I’ve had a Bowflex for a while now, and I’ve gotten decent results, but I doubt I’m using the machine to its full potential, especially since I know next to nothing about proper exercise methods. So, can anyone recommend a good Bowflex exercise routine (perhaps also involving other exercises that don’t involve other equipment)?
I should also mention that my goal isn’t to be a complete beefcake so much as to not have a gut. I’d imagine that that would make a difference.
Got mine over a year ago, have not used free weights for anything other than squats and lunges ever since. Mine came with a short video and an exercise chart, neither of which I paid much attention to. I like the constant resistance through the flexion/extension motion. If you perform exercises slowly, you will get a good feel for which muscles are being hit and which angles work best for you. Try to feel which specific areas are flexing as you do various moves, particularly in the large groups of the back and chest.
A good way to start is with the “bench press” exercise. Hold your elbows perpendicular to your chest and keep your hands wide, then allow your elbows to move toward your ribs and bring your hands closer together. Also vary your press, from over your chest to over your eyes. Don’t do this as a workout, but as a way to get a feel for the machine and how best to work different areas. This is what I like about the Boxflex, you are not locked in to one plane of motion as you are with universal or nautilus stuff.
Hmmm, I typed “Boxflex”…freudian slip (sorry).
And if you are looking to tone up, try to keep moving through the various exercises quickly, keeping your heart rate up. FWIW, I don’t care much for the seated crunch exercise they recommend for abs, the range of motion is too limited. Try an exercise wheel instead. It is tough at first, but it is much cheaper and more effective than all those ab machines they hock on infomercials.
Sell the Bowflex and buy a gym membership.
Freeweights > Bowflex
and you’ll get access to cardio equipment which will be important if you want to get rid of your gut
Losing the gut is a function primarily of diet. To some degree, it doesn’t matter what exercise you’re doing–your diet will determine your success or failure. Of course, you should keep exercising, but the particulars are a little less important.
I’m also pretty anti-Bowflex, but that’s because I’m more interested in real-world performance than appearances. Strength gains on the Bowflex don’t transfer very well because the resistance increases throughout the motion. So you end up well-trained at the end of a lift, but not so much at the beginning. There’s nothing like that in real life.
Catalyst-
I’ve had a bowflex for approximately 10 years, I think it is a good machine for strength training when I use it regularly.
Four months ago, I had a big gut, have lost about 28 pounds since then by doing the following:
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Changed my diet, limiting consumption of fat basically
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bought an incline trainer, bascially a walking treadmill, 4 miles a day, 15% incline
was not in good shape at all before, in much better shape now. still have some gut to go, will probably get back to the bowflex after I make more progress on the gut
Like others have said, to get rid of your gut, you need adjustments in diet plus a cardio routine, the bowflex cannot really help you with either.