Bowflex Exercises – Drop the pounds faster with compound movements and circuit training
A familiar theme to those who have researched weight training is the age-old argument of free weights versus machines. Free weights tend to be preferred by serious bodybuilders and strength trainers, because lifting free weights requires the use of many stabilizing muscles to complete the movement. Machines, on the other hand, are generally designed for what is known as an isolation movement, where the muscle or group of muscles being worked is specifically targeted and the machine restricts the movement so that only that muscle is affected.
Bowflex exercises, although machine based, are for the most part compound movements. This is because Nautilus, the makers of Bowflex, have taken their experience manufacturing commercial isolation gym machines and combined them into one home unit. It would be impractical to have multiple machines in your home gym, unless you have a large amount of space, so it’s best to combine the movements as much as possible into a single unit.
The Bowflex is a unique home gym system that allows a large number of strength training exercises to be performed using resistance via long plastic rods or, with the new Bowflex Revolution, coiled rubber bands contained on a disc. Resistance is provided via cables and pulleys terminating in a handle, and as a result, larger movements are possible than a machine that uses weight plates and complex mechanical mechanisms to restrict movement.
The advantage of compound movements is that, like free weights, larger muscle groups are used to complete the movement, rather than just one isolated muscle. This makes the machine ideal for general conditioning, strength training, and weight loss. Bodybuilders may be disappointed, but most hard-core bodybuilders are likely to be free-weight enthusiasts and use machines only to ‘finish’ certain muscles.
One of the disadvantages of the compound movement is that the chance of injury is much higher than with an isolation machine. This means that, when beginning an exercise routine, it is important that the form is carefully studied and followed, or muscle strain could result. Bowflex exercises are explained in detail in the accompanying manual, and the website also has video examples to help illustrate the range of motion. It is very important to follow the guidelines to the letter, as an injury could set back your fitness goals. Not doing an exercise correctly can also mean that the benefits are not as pronounced. Use a mirror in your home gym so you can keep an eye on your form, or better yet, get a training partner so you can help each other maintain proper form.
To lose weight, the best Bowflex exercises will be to combine compound movements with cardio, in what is known as circuit training. Circuit training, or circuits, is done by simply moving from one set to the next without resting in between. This keeps your heart rate up while you work the muscle. Often the workout will start with some light rowing, then a series of strength conditioning movements, followed by more rowing. The Bowflex is excellent for this type of training, as changing resistance levels is very quick. Unlike free weights, where weight plates must be removed or added and a collar must be threaded to secure the weight, the Bowflex is as quick as any Nautilus machine to adjust the level of the weight. This allows for a steady pace and higher heart rate for the duration of the workout, which burns more fat and increases fitness.
The Bowflex is designed for the home gym, but the exercises you can perform on it, especially when it includes the lat tower and leg attachment, are as varied as any commercial gym. If exercising at home is right for you, and weight loss as well as overall strength drives your primary goals, then the Bowflex may be the machine for you.