Bowflex Revolution Home Gym - One Woman's Observations

Much hype surrounds trendy workout machines, as seen in infomercials. There are so many to pick from, and while the various systems offer different exercises, they all promise the same thing: the body you've always wanted, as well as an overall improved lifestyle.

There's a hurdle to climb, however: some systems may not be practical for the way an individual wants to work out.

Nautilus has been producing Bowflex systems for about 20 years as of this writing, and these systems are extremely popular. They are not cheap, though, so be prepared to part with considerable cash when buying a new machine. While the company has a trial period and will refund your money if you're not satisfied, they won't refund the shipping charges, which can be immense for products the size of exercise machines. So, it can be helpful to try out the product you're interested in, if possible, before buying it.

Is there any merit to a home workout machine? Only if used as directed, as often as specified, and stuck to as a habit. That is what most consumers just won't do. One reason could be that the exercise is never enjoyable or convenient enough to become a likely habit. Another could be laziness. Yet another could be that the equipment is so large and cumbersome that it takes up too much living space, creating resentment, and would actually get more use if the person were to go to the gym to use it.

Bowflex has a system that mimics traditional weights through the use of various discs with built-in tension coils, as opposed to bars. When purchased new, this system, the Bowflex Revolution home gym, comes with 220 pounds of discs and is capable of around 100 exercises. How many people will actually take advantage of all 100? Probably very few. Most will probably do the basics: bench, leg extensions, curls, etc. It can definitely do some good, although there is no real sense of weight balance because everything works through two pulleys. The Bowflex Revolution works off resistance, so it's not as specific a workout as you would get from free weights, or a machine with a fixed bar.

Revolution is also not meant for tall people. Those over 6' will very likely find it to be too small. There just won't be quite enough extension to do proper leg presses, for example.

There are pros and cons to any equipment, and no product is entirely perfect. The Ab Lounge for example is highly coveted for what it can do for abdominal strengthening, but some people find it to be so comfortable that they end up using it as a chair to watch television from instead of working out. It's good that it's comfortable -- that's the whole point, to make it comfortable to do crunches -- but that comfort may signal to some that they need to kick back instead of work out. So, it's impossible for every machine to be a winner for every person.

The bottom line: do your homework and take opportunities to try out equipment before you buy it. You know yourself better than the infomercial writers do, so do what is best for you and will serve your ultimate fitness goals.

kathy Hildebrand is a professional writer who is easily bored with her "day job" assignments. So, she researches anything and everything of interest and starts writing. Writing about an extremely wide variety of subjects keeps her skills sharp, and gives her food for thought on future paid writing assignments.

More of her research and articles can be found at www.lasertargeted.com/bowflex and other sites around the internet.

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Woodland Verses Links Golf Courses - Which One Wins?

Many people believe that the word 'links' refers to the way the end of one golf hole defines the beginning of the next - rather like the links of a chain. This is not so but it actually comes from the old English word 'hlinc' meaning a stretch of flat ground along the seashore. And that is exactly what it is like. Sea on one side, land on the other (often the houses on the edge of the town form the boundary). It is a naturally occurring terrain usually on a well drained sandy soil.

The parkland course on the other hand is 'purpose built' and is often much more hilly and varied in terrain than the links course. also, the presence of trees offers a different kind of hazard from those found on a links. Each course has its own type of problems and challenges but the links course probably calls for rather more 'invention' or 'adaptation' in the way the shots are played.

Parkland courses are usually set in an area not infrequently wooded to some degree and often with heather, gorse, sand bunkers and sometimes water in the form of ponds or lakes. However, the main difference between links and parkland is that the latter is much more obviously manufactured. This is not said by way of criticism since inland courses by definition have to be manufactured. The quality of the course though is more to do with the skill of the designer and how much this "manufactured-ness" shows. The optimum use of the space available and the incorporation of existing natural features - woods, trees, water, ups and downs - are where the architect can bring his creative powers to bear.

A links course on the other hand is usually a much more rugged proposition. It's a completely natural setting - too 'natural' for some people - where the wind from the sea plays a much more prominent part in the game. The nature of the terrain forces you to adapt your shots to the prevailing conditions and the lie of the land. one great advantage though is that being on sandy soil it does tend to drain well and very quickly so the surface remains firm and playable all year round.

Nevertheless it is no place for the complaint 'It's not fair'. Life isn't fair on a links and you have to brace yourself for that. You could hit a perfect drive straight up the fairway only to have it finish up on a hanging lie with three huge bunkers between you and the green two hundred yards away.

The distances on your scorecard will be accurate but useless. I have played at Turnberry where one of the par threes is an eight iron in the morning but a three wood in the afternoon - and it was nothing to do with the port at lunch.

Playing out of the rough is a different game; the whins and other grasses can twist your clubhead and make the ball behave in quite a different way when trying to chip on to the green from the rough. Don't expect to play to your handicap on your first visit to a links course - even in sunshine and no (apparent) wind. You need to be able to 'read' the elements and this comes only from experience. Why do you think so many canny golfers chip and run from so far off the green?

Unlike the parkland course where the course is manufactured, the links course demands that the shot is manufactured.

But all in all it's a great challenge - never the same from one day to the next. one compensation however for these difficulties is that you will not encounter many trees. Which brings us back to parkland golf.

Essentially, unlike the natural design of the links, this is down to the skill of the architect. Everybody accepts that golf courses are 'constructed' but the trick is to make them look as natural as possible and, in the case of some of the great inland courses, it works! It requires a number of criteria to be fulfilled: first and foremost it must be a challenge to the world's best - and must be accepted as such. It must have variety - every hole must be individual but the 'whole' must have a personality. It must be fair and not just playable by top championship players and, lastly, it must be aesthetically pleasing. Such a course would be Sunningdale - a club blessed with two of the great courses where every hole is a world unto itself. So whether your preference is for links or parkland I hope you manage to get the round you've dreamed about on the course of your choice.

Good golfing!

Peter has been playing golf for over 5 decades, when he is not writing about playing golf he is writing about it. You can access online golf lessons and pick up valuable tips by visiting his website.

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