I recently purchased a Bowflex Xtreme for the bargain price of $374. It is a good piece of strength training equipment , but it isn’t very useful if you don’t know how to utilize it properly. The machine comes with a manual, fold out exercise chart and a DVD. Still, I was a little confused on how to setup a proper training program. I rushed out to Borders Books to pick up a copy of “Bowflex Body Plan” by Ellington Darden. I read several reviews of the book that stated that it was a very helpful addition to Bowflex Xtreme.
This book is great because it gives you full exercise, meal and hydration plans. Ellington Darden has over 30 years of experience with the study of strength training and lean bodies. The diet and hydration plans that are described in this book can be associated with any workout plan. Only the exercises are directly associated with the Bowflex system. All of the exercises in the book can be performed on other strength training machines that are on the system. Many of the exercises can also be performed with free weights or other types of resistance machines.
This is not a book that is going to get you a massive body. I think that Ellington tries to teach you how to get and maintain a lean body. Several case studies are described that demonstrate huge weight loss in the 6 week program that is detailed in the book. This book takes away all of the guess work and gives you a 100% detail of what YOU need to do to get a lean body. The meal plans include brand names and offer alternative meals. The hydration plan outlines exactly how much water you need each day. The workout plan gives specific detail of what you need to do and how often you need to workout.
Ellington describes that drinking ice cold water will burn more calories than drinking room temperature water. Your body has to work to bring up the temperature of that water. He also describes why dieting alone is bad for you. He surprisingly mentions that cardiovascular workouts are not required on days that you don’t use the Bowflex. It was my impression that you should do strength training three times a week and cardio at least twice a week. Dr. Darden says that you have to turn your Bowflex workout into a cardio workout and strength training workout. He also throws out the notion that multiple sets of each exercise are needed. According to Darden, you only need to do one set of each exercise until you fail and then quickly move on to the next exercise and do the same thing. The main idea is to set the resistance with enough weight to to 12 full reps and you should fail somewhere during the 13. He also recommends a max of three 30 minute workouts a week. This may sound strange to someone who is a workout maniac, but he has proof that this works. One of the most important aspects of your workouts occurs when you are not working out at all. We all need rest for our muscles and sleep of at least 6-8 hours. He explains that sleep is crucial to building muscle and losing weight.
I don’t want to give the whole book away, but you should get one today if you own a Bowflex machine.
*Note - I have the Bowflex Xtreme and some of the exercises in the book require the optional leg developer. You will also have to modify the excercises for the seated row because the Xtreme does not have the sliding seat.
