BowFlex Max Trainer M3 : Sports & Outdoors

10 reviews for BowFlex Max Trainer M3 : Sports & Outdoors

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   AnnieAnnie – August 20, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Excellent machine and amazing workout!

   So I’ve waited a month to write this review. I’m in my 30’s, female, and about 220lbs. when I started working out on the Max Trainer, I have since lost 12.3lbs. I have worked out 23 out of the 30 days I have had it.. my 1st work out I burnt 350 calories with 3 sets of 14 mins HIIT work outs throughout the day, a total of 42 mins, my 23rd workout that I just finished I burnt 652 in that same amount of time! It is an AMAZING workout, absolutely the best imaginable and that I’ve ever had for sure. I quietly tell it I love it like every day lol. So this was pricey for me but I’m glad I took the chance. I did A LOT of research and landed on this machine. Even if money wasn’t an object I still would go with the M3 as opposed to the other, more expensive models. They only add a backlit display, a more convenient cup holder, and heart rate sensors on the machine, which I don’t find neccessary, you know you’re getting an amazing workout on this machine w/o the HR monitor, although the M3 comes with a strap on one but I found that uncomfortable. Putting it together was rather easy. I am a woman and I’m not a weakling but I’m not super strong either and I found this to be a rather enjoyable experience ( I like putting things together). I did have a friend help with the mounting of the body, I would imagine that would be super hard with only one person handling it. Once that was set I did the rest myself (the arms where a bit trick but still duable with just me). The delivery was tricky though. The delivery date kept changing on me and I had to reschedule work for it..it was really frustrating. When it arrived the delivery guys were very nice and asked if the could bring it upstairs ( I have an apartment on the 2nd floor), which was amazing because of the weight I was planning on taking it apart downstairs and bringing it up piece by piece. There was a hole on the box that some parts fell out of inside of my apartment building. that I didn’t notice till I was putting it together, luckily my landlord had picked it up for safe keeping and gave it to me a few days later. I did purchase the insurance on this as Bowflex only provides a 1 year warranty on this machine, (but fingers crossed) so far so good. The machine is smooth and durable, that said, you should 100% tighten bolts regularly and keep and eye or ear out for any squeaks or abnormal noises, it should be maintained as you use it. This is literally the most expensive thing I’ve ever purchased and I absolutely love it. It has given me control over my body that I was desperately needing without access to a gym since Covid hit. If you feel like maybe you can’t handle the work out..you can! You can set your own pace and work up to where ever you want to get to.It is pretty small I have it in my “storage room” with the Christmas decorations, doesn’t take up too much room like a treadmill would. 110% would reccomend!

   122 people found this helpful

   

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Gail Mc2 – August 20, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   I hate working out but love this machine!

   I intensely dislike working out. I’ve tried all kinds of products, regular bike, stationary bike, cross country skiing machine, treadmill, etc. I could tolerate the treadmill but I have a bad toe that gets aggravated walking too long. Many years ago, I had a great little staIr stepper. I still have it but the pistons gave out quite a while ago. I like ellipticals somewhat, but not entirely their motion and definitely not how much room they take up.I’ve been looking at the max trainers in sporting goods stores on and off for the better part of a couple years. I’ve always liked the elliptical stair stepping motion it has. This year I decided to bite the bullet and get one, a basic one is all I need. We received our Max 3 trainer about 3 weeks ago. I am still in process of building up to a full 14 minute session on it, but I really love this machine. It was a little tough to get started the first week as I was so out of shaoe, but after about 3-4 sessions, I’m coming along and really enjoying. It’s easy to wake up, do a session on it, watching TV, and go on with my day. My husband likes it too. He said assembly wasn’t difficult, just more time consuming than he’d expected. It took the better part of 3 hours, with a break for lunch.I love that this is a fairly quiet machine and the fact that it takes up about 60% of the space that a true elliptical would.We considered similar machines from some unknown (to us) brands suggested in the Amazon search, but decided to stick with the Bow flex because it is a well-known brand, is generally well-regarded, and because we could try out other Max series machines in the sporting goods stores so we knew it was a sturdy, quality device and the difference between the basic Max 3 and other higher levels was more about programming and other such features, but the overall motion is the same.So, in summary, I still hate that I have to work out, but this machine makes it almost pleasant. As a result, I love this machine.

   40 people found this helpful
3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   fays – August 20, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Burns calories quickly, good for lower back pain

   Burns calories quickly, faster than jogging, without being too crazy as far as a work out, mainly by engaging big glut muscles. I like balance of cardio and glut/leg muscle workout. My go to workout is quick, 20 minutes 300 calories, and I will break a substantial sweat and feel a little sore for a few hours in my gluts and thighs. Also engages paraspinal muscles, which I feel helps lower back pain issues I have (as opposed to jogging which tends to aggravate).I have M3. Really like simple interface as a I’m typically on my phone anyway and like the cals/min gauge and manual mechanical resistance setting (like a bike). In fact I wrote whole review during a work out on it. Fan is loud, I use airpods. I’ve had for a year or two, low/intermediate use, still works great. I can kind of hear the chain on the gear (like a bike), probably just needs some WD-40 in the right spot. Takes up the least real estate in my home gym relative to treadmill, cycle, and bench. Overall very happy with purchase and value.

   16 people found this helpful
4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Johnny wongJohnny wong – August 20, 2025

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Overall it seems pretty sturdy

   I’m tired of crap workout machines. This is definitely a mid tier workout machine. I couldn’t do a treadmill due to size of my apartment.It’s decently heavy so you’re not gonna wobble side to side on the machine. I’m 233 lbs and move smoothly on it without a problem.The resistance level is made out of cheap plastic, when I got it out of the box I started twisting the knob for adjustment and it popped off. The spring popped out and I had to find it and figure out how to correctly put it back in. It took me like 20 minutes lolThe pedals on the metal part are somewhat wobbly, but doesn’t affect performance really. You should probably just find larger screws to fill the gap on the pre drilled holes.The instructions are too bad, I would rather watch a YouTube video to quickly put it together. Take pictures of the tool part package so you won’t forget what goes with what.Overall the value is pretty decent for what you get, it is definitely pretty sturdy as I would expect because of the mid tier price. Heavier than I expected, it has rollers so shouldn’t be a problem for hardwood floors. Carpet takes a while, but still rolls somewhat smooth.I used it for about 5 minutes just to see how it was. The resistance is there, I tried level 8 which is the max level. You could definitely feel it!The fan is somewhat loud, the harder you push the more noise it makes. I’m not really bothered by it though.I am satisfied with it for now, as for the longevity of this device I have no idea. I would definitely keep it properly lubricated from time to time as to avoid early failure of this product.It’s affordable, mid entry machine, solid and sturdy, feels smooth. I would recommend this product. Also I think it was suppose to include a chest strap, it was missing. I’m not worried about that though.I’m sure you would enjoy this machine for years!

   16 people found this helpful

   

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   DoubleDownT – August 20, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Work for my needs and expectations – (on going review check back)

   I will try to make this an on going review and check in every few weeks to give updates.Week (1)Assembly – Assembly was easy, and took an even 40 minutes for me by myself using only the tools BowFlex provided with the machine. I did not want to use any power tools to give a realistic assembly time and difficulty level. The main portion of the machine is assembled, you will be putting on the rear frame brace (6 bolts), the pedal “arms” 2 bolts, pedals 4 bolts, pop in the rubber pedal pads, the upper arms 6 bolts, and the computer input/middle handles 4 bolts. Most of the assembly time as getting the machine out of the box and set out in the area I was going to assemble it. The rest was very straight forward, there is always available videos to speed you along as well as recommend an impact driver with a set of Allen head bits to make it go even faster.Use and Ergonomics – (Keep in mind I am 6’ 235lbs) It is as promised a mix of a stair stepper and elliptical as you are able to use your arms (Biceps – upper bar, or Triceps – lower bar) to help pull/push you through the stepper action. The step action does have a reciprocating action that is similar to a standard elliptical. With that being said my initial feelings on these items are that 1. I wish there was a little more range of movement on the arms. The step stride seems good to me however I feel that regardless of where I place my hands my throw length is short. I would like to have it with a bit more extensions for a fuller range of motion. Perhaps this is was the middle ground for use with all users.The steps stride seems decent, pretty close to that of a “to code” set of stairs so that part definitely feels comfortable/natural. The elliptical action of the pedals is not all that much really. As state it does a slight reciprocal action but do not expect this to feel like and standard elliptical at an incline. It is a stepper at heart, with the added arm movement.On last part regarding ergonomics, as mentioned I am 6’, I feel as though I am leaning forward while using it. It doesn’t cause any issues that I can tell/feel yet, just takes a bit of getting used to. My girlfriend is 5’5” 110lbs and she says the same thing, so it would seem it is just the design.Machine – I have used it 6 days in the first week, and unsure of the full additional use from my girlfriend though everything is working well. Not weird squeaks or noises. Everything seems to be running smoothly as intended. One thing is I do wish it had a slightly wider base. This would of course increase the smaller footprint, which is/was a selling point for at least me though I favor my left leg heavily as my right leg knee down was destroyed in a motorcycle accident. Because of my favoring (not a machine flaw) I can start to wobble the machine at its base. So would be good to have it wider for me personally, but my girlfriend says it’s plenty stable for her so I think it would be for the average users so I wouldn’t hold this against the machine.Computer / Training – The machine has 2 uses profiles which is nice. My girlfriend has a much lower burn zone that makes me a bit jealous because mine is way up there on the dial. I do not see any sort of logging directly on this model’s computer but I basically just use it for time and cadence with I write down on my work out sheet and I also use wahoo or mapmyfitness apps to get the heartrate data etc. This did come with its own heart rate strap which will display on the screen, but again not work out logging so you must document it, if you care, during the complete working screen or I think it is gone after that. Perhaps all the higher/mewer models (m5, 6, 7, 8) keep this all or use their Bowflex app for that. One thing I do wish this had from the higher model is a back lit LCD portion of the screen. The dial/burn rate is light fine, the LCD with the cadence, HR etc. is not. Where I have the machine, and that I am working out first thing in the morning, it is very difficult to read. Can’t think of anything else to write other than the effects. Well it exercise, so it will work. I have not setup the “max trainer” interval program yet, I just am warming up to the machine this last week with just going timed so I am sure that will hurt (not sure how manually changing the resistance while using the machine will go though). I cannot attest to their calorie burn claims on this either of course but either way its smallish, works about everything, good work out. More to come later.Week 2 – Week 2 complete. I still haven’t messed with the Max Interval work out program nor settings as of yet. I have kept up with using it 6 days a week and I did hear a noise at one point. I found that the arms that go from the foot pedal to the rotating assembly are able to move side to side a bit. When putting it together it seemed as those the bolt/washer you put over that portion butts up against the side of the bearing and locks it in place but as I said it does allow some side to side movement. This is where the noise came from and I am wondering if I bumped the “arm” with my leg or something to knock it sideways a bit because I don’t see how else it could have happened since that entire section self-rights itself as you use it (roller bearings lower and the horizontal bearings upper. I don’t think its a problem at all, just for other’s information to look if they here a clunk type noise at some point. Everything else is going as in the first week so far. Started week 3 today and will again try to follow up with an update.Week 3- More of the same. This last week I did not have any new sounds. I upped the resistance and of course it worked just fine. Up to 30 minutes at a time now, still in the early morning and I am still wishing the screen had the back lighting so I can see the cadence etc. but still not worth stepping up the next model of this machine for just that, just need better lighting or work out later to document my stats better. My plan, and due to time constraints, is the stay at 40 minute workouts before work so I will keep upping the resistance until I top out with it at 30 minutes.. then worry about either finding more time to work out or drop the money on one of the newest machines with more resistance levels at that time. One thing I have noticed now is that the lower arms, for working triceps, doesn’t do all that much for me. Not sure if it is the posture using them puts me in, their starting location or whatever, but it just doesn’t seem to do much. They are more moving arm rests, however when using the upper arms, more back and biceps, like a traditional elliptical I get a better workout and feel it.Week 4, 5 & 6 / Final – I think I have given this a fair amount of time and consistent usage 5-6 days a week now. I am up to level 3 for minutes in the morning before work which fits my schedule well. I have been increasing the resistance level up 1, for the last 5 minutes of my work out every week to keep advancing. This level seem to work out well with the 1 or 2 days of rest at the end of the week. I am technically now on week 6 so it has been some time. At the start of week 4 the left “arm” developed a squeak at the roller. I put a little water on it to test it out which sure enough silenced it for a bit before evaporating. I contacted Bowflex support who advised I should get some treadmill lubricant (look for 100% silicone brands) which has worked. Though I have to say that I am a little disappointed for the price of these over competitors they didn’t include a tiny bit if this is a known issue/maintenance item. Since this squeak started I have of course been looking more at the roller and noticed that the left side that is squeaking seems to ride more on the right side of the roller, toward the inside of the rail bar instead of right in the middle. This is the case even moving it without being on it, as I wanted to make sure my left leg wasn’t pushing the pedal outward over compensating for my bad leg. Seems as though mine is just a bit off on alignment or the roller itself is miss formed. Other than the squeak this doesn’t seem to be an issue, especially with the added silicone which I apply a tiny bit once a week. The roller slides, without rolling, over the silicone for quiet sometime before it wears of a bit and the roller starts to roller as intended again. Suppose this is a testament to the silicone but just hoping even with the seeming miss alignment this will prolong the time before I need to get new rollers, which I am contemplating ordering now before they are not available any longer in a couple years since they are consumable items. I can’t think of much more and hope there isn’t any more surprises in the coming weeks but will end my review here unless something big happens. Over all recommended.

   98 people found this helpful
6. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Ken – August 20, 2025

   1.0 out of 5 stars

   I don’t recommend it. Read why!

   I decided to wait a few months to provide a fair review so here goes. I’ve been using this about 4 times a week for 3 months now. If you use some resistance, you will build muscle. I don’t feel it does much for the upper body though. The M3 model is the basic model. If you got the money to spend and want one of the other higher priced models with more bells and whistles then go for it but could eventually be an even more waste of money. I do like this much more than a elliptical machine and have used a few good models on and off for over 15 years. I don’t use the heart strap monitor that came with it because it’s cheap and I don’t want something wrapped around my chest that has to be positioned under my shirt during my workout. I do track my heart rate with my Apple Watch paired to a UA app while using it.It was pretty easy to assemble and is sturdy. It don’t take up much room which is also a plus. It is starting to squeak and rattle in some areas when in motion which is annoying. I just hope something don’t break. I’m about 170 lbs so I’m not overloading it. Everything seems to be tight so I’m not too sure where the noises are coming from.I do feel it’s significantly overpriced especially when you really see what you get for $1000 plus tax. This is a $600 machine tops.As for the delivery of this unit, sadly, mine did not arrive on time. It was well over a week late. When placing the order I chose my delivery date and time slot. I took off work to be home for it to be delivered and it never arrived. No one called and I was just left hanging. After multiple calls to Amazon and broken promises stating the shipper will call again soon to arrange a new ship date, I did get a small credit from Amazon for my aggravation but it really wasn’t worth it. Very poor communication from the shipper. Needless to say, this is why I hate buying anything that isn’t being directly fulfilled by Amazon with 2 day Prime shipping. In the end, it was finally delivered by two Amazon employees one of which wore a face mask as required while the other didn’t and was supposed too. Bottom line, if you can try one out first before buying one, I suggest you do so as this is a big investment that is not easily returned if you don’t like it. Any return shipping is at your expense and I promise, you will never get it back in the box it was packaged it if you need to disassemble and repack. Hope this helps! 🙂5/07/2021 Update: The noises I heard were the rollers. I contacted Nautilus through Amazon weeks ago and they sent two replacement rollers for free since it’s under warranty. Took about 10 mins to replace and the squeaks went away. The squeaks are gradually returning again so I’ll be calling nautilus again soon. I’m very disappointed now and really wish I had bought something else instead. I feel it’s a $1000 waste of money. My personal opinion is to not buy this machine. You will undoubtedly be disappointed sooner or later.

   59 people found this helpful
7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   K. Planck – August 20, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Great Machine, Buy Treadmill Lubricant

   I replaced my treadmill with this machine after two hip replacements. It is a fantastic option to minimize impact, but get great cardio. It has no frills, but offers a variety of workout options. I’m 5’1”, so I’m not getting the arm workout that some might, but my goal is comfortable cardio to elevate my heart rate – which is where this excels. Around 5-10 hours of use, there was a squeaking noise that got progressively worse. After looking at review feedback, I used some treadmill lubricant and the machine still works like new 100+ hours later. As my fitness improves, I no longer use levels 1/2, but there is still PLENTY of resistance in levels 3-8 that provide a great workout, especially when you vary your speed.

   10 people found this helpful
8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   NM consumer – August 20, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Great exercise elliptical.

   Takes about an hour to assemble by yourself. Fairly easy assembly with all hardware and tools supplied. You may decide to use your own 13mm box or open end wrench as the one supplied is very thin but will do the job. After assembly the equipment worked great with myself and my wife already using it with ease.
9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   CLB – August 20, 2025

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   made one change and now it’s great

   After a week or two, the machine started clunking at the bottom of each rotation of the pedals, so that the foot nearer the floor would feel the clunk. We tried various things, but what eventually worked like a dream was putting wheel bearing grease around the rod that holds in the plastic roller in front of each pedal (the rollers that roll up and down the bars in front of each pedal). It has run smoother than out of the box since then, absolutely no clunking, with a smooth transition between the downward motion and upward motion, and that’s been for about a month of heavy use since adding the grease. I’m guessing we’ll need to clean inside the rollers and re-grease them every now and then. Just loosen the nut, slide the rod out of the roller, grease it, and put it back together.
10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Pirate – August 20, 2025

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great workout – once we finally working…

    We bought this and were in the midst of assembling it when I opened the plastic holding the gear shift. The shifter was in pieces. I tried to fix it to no avail. When I called the company, they sent out a repairman who didn’t act much like he was happy about being here. He started taking it apart and told me they needed to replace it because it was in pieces.I called the company and was told the photos he submitted were worthless, so they wanted new photos. I sent her a couple, but there were some parts that I couldn’t reach. She said all but one of the parts he listed were all plastic covers and would in not inhibit the operation, so she didn’t feel like we needed a new unit. I talked with her a while and she said sometimes the repairmen from the company they contract with would rather get a new unit sent out so they can get paid for coming out, but not have to do the repairs.Long story short, I agreed to just replace the parts listed without replacing the unit. We did buy an extended warranty just in case, so we should be covered. The repairman came back and griped about it the entire time, but he got it working.Unfortunately, with my health issues, I can’t do more than about 2 minutes at a time on the trainer because it’s so intense. I’m trying to do that multiple times a day, and hoping I build up my stamina.

    8 people found this helpful