Anyone got a BOWFLEX??

[Dirtcrasher]

I just dropped the equivalent of a used 350X on a new BOWFLEX. Haven't had alot of time to use it yet or watch the video but wondered if anyone here has one and likes or dislikes it?

[LonesomeTriZ]

Why on earth did you do that?

[nate b]

when I get home from work, working out is the last thing on my mind. Should have bought some toys instead
NATE

[LonesomeTriZ]

That is the problem with those machines. Besides the fact that they do not work. People buy them because they do not have time to go to the gym. Unfortunatly that also means they do not have time to use the equipment they bought. After being in the military and now going to school full time, working and having a family I have still found time to work out. It is not how much you do, but how effective you are at doing it. ;)

[Dirtcrasher]

when I get home from work, working out is the last thing on my mind. Should have bought some toys instead
NATE

I hang massive commercial ductwork all day which is enough of a workout, this is just part of a NY resolution.

I have a home, a motocross track, 3 ATC's, 1 Blaster, MX bike, John Deere Backhoe, 4x4 truck, new work van, a full machine shop, 5 TV's, 4 cats, PS1,2, SNES, mountainbike, pool table etc etc etc.

Toys I have, good health I'm working on........

[LonesomeTriZ]

If you are doing that kind of work during the day it sounds as though all you should worry about when you get home cardio is what you should work on, not muscle indurance. Give your working muscles a break and give your heart and cardio system a wrok out. It only takes an hour if you put your mind to it. From warm up to cool down. I promise you, you will feel better and work better in a short amount of time.

[Trikeaholic]

after TF '02, I saw some pictures posted of a really FAT Holic. I decided at that time it was time to get into better shape. Anyway, I lost 50 Lbs on a gym I bought plus watching what I ate-it was the beer that was tough! LOL, any-hoo, keeping up the motivation to work out twice a day was more than I could handle. I try and try to find the motivation and energy but its tough with 3 jobs and 2 kids. And I wonder why I have no time to ride or finish the tri z project???!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck with it. I found if I got up early in the morn when the wife was in the shower I could bust out a good 20-30 minutes of hardcore lifting. Try that. It makes your day much better!

[Pistonhead]

Bowflex's are alright, there is a problem though-you dont get the full resistance till the very end of your movement, which means your muscles don't have to control the weight throughout the entire movement-that is whe free weights are still the very best-because you must develop the form and control the weight evenly- What I'm talking about is negative emphasis-for example in a bench press you get much more force exerted against your muscles during the lowering of the bar to your chest in a controlled movement without dropping it than you do raising it above your upper chest.

[Rod]

My buddy has one & loves it. Anything will help you get in shape. Just keep trying & it will happen.

[OldSchoolin86]

Why on earth did you do that?
That's nice, kick him for trying to better himself. :rolleyes:

Anything that gets you to do a work out is good. I ride and work hard but these days it seems like my treadmill keeps me in the best shape.

[LonesomeTriZ]

That's nice, kick him for trying to better himself. :rolleyes:

Anything that gets you to do a work out is good. I ride and work hard but these days it seems like my treadmill keeps me in the best shape.

The point I was trying to make is, A Bowflex may look good on TV, but for a real work out and mush less exspense there are more effective ways to do it. I know my trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro, trust me. A bowflex is nothing more than a poor product with cool comercials. I am not nocking anybody who has purchased one, they simply did not know any better. I have bought things in the past that turned out to be garbage, but I did not realize it at the time of purchase. We all fall for it at least once or twice in or lifes.

[BIGCRIP28]

I know some guy who bought one brand new, he used it for about a month then he just went back to free weights.
He prefers them and says that they work better.

[LonesomeTriZ]

Agreed....

[Pistonhead]

Agreed on my part as well, I use some machines for my workouts (universal gym's etc.
) but the bulk is always free weights for me.

[hedge1988]

yeah i work out 12 oz at a time lol

[asc180]

I had one for a while. They are good if you work out once a week but if you lift 3-4 times a week like I do they are easy to platue and not gain anything. They are nice if space is limited. I have 600lbs of free weights, a smith machine, and 2 benchs and still love going to the gym better.

[bigredhead]

I strech, and go beat on snow banks with my SX... fair workout if you really go at it !!

Donuts are good for the back.. jumps for the legs, wheelies for the upper chest.

[Dirtcrasher]

My fiance' and I split up 4 months ago and I decided to make some changes in my life....

Since October I've gone from 217lbs to 180lbs. The SX sure is happier :rolleyes: And my cholesterol went from 280 to 170.

I basically dropped alcohol from my life and begin to eat healthier. I haden't had a vegetable or fruit in about 15 years and my diet consisted primarily of bacon, cheese and mayonaise.

I'm up to about a 1.5miles jog (from about 500 feet) and I use free weights 3 times a week.

I wanted the Bowflex to use in conjunction with the free weights. I certainly seem to be able to get a great burn with the Bowflex.

My uncle has one and looks great, he claims it works well for him and I just wondered if any of you guys had or have used one.

[J.D.]

I recommend going to the gym myself. I've actually gained weight since going to the gym though..

I do a different workout every night. I dunno what all the groups are but basically Monday, Weds and Fri is different arm and back and ab workouts, and Tues and Thurs I do leg workouts. I usually try to do 15 minutes of cardio a night too. (Bike machine, treadmill, and this elliptical thing). In about 4 1/2 months of going I've went from 220 to 235 lbs, haha!

[3 weelin geezer]

I like free weights myself. They also take up much less room too. I do the 12 oz curls once in a while too but they seem to get lighter everytime I do a rep. I just can't figure out why? Damn! I'm looking buff.

[Bender]

i think there a peice of JUNK. you cant get full mucles contraction like free weights
and it limets the exercises that you can do. i just think that isolate so much better. how are suposed to squat on that junk. without squating you dont get as much testosterone flowing and without that than you wont build as much upperboddy muscle. what about dead lifts the best exercise the you do. cant do that can you?

[Dammit!]

My fiance' and I split up 4 months ago and I decided to make some changes in my life....

Since October I've gone from 217lbs to 180lbs.

lol

I broke up with my ex and went from a little over 200 down to 155 in 6 months. Funny how that happens ain't it? Nothing like ditching a life draining fountain of negativity from your life to motivate you to turn things around. :beer

[Dirtcrasher]

lol

I broke up with my ex and went from a little over 200 down to 155 in 6 months. Funny how that happens ain't it? Nothing like ditching a life draining fountain of negativity from your life to motivate you to turn things around. :beer

HA HA!!!! Glad to hear your doing better.


Nothing saps the energy from ya worse than an irresponsible, unmotivated partner.

Just glad I never married her :rolleyes: She would have got half the backhoe, track, house, trikes and so on......

I even held her Blaster hostage because she owes me 3K.

[Darius1502]

The more you take care of yourself the better you will feel and the clearer your mind will be.

I suggest joining a gym versus buying a home gym. Some people are more motivated training around other people. You can only gain so much muscle on bowflex machine. Free weights are the way to go if you want to build mass or even cut up.

I have been up to 240 pounds from ages 21 to 23 with a some good muscle mass and relatively lean. I have also been to 200 and leaner. Right now am trying to get my bodyfat down to about 7% and my weight up to 215. Its a 100% lifestyle that demands 24 hour attention. Its a blast though!

I am 32 now and have taken years off here and there. I look about like this but leaner and not quite as heavy. This pic is from age 21 and I weighed 238 pounds.

[Dirtcrasher]

i think there a peice of JUNK. you cant get full mucles contraction like free weights
and it limets the exercises that you can do. i just think that isolate so much better. how are suposed to squat on that junk. without squating you dont get as much testosterone flowing and without that than you wont build as much upperboddy muscle. what about dead lifts the best exercise the you do. cant do that can you?

You may be right about it being junk. Time will tell. It wasn't designed for squats or dead lifts but since you mentioned them....

Whats the deal with legs anyhow?, you are the second person to tell me that by working your legs you actually increase your upper body strength. Tell me some more please and why are deadlifts so good for you? How are they done correctly - my back stinks....

[Darius1502]

Some heavy leg trainingwill increase overall strenght. Heavy squats and deadlifts work the entire body in a very taxing manner.

The effect of this training causes the entire body as a system to grow. After good squat work out your body will release growth hormone. This causes your system to produce more muscle mass.

When started training I was 14 years old and 125 pounds. Two years later at 16 I weighted 165. I stared squatting really heavy at 17 years old. In 1.5 years shot my body weight up to 240 pounds. Yes some of it was fat but it was alot of muscle.

My legs grew my chest, back and arms also grew. For example my leg circumferane went from 24 inches to 28.5 inches in 6 months. Some of it is genetics, but most of it is diet and some intense training. It was nothing to puke in the bathroom every squat workout for the first 6 months.

When you train like that and eat like a horse...you grow.

[Darius1502]

Deadlifts are a good exercise but start slow and warm up to them. You should concentrate on keeping your butt low and your head up. Don't lock your knees or you will hyperextend the joint.

Always wear a belt.

[Dammit!]

Food for thought and motivation: The lighter you are, the faster your trike can go. :D

[Darius1502]

Thats a good point Dammit.

Well...besides that one point...here is my motivation:

http://www.bodybuildingdungeon.com/Videos/Jay%20Cutler%20Ripped%20To%20Shreds%202004%20Video %20Preview.wmv

[3 weelin geezer]

That guy is almost as big as me. look in my mirror.

[Darius1502]

Sweet Avitar man...!!

[Bender]

You may be right about it being junk. Time will tell. It wasn't designed for squats or dead lifts but since you mentioned them....

Whats the deal with legs anyhow?, you are the second person to tell me that by working your legs you actually increase your upper body strength. Tell me some more please and why are deadlifts so good for you? How are they done correctly - my back stinks....

when you squat and dead lift you contract your muscles so hard it makes your body produce natural growth hormones cause you use just about every mucle in your body to perform it correctly

[Darius1502]

There you go. During the squat your whole body acts a stabilizer. This places huge demands on the system and forces the body as a system to grow.