Bowflex for training

My DH bought a bowflex machine for me. It is an older model, the XTL, he found at a yard sale and it came with all the bells and whistles. It has a book with different exercises, but I'm not real sure what to do, and not sure how to incorporate weight training with my riding. Can anyone point me to a source of information for training schedules or some such thing?

I have tried, but with my internet/google impairment, I haven't had much luck. :confused: Also, does anyone have any tip on working with the Bowflex? I've been dinking around with it and it's kinda fun, just have to learn what the heck to do. bikerHen

Hey BH - how was the holiday??

Cant help with the Bowflex because I have no idea what that even is.:D :D

If I was more internet savy I'd post a link for ya! But it is basically a home gym type thing that uses rods or bows for resistance in place of weights. They are smaller than a home gym but you can do a heck of a lot of weight training on one.

The Holiday was hot and humid, but good to see my dad and sister. The bike I rode was one small step above a beater bike, but it was wheels and that's all I needed. Glad to be back home and on my own bike. :D bikerHen

I have a bowflex and it really does what they promise. Mine came with a poster with a circuit training routine. You can also go to their site www.bowflex.com and get an exercise dvd that you can use with the machine.

HTH

sharynleigh:o

I've been using a Bowflex machine 3 times a week, for nearly six months. It is an older, less expensive model with no bells or whistles (got it used). I saw no point in spending a fortune on new equipment until I was sure this was the right thing for me.

Take your time learning to do the exercises correctly. Be careful not to increase the resistance before you're ready. At the risk of sounding like a Mom, too much weight too soon could cause an injury. It took some time (and lots of repetitions at low weights) to master some of the exercises. If the motion didn't feel like it was targeting the right muscles, I just moved more slowly and made small adjustments until I got it. You may have already discovered that it takes a lot more control to move through the exercises.

If you've ever done any weight training using machines, the Bowflex may feel strange at first. Once you've mastered the motions and added the right amount of resistance, you'll begin to really enjoy your workouts!

I think that good old fashioned dumbbells and a weight bench will get you farther, depending on your goals. I generally stay away from machines because they force you to move in a pre-determined plane that is probably not right for your body and over time can lead to tendonitis and other over-use injuries.

Also, I want to do weight training that helps me in real life. Overhead dumbbell presses mimic lifting that big crockpot onto my top shelf. Deadlifts mimic picking up my 70 pound (14 year old) German Shepherd to put her on the grooming table. Squats mimic trying to find that lost shoe under the bed. :p

Free weights force you to use other smaller muscles that help with balance. Standing overhead dumbbell presses make you tighten your core, whereas seated overhead presses just compress your spine. Lunges holding dumbbells make you use your core, inner & outer thighs and improve your grip strength. Leg press machines do none of these (ok, for purists, maybe a little inner/outer thigh, but nothing compared to free weights.)

Obviously, any resistance training is better than none. But, for me, I want to train muscles in a more natural pattern.

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Originally Posted by Dogmama

I think that good old fashioned dumbbells and a weight bench will get you farther, depending on your goals. I generally stay away from machines because they force you to move in a pre-determined plane that is probably not right for your body and over time can lead to tendonitis and other over-use injuries.

Also, I want to do weight training that helps me in real life. Overhead dumbbell presses mimic lifting that big crockpot onto my top shelf. Deadlifts mimic picking up my 70 pound (14 year old) German Shepherd to put her on the grooming table. Squats mimic trying to find that lost shoe under the bed. :p

Free weights force you to use other smaller muscles that help with balance. Standing overhead dumbbell presses make you tighten your core, whereas seated overhead presses just compress your spine. Lunges holding dumbbells make you use your core, inner & outer thighs and improve your grip strength. Leg press machines do none of these (ok, for purists, maybe a little inner/outer thigh, but nothing compared to free weights.)

Obviously, any resistance training is better than none. But, for me, I want to train muscles in a more natural pattern.

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Actually, not to be totally contradictory but, the pluses of the bowflex are that 1) the rods do allow you to follow the lifting plane that is correct for you - a your natural movement pattern and 2) the bowflex rods are move around and are not set in one place - therefore, the small stabilizing muscles that surround the large muscles are engaged during the lift to keep the rods inplace. As far as core, when done correctly (following the bowflex guidelines) you engage your core muscles by tightening your abs and sitting tall and maintaining good posture throughout each lift. OK - infomercial on Bowflex is now over. As you can tell, I love mine and believe that there are many benefits to using it including safety.

I can lift much more weight on a bowflex than I can using free weights. The reason is that my smaller muscles are not taxed and my CNS doesn't have to worry about balancing the weight.

My main beef with the bowflex, though, is that it does not mimic real life lifting. The bowflex has an increasing strength curve. So, if you are doing an overhead press, you actually lift less weight in the beginning of the move (upper arms parallel to the ground, forearms perpendicular to the ground) and the weight increases as you lift upwards.

In real life, the hardest part of a lift is when your arms are at that 90 degree angle. I can hold a crock pot overhead with my elbows locked out for a longer period of time than I can hold it with my arms bent at a 90 degree angle. The 90 degree angle is activating deltoids, triceps, forearm and a little bicep. If I'm interested in building functional strength, I want to be able to lift the same amount of weight from the bottom to the top.

As far as getting hurt - if you start with smaller weights and progress intelligently, you won't get hurt. A little sore, maybe, but it is a good sore!

Most of the bowflex exercises are done sitting down. I can overhead press a LOT more weight sitting than standing because I do not have to engage as many core muscles. In real life, I don't lift crockpots from a sitting position.;) Another example: You will burn more fat and build more muscles squatting with free weights than doing a seated leg press because the squat forces you to 1. balance 2. use abs, back muscles and more gluteal muscles 3. concentrate on maintaining form so you don't fall over (always an embarrasing moment in the gym!).

Interestingly, I understand bowflex is coming out with free weights.

Obviously, you like your bowflex and that's fine. I just don't want a newcomer to think that it is superior over regular free weights, because it isn't.

I've been lifting weights for over 15 years and I've seen these things come & go. I even remember (OK - how many oldies do we REALLY have on these boards....drum roll) the Mark Eden Breast Developer! (Two pieces of pink plastic with a spring in between - the idea is you squeeze the plastic pieces together - kind of like a chest fly machine but much sillier.):D

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Originally Posted by Dogmama

I can lift much more weight on a bowflex than I can using free weights. The reason is that my smaller muscles are not taxed and my CNS doesn't have to worry about balancing the weight.

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That's funny, a friend who lifts with free weights on a regular basis put on his usual weight for an inclined bench press and could not lift as much on the bowflex as he does with his free weights -

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Originally Posted by Dogmama

Obviously, you like your bowflex and that's fine. I just don't want a newcomer to think that it is superior over regular free weights, because it isn't.

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And I don't want them to think that lifting with a bowflex is not beneficial, because it is. I realize there are applications where free weights are superior - but a bowflex provides a quality workout for the average individual trying to include strength training exercises as part of a well-rounded exercise program. The determination between using free weights and a bowflex depends a lot on your personal goals and desired outcomes.

As you mention, bowflex is adding a line of free weights. I believe the addition of free weights in the bowflex line is targeting a different group of lifters with a different set of goals. They have not abandoned the bowflex home gyms- they have upgrade them, but not agandoned them.

bikerhen, you should definitely go to the bowflex website to request a copy of the fitness guide that explains each exercise and the targeted muscle groups. It is important that you understand how to properly perform each exercise. There are very definite techniques and cues to follow for each exercise. Also included are variety sample workouts for different goals. Good Luck. And just for the record, I have been lifting for 20+ years and have used varying combinations of free weights, nautilus, medicine balls, and the bowflex. I mearly offer my opinion of the bowflex as a viable option for strength training.

I own my own business which is in-home personal training although I also have worked in a gym setting in the past and I can see the points of both free weights and a fixed machine such as the bowflex.

Actually, in the beginning stages of exericise, if you aren't going to hire a professional (gotta stick those plugs in:) ), it's often better to start with a fixed plane machine simply because starting with free weights and functional fitness movements, without assessments will probably cause you to use the same improper muscular movements that you use in your everyday life. I have watched way too many people who have muscular imbalances try to do free weight programs that exacerbate any "issues" they have which result in injury.

If you feel pretty confident that you currently don't suffer any pains that probably result from muscular imbalances, and you have a good knowledge of how to move weight in a plane that will strengthen the areas you need strengthening...then go immediately to free weights. Otherwise, machines that keep you in a fairly reasonable plane of motion might be your option. (I like Bowflex simply because they force the client to use their core and stabilizing muscles because of the action of the "rods")*

I stress the fact that most people today (even us cyclists) work at professions that cause us to stay seated, in a forward protracted position, and then we drive home, in the same position, and then we ride our bikes, in the same forward protracted position, and watch tv in the same position....well, it causes some faulty movement patterns. So, sometimes it's worth it to seek professional advice, and other times, to use a machine that won't add to any issues you may already have.

*No, I don't work for Bowflex, but I have used their equipment...free weights included and I think they're excellent.