Bowflex

[areellady 1]

Anyone have a Bowflex? Which one do you have and do you use it on a regular basis? I have the Revolution and LOVE IT!!!! I have gotten so strong from lifting weights and now doing the bowflex. I figured I could put my money out to a gym or put it into my own. I am addicted to doing it, kinda like I am to biking!!! I love EXERCISE!!! Deanna

[areellady 1]

Ok I can't believe NO ONE has a bowflex....maybe all the clothes are hanging on it????

[jmarruda 22]

Actually I would like to know if anyone has the treadclimber by bowflex....anyone? areellady, do you have one, or were you thinking of buying one?

[areellady 1]

I have the bowflex revolution. I love it so much. I do a strength training program every other day with it...so three days one week then four days the next week. Their equipment is so well made....I am soooo impressed. I don't think you could go wrong with any of their stuff. You can always send it back too!! Good luck

[Sweety 0]

i Have The Bowflex Extreme Ii. I Worked Out On It Faithfully Last Summer. I Can't Wait To Get Back On It As I Lost Alot Of Weight When I Did It. I Am Only 9 Days Post Op, So It Won't Be Too Long Before I Am Back On It. I Love My Bowflex.

[areellady 1]

Oh goodie....glad someone loves theirs too!!!! I love the muscle definition I have now in my arms. My legs are getting lots of muscle definition from all the bicycling, but upper body is looking awesome now too!!

[Wisegrl 0]

I just bought a Bowflex Ultimate 2. I am kind of intimidated by it though because there are a TON of exercises that come with it. It came with a book and a DVD and I really don't know how to begin. Anyone have any tips? Also, has anyone went to Curves and tried a Bowflex? Which is better?

[areellady 1]

DOn't be intimidated by it. You need to do some of the basic moves. Like start with four exercises and then work your way up. I started doing bench presses, Lat pulldowns, something for your quads, which for me was squats and lunges..not on the machine and sit ups. Then after you have those mastered and can do 3 sets of 12 with no problem, move up and add some other exercises. I now do these exercise every other day for my strength training:

Chest press

Lat pulldown

Chest fly

rowing

Leg press(which would be squats and lunges if you don't have a machine that does leg press)

leg extensions

leg curls

calf raises

bicep curls

tricep extensions

ab. crunches

Oblique crunches

Reverse crunches(bringing butt off ground instead of shoulders)

I do 3 sets of each of these with various weight amounts. I started low and have been working my way up I am leg pressing 240 now. When I get all these exercises down good and pat I will change it up and find others. My exercise physiologist gave me this list to do. The important thing to do it JUST DO IT!!! It takes me right around an hour to do all those. HTH...

[Wisegrl 0]

Wow, those are alot of exercises! I am going from 2 years of Curves to this Bowflex. I just need to Do it like you said. How do you know when to up the weight or to do more reps? Would you do more reps and up the weight or just do more reps? That always confused me.

[Jachut 487]

I really want one, or something similar but sadly we have absolutely no room. The treadmill, barbell, mat, ab-roller and associated dumbells take up half of our family room so we no longer have a casual eating area. We have an outdoor pergola area that we could enclose with clear patio blinds but I'm not sure that I'd entrust valuable equipment to the outdoors even with protection and I'm not sure we'd use it if it were outside - given that its probably 7 or 8 degrees celcius out there at night in winter (athough we throw the sliding door open when working out anyway) - and its probably that I'm still with the family in front of the telly that I actually do workout so often.

Next house we will be lookign for something with a designated room for a home gym

[areellady 1]

ok, this is what the exercise phy. told me to do. IF you can do more than 12 reps without it being hard at all, up the weight a little and lower the reps. So for example....if you do 12 reps of something with 20 pounds of weight and at the end of the 11 and 12 reps, you can hardly at all do it, then stay there for awhile, but if you do 11 and 12 reps with out any difficulty up the weight to say 25 pounds and LOWER your reps to say 8....does that make sense???? I have been strength training for awhile now, I did not always do all of those.

I started out on May 30th and did:

bench press - 5lbs-----3sets/12 reps

lat pull down - 35 lbs---3/15

seated squats- 3/15---(these are just sitting down in a chair and standing up for 15 times in a row fast. These really work your quads...I hated every minute of these..LOL)

Lunges 2/12 (each side)

sit ups 3/12

So I haven't always done all those exercises. I have worked my way up. This was before I had my bowflex too. I just had a regular workout bench with weights. It did have a tower so I could do pull downs. THe EP said to start with these basic ones and then add on. I did these for a month and then when I went back to see him he gave me the new exercises to add on. I love it and I switch in which order I do them every time so I am not always starting with the leg press. I always do my stomach last though. HTH....

[areellady 1]

Jachut, my oldest just moved out of the basement so I have a "new" place to set up a home gym. I just love it because now that summer is here, I would not just be able to leave the house for the amount of time I would need to do all the exercise that I do. Anyways, that is an impressive home gym you have there. I am hoping to add a stair stepper or something similar for my a$$ muscles and maybe an elliptical for cardio this winter. We get very bad winters here in Idaho, not as bad as some places, but pretty dang cold. I am thinking I might have to use the university gym this winter and swim....I just hate the thought of not riding out in the fresh air!!!!

Also, wisgrl....awesome weight loss....that is so great. Curves must of been working for you then....can I ask why you decided to get a bowflex????

[Jachut 487]

Australian houses dont have basements unfortunately - nor do they have attics in general either. I'm not sure why. And it'll be years before my lot are moving out of home, lol.

My home gym does us OK, I'd really like cross trainer or spin bike for some non impact alternatives.

[areellady 1]

hmmm that is interesting to know that....it there a reason there are no basements or attics???? Well, I still have one at home and she is now moved downstairs but there is enough room for my equipment. Yes, I would like a spin bike too. Hey, do you think that you will have to give up running because of your ankle??? What would you turn to if you did????

[Wisegrl 0]

Deanna,

The reason why I bought a bowlflex is because the Curves I was going to during lunch that was like 2 minutes away from my work closed. I was not a member there, just a guest because my job is temp. Anyway, when I found out that they were closing, I thought, well I will just go to my home base one where I used to go in the evenings. No sooner than I get there maybe two weeks later, I find out that one was closing. Different owners. I have been with Curves for two years and although it worked well for me, I was ready for something a little more "hard core" and with starting a new job I thought it would just be easier to do it at home and I always wanted a bowflex. I think Curves is great for beginners, but once you go for awhile it can get boring. I am just speaking for myself though.