Hi everyone!
I have a question about strength training.  My boyfriend has a bowflex and I tried using it the other day, but it is pretty intimidating.  I’m not sure how to move quickly in between sets and keep my heart rate going.  Do any of you use a bowflex?  Can anyone suggest a good routine for beginners?  I thought about getting a book from bowflex to help me, but I thought I would ask for any suggestions here first!

Thanks,
Yolanda

I have a Bowflex Xtreme2. It was definitely intimidating to even think about working out on it, but once I got started, it was really pretty straightforward. The first couple of routines I used were the ones suggested in the manual. It just takes a little practice to quickly change the weights and adjust the handles as needed; give yourself a little time to get acquainted with the routine, and you’ll find you can switch between exercises pretty quickly.

Hi Deb!
Is this the Deb that I hear about so much on the show?  Congrats on your weight loss!  You’re really an inspiration!  How did you lose so much??

I will get the manual out.  I know that they have included a lot of examples of how to use the bowflex, but I need something that tells me..Go from here..to here..to this one to work the upper body.  Thanks for the help!!

You’re welcome, the routines they offered in the manual are good, I think you’ll like them.

And yes, I’m that Deb   Thanks! I started a year ago April, so that’s, what, 17 months, and I’ve lost 122 pounds. Can I borrow Scott’s answer to how I did it? I showed up! I started exercising (first time ever) in April, and I’ve never stopped (except for a bit of rest and recovery time). It’s no big secret, I just stood up, took a step, and have continued to repeat, and will continue on until I get the life of my dreams. Scott says I can do it, and I believe him!

That’s an amazing amount to lose.  I bet you feel like a brand new person!  I’m so happy to finally talk to you since I’ve heard so much about you!

You can have the life you wanted...look what you’ve done!  We both can have the life we want!

Oh, one more question.  What does the 330:208:130 stand for.  I’ve seen other people have the same thing but I’m not sure what it means.

I started out weighing 330 pounds; I weigh 208 right now; my goal is 130 pounds. If I remember right, I think Carlyn started that!

Ok, I get it now It just takes me a minute!

Have a great day!  I hope we talk again soon!

I have an Extreme 2 that will be deliverd Tuesday. Would love to exchange workouts etc… with others that are using a Bowflex.

Jody, the manual has quite a few suggested workouts that are quite good. I used the full body 3 day a week routine to begin with, then switched to the 4 day split routine. They have several more advanced workouts, but about the time I was ready to switch again, Scott introduced the one body part per day workout and I went with that, and that’s what I’m using now.

Hi,
I actually couldn’t find the manual.  So, if you can suggest workouts that would be great.  Maybe I can re-order the manual.

Jody,
Are you excited about getting your Bowflex?  I bet!  I can’t wait to figure out mine.

Deb,
Do you feel like you had any better/worse results with the different routines?

Thanks Deb,

Do you mind sharing what specific excersises you are doing, routine etc… Are you happy with the results?

yolander,

Yes I’m looking forward to it. I’m hoping this will get my wife motivated to start working out with me at home, as I can’t get her to the gym. Right now I am only doing cardio and I’m excited about finally doing the weight training.  I’ve been doing the SMSM program, running three miles a day four days a week and quit smoking three weeks ago (after 26 years)

OK, here’s the full body 3 days per week workout:

Chest-Bench Press
Back-Seated Lat Rows
Shoulders-Crossover Rear Delt Rows
Arms-Biceps Curl
Arms-Triceps Pushdown
Legs-Leg Extension
Legs-Leg Curl (I don’t know why they included this exercise, as far as I can figure, you can’t do it on the Xtreme2)
Trunk-Standing Low Back Extension
Trunk-Seated Abdominal Crunch

I came to the Bowflex from using 10 pound dumbbells, and was a virtual beginner. They suggest 1-2 sets with 10-15 reps. I generally did 3 sets, started at 10 reps and when I got to 15, I added more resistance. After I’d done that routine for 3 months I switched to their split body workout:

Day 1 & 3
Chest-Bench Press
Shoulders-Seated Shoulder Press
Arms-Biceps Curl
Arms-Triceps Pushdown
Legs-Leg Extension
Legs-Leg Curl (again, why? I don’t know!)

Day 2 & 4
Back-Seated Lat Rows
Back-Seated Lat Pulldowns
Shoulders-Crossover Rear Delt Row
Arms-Biceps Curl
Arms-Reverse Curl
Trunk-Standing Low Back Extension
Trunk-Seated Abdominal Crunch

Now, having never done this before, I have nothing to compare it to, but I have to say the Bowflex has been a great experience. I can’t really say I see a lot of muscle, it’s mostly still hidden under a rather substantial fat suit. Although I can see a pretty impressive (at least to me) bicep! I am assuming that the other muscles are growing too, I will just have to wait a while before I see them.

Deb,

You mentioned that you switched to the one body part per day method. Is that workinfg better for you? What are you doing specifically?

I can’t say whether it’s working better for me than the others, as I think all the routines I’ve done have been challenging and have built muscle that I can’t yet see. But I can say that I enjoy the one body part per day more than the other routines. I like concentrating on one (or two) parts; somehow it seems more efficient. So this is what I do now:

Monday - Chest/Back (I alternate, as Scott suggested chest/back/chest/back/chest/back)
Bench Press
Seated Wide Lat Pulldowns
Chest Fly
Stiff Arm Pulldowns
Incline Bench Press
Crossover Wide Pulldowns

Tuesday - Shoulders/Abs (I don’t alternate these)
Crossover Rear Delt Row
Reverse Fly
Lateral Shoulder Raise
Seated Abdominal Crunch
Seated Oblique Crunch

Thursday - Legs/Abs (Again, no alternating)
Leg Extensions
Squat
Standing Hip Extension
Seated Abdominal Crunch
Seated Oblique Crunch

Friday - Arms (Alternating Biceps/Triceps)
Standing Biceps Curl
Triceps Pushdown with hand grip
Arm Opposition Push-Pull (these are great fun!)
Rope Pushdown
Upper body Opposition Push-Pull
Triceps Extension

Thanks for taking the time to write all of that down.