So, you’re finally ready to invest in your overall fitness. You’re ready to get in shape and are looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle and well-rounded exercise regimen.
You may be asking yourself, “Is a Bowflex machine the way to go? Will it really help me reach my goal?“
If that is the case, we’ve got you covered!
Let’s look at how many calories a Bowflex device can burn and how it can help you monitor your progress. We’ll see how it counts the calories burned for every full-body workout session.
How Many Calories Does a Bowflex Device Burn?
When looking to control your weight and track your physical progress, it’s important to know the number of calories burned during exercise sessions.
The Bowflex company promises that you can eliminate a ton of calories in just a short period.
Based on Bowflex’s claims, user data, and our experience, Bowflex machines can burn about 300-600 calories within 15-30 minutes. This will highly depend on the exercise you’re doing and the intensity.
You can lose weight quickly with only twenty minutes of exercise per session, or so they claim.
Does this seem accurate to you? Let’s put it to the test.
How Long Does it Take to Burn Calories on a Bowflex Max Trainer?
“14 minutes is all it takes.”
The Bowflex Max Trainer is a full-body cardio machine designed for high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
It is a fusion of an elliptical and a calorie-burning step-climber. It allows users to perform cardio exercises in high-intensity intervals. This leads to a smart max interval workout.
Its resistance levels range from a 16-count resistance level to a 20-count resistance level depending on the Max Trainer model.
For example, their Max Trainer M3 offers a 20-level Max Interval workout.
It also contains a control for the eight intensity levels and an interactive display where you can track the number of calories you eliminate per minute.
In one of Bowflex’s promotional videos, the commercial’s claim states that you can lose 10 pounds in ten weeks by simply performing a 14-minute workout every day.
The Benefits of a Bowflex Max Trainer for Losing Weight
The Bowflex Max Trainer and other exercise machines have numerous health benefits, from weight loss to strength training and even after-burn. The best part is, that it actually works.
When the product line was tested, the first trial group for the Bowflex Max lost a total of 395 pounds within ten weeks.
The Max Trainer can eliminate fat and burn approximately 300 calories in one 14-minute session.
NOTE: It also strengthens your core, mobilizes the upper body 80% more than ellipticals, and has 200% less impact on your knees than running.
The benefits of Max workouts don’t stop once you’ve stepped off the machine. Your body continues working thanks to the after-burn. You’ll enjoy calories burned hours after your exercise ends.
According to Nautilus, the company behind the creation of Max Trainers, their device can get rid of 2.5 times as many calories as a traditional treadmill, stepper, and elliptical.
Is the Bowflex Calorie Counter Accurate?
No exercise machine is 100% accurate. This is because they OVERESTIMATE your calorie burn by 15% to 20%.
However, Cardio machines, especially those by Bowflex, are MORE ACCURATE than other exercise machines. Still, no machine is that precise.
No matter how advanced or high-tech they are, they cannot account for all individual factors, such as fitness level, body composition, and body size. These affect the calorie burn recorded during workouts.
That being said, they can still help you measure your approximate rate of calories burned.
Another way of increasing accuracy is by verifying the data with another device. You can add wearable fitness trackers to your routine and scale your workouts by tracking your heart rate.
If you get the same reading from two other machines instead of one, you will likely be able to determine the proper burn rate by getting the average. This is because you’re going at the same pace on both machines.
How Can I Track My Workout/Performance in a Bowflex?
You can track your progress in a Bowflex using the JRNY app service and subscription.
The app’s artificial intelligence can bridge the gap between you and your target. It can be calibrated for your individualized experience.
It has all the necessary features, such as tracking records for all your milestones, accomplishments, and personal bests. It even offers digital rewards for meeting your goals.
How Do You Monitor Your Workout Progress Using the JRNY App?
You can select your subscription plan by downloading the JRNY app in the App Store or Google Play and logging in using your profile.
The JRNY app is accessible on various Bowflex products such as the treadmill, Max Trainer, and VeloCore.
These devices are Bluetooth compatible and have WiFi connectivity for revamping workouts. They allow you to review your development through the built-in display.
The free service feature will allow you to get a hold of your initial fitness assessment, monitor calories burned in real-time, and adjust the max interval program.
When you subscribe to the JRNY experience, you can even get individualized tracking and personalized sessions.
This includes a full-scale analysis of your fitness abilities, accurate tracking of your performance, and daily updates of your workout options.
You can learn more about JRNY on the Bowflex website.
Are Bowflex Workouts Effective?
Bowflex’s website and several independent reviews indicate that their devices could net you around 600 calories burned within a 30-minute workout.
The effectiveness of the models hinges on the users’ consistency, ability to create workouts, and their chosen resistance level.
This justifies the device’s reliability as far as the burning of calories is concerned.
In one of Bowflex’s marketing campaigns, the commercial’s claim that only twenty minutes a day, thrice a week on the Bowflex equals 600 calories burned for a 220-pound man.
This beats intense weight training when it comes to shedding weight. However, the ad did not include any dietary restrictions, which is actually the most important factor in losing weight.
If the company is to be believed, they believe that a Bowflex equals a burn rate of about 8,600 calories (if working out for a total of 7 hours/1 hour a day) per week.
Can You Lose Weight Effectively With a Bowflex Device?
Yes, Bowflex devices are designed to be innovative and efficient. They are designed to help you lose weight.
Exercise on a Bowflex machine will increase your burn rate during the workout and boost your metabolism after.
The more calories burned on the resistance exercise machine will lead to a larger weight loss.
A Bowflex device can mainly improve endurance and muscular strength, burn calories in a short period, boost cardiovascular health, and bring versatility in a single machine.
How Long Should You Workout on the Bowflex Max Trainer?
The Max Trainer is one of the most popular cross-trainer options to help users burn calories and lose weight in just 14 minutes.
The high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will motivate you to move fast because it automatically gets harder in small intervals while offering an extended period of rest.
You should stick to a plan that revolves around the 14-minute workout session for a few weeks. You will gradually get stronger as your sessions get longer and tougher.
The resistance level will also help you lose weight faster because it is directly proportional to the calorie burn. The higher the resistance level, the harder it is to pedal.
The more energy you can dispense and the faster your metabolism moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have added some essential points to note if you still have more questions:
Is the Calorie Count on an Exercise Bike Accurate?
As was mentioned in the previous section, fitness machines are not 100% accurate because they overestimate the burn rate by 20%.
Though it can give you an approximate number, it isn’t the most accurate.
Instead, you can use other calculation methods to support the number you initially recorded.
What Is the Ideal Number of Calories You Should Burn in a Day?
Your burn rate in a day substantially depends on your personal goals and factors such as age, sex, muscle mass, and activity levels.
Exercise can be an excellent source if you want to burn more calories, but your body can also do this while doing your daily activities.
Your exercise routine can affect your calorie-burning ability during rest. Resistant exercise can boost your resting metabolic rate up to 14 hours after exercise.
As you remember, the afterburn from Bowflex Max Trainer workouts will trick your body into thinking it’s working out hours after you’ve finished.
How Can I Effectively Lose Weight?
If you aim to lose weight and get rid of most calories, you should have a lower intake of calories than your body needs.
The ideal rate is approximately 10-20% less than your total daily energy expenditure.
If you want to lose one to two pounds each week, you should shred 500 to 1000 calories more than what you eat daily or about 3,500 to 7,000 calories per week.
How Can I Maintain My Current Weight?
To maintain weight, ensure your calorie intake follows your calorie consumption.
You will have to calculate your daily energy expenditure (TDEE) or the rate of calories your body needs to preserve.
What Is the Most Accurate Device for Tracking Calories?
Monitoring your calories on the Bowflex Max Trainers, treadmills, bikes, and other machines may not give you the most accurate number.
So, we give you some alternative options to yield more precise numbers for tracking.
You can still use the built-in trackers on your device, but to ensure that you have reliable numbers, add the following selections to your routines:
Calculator
You can opt for an interactive online calculator.
It calculates the SIMPLE math needed to know how many calories you torched. You will have to input your activity, time spent doing workouts, and weight.
Trackers
A Fitbit tracker can be the most accurate measure of energy expenditure and calories burned.
Its accelerometer data calculates the acceleration of the body when active and converts it to energy expenditure.
An Apple Watch is also preferable if you are prioritizing heart rate monitoring.
Calorie App
You can count your calorie intake conveniently using calorie counter applications.
The good thing is that you can sync the app to your fitness tracker device. Then, it will record your data in the exercise log.
It will then show the number of calories you have burned by exercising, setting goals, and even plot weight charts.
You can check MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, and Fat Secret Apps for your needs.
NOTE: Calorie counter apps can be a bit pricey.
Conclusion
It’s understandable to be SKEPTICAL when investing in exercise equipment. We’ll never really know how accurate burned calories are.
Whether you’re getting into strength training, intense weight training, or a short workout, you should strive to become holistically healthy, no matter your goals!
Learning about how Bowflex devices and alternatives work is an excellent way to start your fitness journey and burn some calories.
