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I know Doc is using the bowflex.. I think he is on vacation for the holidays.. he always has a lot of good advice and has been seeing results.. By the way, welcome to the forum! It is always great to have someone new :)
i have been going to ballys. i definitely have been trying to get smaller and not bigger. any muscle i put on tends to make me look bigger but not in the way i want. i am trying to do as much cardio as i can but the years of smoking and being heavy have taken their toll. its going to take me awhile to get up to speed.
Thank you QueenBee! This site's a great find. I'll anticipate Doc's review, upon his return (hopefully he'll give it). BigBoy - I feel your pain, man. I'm 29, and I started smoking when I was 12. I'm not talking one or two, stolen from the old man's stash; I'm talking a pack a day until I was 18, then 2 packs a day thereafter (at least). I quit a couple years ago, but that's a whole different topic. I had it bad, but my life was a little less traditional than most kids. The cardio is still hard on me now. I have to keep doing it because if I miss a week, it feels like I haven't been doing it for a year. My wife misses a week, and it's nothing for her to keep the same intensities. I have big bones. If I gain 2 lbs of fat, it looks like 10. The cool thing about it is if you gain muscle, you look bigger (more muscular). As I stated in my intro, I started working out 2 years ago...pretty much the same time as when I quit smoking... I have a buddy that's been working out for over 10 years. He benches close to 500. I look bigger than him because I have bigger bonestructure. He hates that, but I hate that I can only bench 300. Ha! Gotta love it. :) Bally's is a great health club, bro! Keep up the cardio and you'll get where you want, for sure! - Leo
congrats to both you guys (BigBoy and Leo) on quitting cigarettes. they are terrible things that are sure to make you sick or even worse. cardio is always a bit harder to do after you've gotten away from for a while, more so if it's been over a week or two. you just get going again. it's the only thing left to do. :) nice to *meet* you leo!
quitting smoking also gives you a nice sense of accomplishment. like if you can quit smoking then beating some more minor habits is never a problem. in the least of things to do for improving yourself, this one is right at the the top.
I love my BowFlex. They have a 6-week challenge, which you may or may not like. It's basically a higher-carb, low-fat, low-protein, low-cal diet. As a male, one would start out about 1500 calories a day and drop to 1300 calories a day (decreasing by 100 calories every 2 weeks). They recommend one drinks as much cold water as possible - close to 2 gallons a day (!) near the end. Then, they have a series of exercises to follow. One works out 3x a week for 20-30 minutes, doing just one set of 8-12 repititions of each exercise. The exercises hit all areas of the body (as opposed to chest/abs one day, arms the next and then legs type of regimen) They recommend high carbs because you actually burn carbs while weight-lifting. You need protein to build muscle, and the diet does recommend a fair amount of lean protein (tuna - no mayo, turkey, etc.), but is higher in carbs so you have the energy for the workouts. This challenge, though, is for people who want to lose weight. A man can lose up to 26 pounds of fat and gain 3 pounds (or so) of muscle for a 23 pound weight loss. This is almost exactly what I saw in the 6 week period, so it does work. However, it is a tough program to follow. I plan on starting up again on it very soon. I followed it religiously for the first 8 weeks of my weight-loss program, but then started altering things. I'd add in other foods, work-out more or less (depending on my schedule), etc. My weight loss wasn't as fast on my own system, but I still lost weight, and felt better (less hungry, few cravings, etc.). From what you wrote, I doubt you need to follow any weight-loss program. It sounds like you have bulked up to gain muscle and maybe now are just doing some toning. The BowFlex is great for that - but there's no need for you to do the 6-week challenge. Rather, find the types of exercises that will give you the appearance you want in your body. I like the BowFlex a lot because it offers great resistance, yet virtually no joint pain. One can exercise alone, lifting up to 410 pounds, without worry (no need for a spotter). You can get a decent cardio workout with the equipment (if you choose) and it's VERY easy to go between exercises, meaning little down time. To me, it's been one of the best purchases I've made. This year, I'm hoping to continue losing weight while building even more muscle. I know a lot of people swear by free weights, but if you start using your BowFlex, you may find it better than your free weights! Good luck to you on your body toning goals!
leo? you out there? any progess yet?
Ha! Sorry man. I've been pretty busy. Just went through another round of layoffs at work, and I'm still squeekin' by. Rough times for the telecom industry. <sigh> I have found that the Bowflex is not right for me. It just doesn't have enough "umph" for me. I mean, it's probably great after time, but the resistance on it takes some getting used-to. For example, while benching, I noticed that the resistance at rest is virtually non-existant until you push to full reach. Very smooth, but almost too easy and unnatural to what I'm used-to. I know... weird. On the flip, my wife totally digs it! Her progress is extremely inspiring but her build is...well... feminine. :) Obviously, it's working great for her, and she's been at it for weeks now. She looks great <emphasis added>! I'm back at the gym. My BF is pretty high right now. My weight today was 235, and that's enough to burn anyone's motivation. I'm doing cardio everyday, only hitting one muscle group at a time. I go everyday, not missing one workout. I don't want to be Flex Wheeler in his prime, but a Jean Claude Van Damme body (in his prime) would be nice. :lol: We'll have to see what happens. Never really tried this hard before (slimmin' up) but I have noticed that the older I get, the harder it becomes. Especially when food/junk is so abundant. HA!
a good buddy of mine has been dodging layoffs for xo for years. hes the last guy out of 18 who used to do the job so i understand what you mean. the exercises definitely have to feel right. one person i knew claimed he got sore shoulders using bowflex so i guess people's milage varies.
I agree - use machines or weights that work for you. As far as I'm concerned, there is a tremendous amount of resistance, both up and down, using the BowFlex - FAR more than I had when I used weights. And, looking at my built, while I'm clearly not at my goals, I'm not "feminine" in built either. LOL! :wink: But if you don't like the BowFlex, then use what you do like. Many people tend to do a this jerk-like motion while lifting weights, which can't be done with the BowFlex. This is what causes joint pain - and one reason I like the BowFlex over free weights. The other is that the machine is MUCH lighter than weights. :D As for pain... I've had almost none with the BowFlex. No joint pain, no stressing, etc. So when someone describes having pain using this machine, I do have to wonder if they are doing things correctly. There's also the possibility that the exercises they are doing on the BowFlex are only emphasizing a pre-existing condition (like a rotator cuff injury) that they weren't aware of until they started exercising *properly* with the BowFlex. So your friend, BigBoy, might want to have his shoulder examined - there may be a more serious injury there that he's simply ignored for a while.
frankly my buddy is just more anecdotal evidence and hearsay which i tend to ignore. folks need to listen to their own bodies and find an exercise path that's right for them. there are a ton of them these days.
[quote:f7f4476954="doctoru2"]...I'm not "feminine" in built either. LOL! :wink: [/quote:f7f4476954] D'oh! You weren't supposed-to catch that, Doc! :) Sorry about that. Wasn't really what I meant, but could be viewed as such, I guess.