Lifting with Bowflex exteme (I have no idea what I am doing)

tearsinger

I am down 40 lbs tracking and doing cardio (walking), but I want to do weights to work that last 40lbs off, and to be generally awesomer. I got a hand me down Bowflex Extreme which is now set up in my basement, but all of the stuff I am reading is about heavy lifting and barbells. I love the idea of heavy lifting, because I would really like to maintain or increase muscle mass, but I really have no idea what I am doing. I hear that compound exercises are the way to go (squats and deadlifts and the like), but I have no idea how to translate that to the Bowflex.

Does anyone have some resources to point me at?

jarednuzzi

You can find the manual for your system at the link below. That is for the original xtreme so if you have the 2 or 3 just google the manual for help on how to set up the machine and perform different exercises. If you working on the "heavy lift" which is very popular right now I would recommend the following exercised. Its not really a heavy lift routine but you are somewhat limited on a machine since heavy lift exercise are more focused on free weights.

1) Bench Press (I like the incline but they are all pretty similiar in muscle groups).
2) Seated forearm lateral raise (Good arm and shoulder combo exercise).
3) Standing sholder pullover (Works chest/back/shoulders)
4) Seated lat row (I like most of the rows, not really a heavy lift but machines don't really support cleans, dead-lifts, etc.)
5) Standing lower back extension (gives a pretty good hip, butt, hamstring workout)
6) Trunk rotation (Abs)

http://download.nautilus.com/supportdocs/AM_OM/Bowflex/BFX_Xtreme_AM-OM_RevE_0706_web.pdf

I have a different bowflex model but the 6 above are what I do when I'm focusing on multi muscle exercise workouts. Best of luck to you.

tearsinger

Thanks. That sounds like a wonderful start. What about Squats, everyone seems mad crazy about squats.

strick1982

Thanks. That sounds like a wonderful start. What about Squats, everyone seems mad crazy about squats.

Squats stink. I've encountered a soreness I've never had before after doing squats yesterday. I'll be doing them again tomorrow!

ndj1979

Thanks. That sounds like a wonderful start. What about Squats, everyone seems mad crazy about squats.

Squats stink. I've encountered a soreness I've never had before after doing squats yesterday. I'll be doing them again tomorrow!

you hate squats but you are doing more tomorrow????

check your form...and you probably should not squat back to back days...

strick1982

Thanks. That sounds like a wonderful start. What about Squats, everyone seems mad crazy about squats.

Squats stink. I've encountered a soreness I've never had before after doing squats yesterday. I'll be doing them again tomorrow!

you hate squats but you are doing more tomorrow????

check your form...and you probably should not squat back to back days...

Didn't say I hated them. They are new to me in a sense and I didn't expect that much to get that much out of an exercise that looks so simple. I did squats on Monday and will do some today, Wednesday.

Peppermint_Patty614

Bump