If you’re tired of driving to the gym just for a cardio workout, or you want an alternative to running around your neighborhood, a home aerobic training machine is a good alternative.
These home machines have become much more sophisticated and can give impressive whole-body workouts. One such machine is the Bowflex Max Trainer M8.
What You Need To Consider Before Buying an Aerobic Trainer
Are you fit enough to engage in an aerobic exercise program?
If you have any doubt about your ability to perform a regular exercise routine, you should consult with your doctor before investing in such a machine.
What are your fitness goals?
Are you trying to lose weight?
Are you looking to gain endurance while improving muscle tone?
Are you just looking to maintain your current level of aerobic fitness?
If you’re looking to lose or maintain your weight, the hot exercise routine is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
The main advantage of HIIT routines is that they burn more calories than typical aerobic exercise protocols that involve maintaining a constant but relatively slow pace.
With HIIT training, you engage in bursts of high-intensity training followed by longer periods of low-intensity work.
The big advantage is HIIT routines can provide a complete workout in a much shorter period of time.
The Bowflex Max Trainer M8 comes with a built-in 14-minute HIIT program. You can even find routines designed for as little as four minutes.
You will also want to look at the cost of the machine, how much space it will take up in your home and how easy it is to store and move.
If you expect to use the machine for many years into the future, build quality and durability are important considerations.
Introducing the Bowflex Max Trainer M8
The Bowflex Max Trainer M8 is something of a hybrid between a stair-stepper and an elliptical trainer.
It has hand grip resistance handles to develop your upper body.
But, the foot pedals move up and down like a stair-stepper.
The Bowflex M8 is a new upgrade on the older Bowflex Max Trainer M7.
The biggest difference between the two machines is that the older model couldn’t access Bowflex’s streaming exercise routine system.
Other popular models from the Bowflex Max Trainer line include the M6 and the Bowflex Max Trainer Total.
Pros
- Max Intelligence workout app with AI
- 20 resistance levels
- Memory holds up to 4 different user profiles
- Nice dual-mode display screens
- Can buy a “performance pack” that includes a dedicated Samsung Galaxy Tablet that interfaces with the M8
Cons
- Pretty substantial price
- The machine is a hefty 148 lbs. and will require two people to easily move
- Assembly is troublesome if you use the included tools, though you can purchase the machine already assembled if you pay extra
Features and Benefits of the Bowflex Max Trainer M8
This machine is a high-end aerobic trainer designed to give you a whole-body workout.
Bowflex optimized it for HIIT training and has included an advanced AI-driven workout app that considers your workout history on the machine and provides tips to improve your fitness level.
Specs
- User Weight Capacity: 300 lbs.
- Machine Weight: 148 lbs.
- Length: 49″
- Width: 30.5″
- Height: 65.5″
- Ceiling clearance: user height plus 15″
Bowflex JRNY App
The coolest part of this machine is the AI trainer app. You can link this app to your tablet or phone for iOS or Android based systems.
It will access your prior workout history to give you tips on how to improve your fitness. This app will also offer encouragement during your workouts.
It’s like a virtual personal trainer.
The system comes with 17 free exercise videos, and 12 more that you can obtain by subscribing to Bowflex’s streaming exercise service.
The JRNY app will automatically modify your resistance levels and workouts to push you toward improvement.
Performance Pack
You can buy an enhanced connectivity package for a few hundred dollars more that includes a dedicated Samsung Galaxy E 9.6 Tablet specifically set up to work with the M8.
While many people really won’t need this if you’re comfortable installing and using apps on your phone or tablet, it’s great if you don’t want to put up with the trouble of making all of these things work smoothly.
The Performance Package also includes a heart-rate monitor located on an armband.
A mat designed to put under the Bowflex Max Trainer M8 also comes with this add-on option.
Control Panel
The control pane is centered around a work-rate gauge at the top and the dual-mode display screen.
The gauge is sort of like the tachometer on a car that shows the rate that the resistance fan spins as you pedal.
The display screen shows your workout progress, your heart rate and calorie burn rate.
This display features a nice screen resolution and large numbers that are easy to read. You won’t have any problems seeing this panel.
The controls are simple, conveniently located beneath the screen and intuitive to use. It’s not hard to figure out even without reading the instruction manual.
Bowflex also included a media tray to hold your devices and other assorted items while you exercise.
You can set the Bowflex Max Trainer M8 to 20 different resistance levels, which gives you plenty of room to gradually increase resistance.
You’ll be working hard well before you get close to level 20.
Upper-Body Handles
The Bowflex Max Trainer M8 includes two bent handlebars that you push back and forth to get upper-body exercise.
While this workout won’t give a ripped chest with bulging muscles, it can help tone and maintain your torso.
Along with the upper-body hand grips, there’s another set of stationary handles that have an embedded heart-rate monitor.
Tracking your heart rate is always a good idea as you exercise.
It’s especially important if you have any kind of heart condition or irregularity that could crop up during a workout.
Foot Pedals
The foot pedals on the Bowflex Max Trainer M8 pump up and down like a stair-stepper and turn a resistance fan as you move.
These platforms are wide with rubber dots to ensure a secure grip with your feet. Even if have an enormous shoe size, you shouldn’t have any problem fitting into these pedals.
The mechanical motion is smooth and indicates a good build quality. It feels like a premium exercise machine you’d find in a well-equipped gym.
One of my few complaints about this machine is that the fan is so loud at high work rates that it’s hard to hear the videos.
Further, there’s no breeze that hits you while you exercise. While some people don’t want that, I like to have airflow over my body as I work out.
Storage
While the Bowflex Max Trainer M8 has a pretty small footprint, it’s still a bulky machine. It measures 30.5″ x 49″ x 65.5 and weighs 148 lbs.
Bowflex recommends at least two people to move the machine even though it has deployable wheels at the bottom of the frame.
The relatively small footprint means it isn’t difficult to find room for the M8 in your house.
The M8 doesn’t collapse like a lot of home exercise equipment, so you’re going to pretty much leave it set up.
Assembly
Ok, this is the worst part about the Bowflex Max Trainer M8. You can order the machine already assembled for an extra fee.
If you don’t want to pay this added cost, then you will have to build it yourself.
Bowflex insists that you need two people for assembly. While they do provide all the tools you need to build it, I don’t recommend using them.
Break out your own toolbox if you have one. This thing takes some time to build.
Warranty
The Bowflex Max Trainer M8 comes with a three-year warranty for the frame and mechanical parts.
However, they only cover labor for 90 days.
What Others Are Saying About the Bowflex Max Trainer M8
The Bowflex Max Trainer M8 has 185 customer reviews on Amazon. Seventy-two percent are 5-star ratings, while only 8% are 1-star ratings. Overall, the M8 earned an average customer rating of 4.4 stars out of 5.
Review #1
Kimberly Ross says the M8 is “definitely a gym quality machine.”
Review #2
Mercedes said all it took was girl power to assemble the M8, even though she is a 5’1″ 54-year-old woman who built the machine with her 15-year-old daughter. Assembly did require three hours.
Review #3
Lynne H appreciated the M8’s ability to remember four different user profiles.
Alternatives to the Bowflex Max Trainer M8
While the Bowflex Max Trainer M8 is rated as one of the top workout machines to own for your home fitness needs, it doesn’t hurt to know what other options are out there to compare it to.
Here are a few that really stuck out during my research.
Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E3919
If you’re looking for a sturdy machine that will give you a good aerobic workout at less than half the cost, you could look at the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E3919.
This machine is a another hybrid stair-stepper/elliptical aerobic trainer.
It’s significantly less expensive than the Bowflex M8, but doesn’t include the M8’s sophisticated AI trainer and has only eight instead of 20 resistance levels.
While it’s not as high-tech as the M8, the Sunny Health and Fitness Cardio trainer does provide similar aerobic stress.
Pros
- Costs less than the Bowflex M8
- Only weighs 95 lbs. instead of 148 lbs.
- A slightly smaller footprint than the M8 at 44″ x 25″ x 64″
Cons
- Doesn’t have anything like the JRNY training app
- Has only eight instead of 20 resistance levels
- Can support users only up to 260 lbs. instead of 300 lbs. like the M8
- Monochrome display panel instead of color
- No performance package available with linked tablet
ProForm Cardio HIIT Trainer
If you’re interested in a Bowflex M8 competitor which costs less but provides most of the same features, you should consider the ProForm Cardio HIIT trainer.
The ProForm Cardio trainer is a high-end competitor to the Bowflex M8.
It has many of the same features as you’ll find on the Bowflex, including access to a streaming workout service, trainer-led workout videos and even more resistance levels (24 instead of 20).
Pros
- Costs less
- 24 instead of 20 resistance levels
- 30-day trial membership to streaming fitness service
- Weighs slightly less at 132 lbs. instead of 148 lbs.
Cons
- Doesn’t have an AI training app
- No performance package linked to dedicated tablet available
Body Power 2-in-1 Elliptical Stepper Trainer
If you’re interested in an aerobic trainer but need to meet a tight budget, you can check out the Body Power 2-in-1 Elliptical Stepper Trainer with Curve-Crank Technology.
This aerobic trainer is a bit of a bare-bones machine.
The curve-crank technology is nice in that it provides constant resistance without “dead-zones” at certain parts of the rotation. Aside from that, the Body Power 2-in-1 trainer is a basic aerobic training machine.
Of course, it also costs about 1/5 the price of the M8.
Pros
- Costs less than the M8
- Has curve-crank technology to prevent resistance dead zones
- Only weighs 96.8 lbs. instead of 148 lbs.
- Smaller footprint
Cons
- Doesn’t have the JRNY AI training app
- No available linked tablet
- Monochrome instead of color display
- No access to streaming exercise service
Final Thoughts
The Bowflex Max Trainer M8 is a home aerobic trainer with all the bells and whistles.
The high-tech AI training app will help keep you motivated and will interactively push you toward improvement.
With the streaming workout options and personalized training AI, it’s almost like importing a gym fitness class into your home.
