then again you still have to get your diet right.