Bowflex PR1000 vs PR3000- Which Is Better?
Keeping yourself fit and in excellent shape are important aspects of good and healthy living.
Balancing careers, family time, and a work-out routine has become a challenge for many. That’s where a home gym comes in handy.
Not only does it offer convenience and privacy for a fitness and exercise fanatic, but it’s also a creative way to utilize unused rooms and complete the look and feel of a great home.
Overview of the Bowflex PR1000 vs PR3000
The Bowflex PR1000 and the Bowflex PR3000 are alternative home gym models from one of America’s most innovative manufacturers of fitness training machines.
They look pretty much the same, and a newbie wouldn’t tell the difference from a glance. Both are great home gyms that will give you a complete body exercise.
But, each of them has unique features that make them ideal for different needs of fitness buffs.
The PR3000 is a higher specification version of the PR1000 and is significantly more expensive.
So which one should you buy?
In this article, we will unpack each of the models and tell you their distinct features to help you come up with an informed choice.
What to Look For When Buying A Home Gym
Size
The first major consideration is the size of the machine and how it fits into your space.
If you have a challenge with space and are looking for a home gym that will fit into a corner of a room, then you need something more compact.
Resistance
Check out for the resistance of the home gym and compare that with your desired workout intensity.
One of the other considerations should be the ability of the machine to upgrade resistance should you require to increase your fitness goals in the future.
Durability
You should also consider the durability of the equipment.
While you may not necessarily be looking for something that will outlive you, you should at least be able to use your machine for a couple of years.
It should, therefore, use material that is built to last, while maintaining its versatility.
Accessories
Another good consideration before you buy that home gym is whether it has additional upgrade accessories.
This will be important as you adjust your fitness needs in the future.
In-Depth Comparison of Bowflex PR1000 vs PR3000
The Bowflex PR1000 comes easier on the pocket when compared to the Bowflex PR3000.
This is because the PR1000 is an earlier version of the Bowflex Home Gym Series, with the PR3000 coming out as an improved version.
The PR1000 is a great buy when you consider all the great features of this machine.
The PR3000 however still a good buy, and if the other features of this home gym appeal to you.
With an additional 50 exercises on this machine, you will not regret the price you will pay for it.
Design and Style
What is distinct about the Bowflex gym series is that instead of using free weights to create resistance, it uses more flexible polymer rods.
Polymer rods are more lightweight and more compact making them easier to use, as you do not have to arrange and rearrange a set of steel plates for your next workout.
The PR1000 design and style are versatile with a fold-down horizontal bench that enables rowing much like a cardio-based exercise.
It also has lat pulldowns, and are designed with a horizontal bench, while the PR3000 slants and gives a more or less vertical position.
The PR3000 also comes with multiple hand-grips and ankle-cuffs to enhance your exercise sessions.
The PR3000 has some great support columns and structures to make it sturdy with maximum machine balance and weight circulation.
This unit will require a workout area of at least 55 square feet, which gives it a pretty large space requirement.
Quality and Durability
When it comes to quality and durability, both machines are made with heavy-duty steel frames, giving them more life and strength.
The PR3000 comes with high-quality composite power rods, hence the longer warranty provided for the power-rods of the PR3000, as compared to the PR1000.
Maximum User Weight
Both PR1000 and PR3000 come with a maximum user weight of 300 pounds and are therefore comparable in this respect.
Resistance
Due to the use of power rods instead of metal weights to create resistance, the machines in this Bowflex series give a smooth gradual resistance.
Both machines give 210 pounds of resistance which is good and adequate for a beginner or someone who prefers moderate exercise.
The PR3000, however, comes one step better on resistance, as it is possible to upgrade from 210 pounds of resistance to 310 pounds by adding two 50-pound power-rod resistance upgrades.
The bench of the PR3000 sits in a vertically inclined position. This adds resistance during the workout as your muscles require more pressure in that position, as opposed to the horizontal position of the PR1000.
Accessories
The available accessories for the PR1000 and PR3000, are the power rods for increasing resistance.
The PR1000, however, is not designed to take upgrades, so the power-rods available are for upgrading the PR3000, from 210 pounds to 310 pounds.
Other additional accessories that the PR3000 comes with includes upholstery to the roller pillows, and extra padding for the ankle cuffs.
Warranty
A great thing about both Bowflex models is that they offer a good warranty, which is a good consideration when making that all-important decision on buying any machine.
The Bowflex PR1000 comes with a warranty of 1 year for the frame, 5 years for the power rods and 50 days on all parts.
The Bowflex PR3000 comes one better, with the power rods coming with a warranty of 7 years.
The warranty for the frame and parts is similar to the one for the PR1000, at 1 year for frame and 60 days for parts.
Other Special Features
The PR1000 has a versatile bench and a combination of ankle curves and triple function handgrips that provide for numerous exercise options for abdominals, chest, back, arms and shoulders.
The multiple cable pulley positions are also great for muscle toning and bodybuilding.
Another great feature of the PR1000 is that it’s easy to pack and store away, and also uses less space when compared with the PR3000.
The polymer rods for the Bowflex PR1000 and PR3000 home gyms are both covered with a protective black rubber coating, with the weight rating indicated at the end of the rod.
The PR3000 comes with upholstered roller cushions for leg extensions and leg curls, and adjustable multi-function cuff grips, that can be used as handgrips, ankle grips, foot grips or shoulder grips for the number of exercises it has to offer.
The PR3000 also comes with great content for fitness training, in the form of exercise cards showing different workouts that can be performed with the PR3000.
Bowflex PR1000 vs PR3000: What Do People Say?
Amazon Reviews
The rating makes the range of Bowflex Home Gyms an excellent product with an above-average acceptance among users and reviewers.
Freddyman, a verified purchaser of the PR1000 series, gave the product a high rating. His review lists the aerobic rowing option, as his biggest crush for the Bowflex PR1000.
He also calls this a very high quality made device and is easy to assemble. He is also happy with the horizontal bench, and the little space that the unit occupies once installed.
Another reviewer of the Bowflex PR3000 home gym is Bow-66. He describes the equipment as “a GREAT machine!!” and highly recommends it for purchase by anyone.
He confirms that the unit was very easy to assemble, and has good quality and sturdiness.
Together, with his wife, they have found the Bowflex PR3000 home gym to be easy and convenient in use.
Check out these reviews and others by following the link.
YouTube Reviews
The Bowflex Series enjoys 5-star ratings by YouTube Reviewers, with a lot of positive comments about the design and workout experience of the Bowflex equipment.
Get Fit Body, in their YouTube Channel reviews the Bowflex PR1000 and describes the main feature of this workout is that instead of using free weights or pulleys to create resistance, they use polymer power rods that are more flexible.
The resistance technology used provides consistent muscle stimulation and makes for better muscle stimulation.
The number of exercises that it provides for is up to 30, with the design allowing for quick and easy exercise transition
Kenneth J Allen, a YouTube Reviewer, calls this a machine designed for both people who are beginners or people with more workout experience, but not for bodybuilders.
The equipment packs a lot in this space-saving design that allows for the number of exercises exceeding 50.
Kenneth asserts that with the Bowflex PR3000 “You can work all the major muscle groups, which will help to strengthen not only your core but give you a full-body workout as well”.
The PR3000 uses an innovative cable system with a no-change cable pulley system, that allows you to quickly move from one exercise to another.
It has resistance rods that work like a bow, tightening harder as you pull back.
It has the capability for upgrades, from 210 pounds to 310 pounds of resistance, and is designed to support attachments including leg extension attachments.
Bowflex PR1000 vs PR3000- Which Is Better?
So, between the PR1000 and the PR3000, which one is the best buy and why?
This depends on what you are looking for in an exercise machine.
If your consideration is the price point, then the Bowflex PR1000 is the home gym for you.
The Bowflex PR1000 comes with a rowing option and has a maximum resistance of 210 pounds.
This is good for a cardio enthusiast, or a person who prefers exercises that strengthen the upper body.
The PR1000 is also compact and is good on space, so if you are limited by space, then you should go for the PR1000.
The Bowflex PR3000 comes packed with 210 lbs of resistance, but allows for an upgrade of 100 extra pounds, to get 310 pounds of resistance.
The PR3000 comes with a better warranty option on the power-rods with a warranty of 7 years, against a warranty of 5 years for the PR1000. The warranty on the frame and parts is similar.
You should buy the Bowflex PR1000 if you are a beginner in doing workouts or prefer light exercises, which means that the 30 exercise options available for the PR1000 will be enough for you.
The PR1000 is also a good buy for you if you are more into upper body exercises than full-body exercises.
If you are price-sensitive, then you should consider buying the PR1000, as the price point for this fitness equipment is within an affordable range, as opposed to the PR3000.
On the other hand, the Bowflex PR3000 is a better buy for you if you are a seasoned bodybuilder, as you will find the over 50 exercises that you can have on this machine useful.
If you are a hardened workout enthusiast, this equipment will also be suitable for you because of the ability to upgrade the resistance from 210 pounds to 310 pounds.
Similarly, you should also buy the PR3000, if you are a beginner with the ambition to go into a more intensive exercise and fitness regime in the future, with more exercise options.
If you are also enticed by the warranty option that gives you seven years for the power-rods, then you should buy the PR3000.
We certainly hope that our Bowflex reviews of the PR1000 and PR3000 have enlightened you, and possibly made your purchase decision easier.
If you like this article, please check out our other BowFlex Dumbbells review on our page!
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Article by:
Daniel DeMoss
I’m a personal trainer based in Denver (Matrix Gym) and a true fitness nerd. If I’m not training clients or working out at my home gym, I’m probably skiing, cycling or hiking with my dog Rufus.
Get in touch: daniel@dumbbellsreview.com
