I agree: the Bowflex is better than nothing. If nothing else, it beats the gizmo I saw on TV last night, which is, without a doubt, the dumbest piece of equipment I’ve ever seen. It’s called the “Bodyboard21” or something like that. It is nothing more than a big foam pad in the shape of a pizza slice. On the pad are diagrams of 21 exercises you can do while laying on the pad. In short, you pay to lay diagonally on a foam pad and do exercises. They’re pushing the 21 motif: do these 21 exercises 21 minutes a day, and you’ll see results!
I’ve seen some bad stuff, but this is probably the worst. With all the stuff on TV now, I can’t see how this can appeal to anybody. It has no fancy gadetry, and it requires 21 minutes to do! It goes against every rule of late-night fitness advertising.