Bowflex Max M9 Review – A Good Buy for You?
Bowflex Max M9
$1999Pros
- Full-Color, Touch-Screen Console
- Stream Workouts Through JRNY or Watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ Shows
- Burn More Calories in Less Time Than A Standard Elliptical
- Virtual Coaching and Individualized Workouts
- More Compact Than Standard Ellipticals
- Upgraded Resistance Dial
Cons
- Lower Body Motion is Not a Standard "Elliptical Motion"
- You Can't Pedal Backwards
Bowflex Max M9 Review – Highlights:
The Bowflex Max M9 is the mid-range Max Trainer – offering both affordability and health-club-style entertainment features.
It not only gives you the main benefit of Max Training (higher calorie burn in minimum time) – but it also gives you a more immersive, enjoyable training experience.
The console is a full-color touch-screen with an internet connection and Bluetooth.
You can see your workout stats with a swipe of your finger. Plus you can also connect to your Netflix, Amazon Video or Hulu accounts and stream videos as you workout through the Bowflex JRNY app. This is something that you don’t get with a lot of other elliptical brands.
With Bowflex JRNY you can also stream trainer-let workouts and get personalized workout coaching to your machine.
And you also have a number of specialized HIIT workouts you can use to burn more calories in less time and see faster results.
Benefits of the Max Trainer:
The Max trainer itself is not exactly an elliptical trainer. It’s easy to get confused because Bowflex technically defines it as an elliptical.
But it’s more like a combo elliptical-stair climber.
You stand on it and move your feet up and down in a climbing motion – like a traditional stair stepper.
However, you work your upper body similarly to an elliptical with the elliptical forward and back arms. According to Bowflex, this motion – along with the special HIIT training workouts – was specifically designed to help you burn more calories in less time.
In fact, according to tests done by Bowflex you can burn up to 2.5 times more calories than standard fitness equipment like an elliptical, stair stepper or treadmill.
Some trial Max Trainer users even burned up to 600 calories in 30 minutes – which is pretty amazing.

Tests also showed that the Max Trainer gives you 80% more upper body activation and engages more core and lower body engaged than ellipticals.
The Bowflex Max M9 includes several HIIT workouts with JRNY in this machine – ranging from 4 minutes up to 30 minutes.
So you can get an effective workout even if you don’t have a lot of time to workout.
Bowflex Max M9 Review: Console
The console is full color, touch-screen and measures 10 inches across.
You can connect with Bowflex JRNY (their online streaming service) and stream on-demand, trainer-led workouts (more on JRNY below).
Another popular feature is that you can connect with your personal Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or Disney plus accounts through JRNY and watch your favorite shows or movies as you workout.
Another nice touch is the shelf in front of the console that can use to hold your phone (or remote) as you workout.
Take Classes or Travel the World with Bowflex JRNY
JRNY is an add-on subscription option that opens up a whole new world of options. (There’s also a free version of JRNY you can use with more limited options).
For example, you can get customized, individual workouts tailored specifically to your fitness level and goals.
Then as time goes on and your fitness level improves, JRNY learns and changes these workouts to help you continue moving forward, reaching new fitness levels.

You can also access a huge library of trainer-led video workouts to try on your machine. These range from Max Trainer HIIT workouts to Yoga classes, stretching and more.
Another cool option with JRNY is the world trail runs. You can run different world trails and see the scenery pass you by in the console screen for some virtual reality style fun.
Resistance Options
The M9 comes with 20 levels of resistance to add more challenge to your workout. Plus Bowflex upgraded the resistance control on this unit.
Instead of scrolling through resistance buttons on the console, you can quickly change resistance with a simple turn of the illuminated dial in front of the console.
This makes it easy if you want to change your resistance quickly (like with HIIT workouts, for example).
Bowflex Max Trainer M9 – More Benefits
The Bowflex M9 also has the benefit of being more compact than other fitness equipment. It has a footprint of only 49.2 x 30.5 inches – which is smaller than a lot of other ellipticals or treadmills.
So if you’re in a condo or apartment – or you have a smaller workout area it’s a great option.
Any Drawbacks?
The M9 Max Trainer is not an elliptical (although many people – probably because of the marketing – think that it is). It’s more of a stair-stepping motion. You move up and down on the machine like a stair climber. You can’t pedal backwards.
So the motion may take some getting used to if you’ve been training on an elliptical trainer for a while.
Also, while the paid subscription of JRNY is not needed to use the machine (you can use the free version), it is required to stream and watch your Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Disney plus channels.
Where to Buy and Save:
You can get a special offer on the Max Trainer M9 by buying it direct from the Manufacturer here.
As of this writing, you can get a Free 12-month JRNY subscription as well as Free Shipping. You can also read the latest user reviews and see the full machine specs before you buy.
Click Here To Save on the Max M9 Trainer
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