Bowflex Workout Routines (Back)

Standing Shoulder Pullover with Bent Lat Bar

Muscles Targeted:

• Latissimus Dorsi (Upper Back)

• Teres Major (Upper Back)

• Rear Deltoid Muscles

• Triceps

• Pectoralis Major

This exercise is performed in the standing position facing the Power Rod unit.

It uses the fifty inch bent Lat Bar accessory and utilizes the Lat Tower pulley. Remove the seat before you begin this exercise.

Starting Position:

• Standing with your feet flat on the platform, keep your knees slightly bent
• Raise your arms over your head and hold the fifty-inch Bent Lat Bar with your palms facing the floor
• Tighten your abs to stabilize your spine while keeping a gentle arch in your lower back

Movement:

• Move your hands down in an arc toward your legs
• Finish with your arms by your sides, pushing your shoulder blades down and tightening your lats completely
• Return to starting position in a controlled fashion by slowly moving your arms over your head and releasing your shoulder blades

Form Pointers:

• Keep your spine aligned at all times. Relax your neck, keep your chest lifted and your abs tightened. Keep a gentle arch in your lower back.
• Keep your lats tight through the whole movement.
• After each rep, release your shoulder blades. Start each new rep by depressing your shoulder blades.

Narrow Pulldowns with Bent Lat Bar, Shoulder Extension

Muscles Targeted:

• Latissimus Dorsi (Upper Back)
• Teres Major (Upper Back)
• Rear Deltoid Muscles
• Biceps

This exercise is performed in the seated position facing the Power Rod unit. It uses the fifty inch bent Lat Bar accessory and utilizes the Lat Tower pulley. Remove the leg extension before you begin this exercise.

Starting Position:

• Sit facing the Bowflex and hold the fifty-inch Bent Lat Bar with your palms facing the floor
• Position your thighs under the pulleys, sitting up straight with your arms extending up.
• Keep your spine aligned, your abs tight, and your chest lifted, maintaining a gentle arch in your lower back

Movement:

• Pull your shoulder blades together and downward while pulling your elbows down and to the front, then in toward your sides
• At the end of the movement, your arms should be near your sides with your shoulders pushing downward toward your hips. Keep your forearms aligned with the cables.
• Return to the starting position in a controlled fashion and let your arms and shoulder blades move up without relaxing your muscles

Form Pointers:

• Keep your spine aligned at all times
• Keep your lats tight through the whole movement.

Standing Low Back Extension with Hip Extension

Muscles Targeted:

• Erector Spinae (Lower Back Muscles)
• Deep Spinal Muscles
• Lower back Muscles
• Gluteus Maximus
• Hamstrings

This exercise is performed in the standing position facing outward. It uses handgrip accessories and utilizes the squat pulley frame. Remove the seat and leg extension before you begin this exercise.

Starting Position:

• Slide the handgrips over your arms to your elbows
• Stand with a comfortable bend in your knees and cross your arms in front of your chest, pulling the handgrips to your chest hard.
• Tighten your trunk muscles, lift your chest, and arch your lower back a little bit, pulling your shoulder blades together a little
• Bend over at the hips, letting a bit of tension out of the cables

Movement:

• Using your hips as a pivot point, move your whole trunk upward, keeping your chest lifted
• Return to the starting position in a controlled fashion without changing the alignment of your spine
• Keep your lower back slightly arched and your chest lifted
• Move from the hips, not the waist. Keep the arch in your lower back the same throughout the motion

Bowflex Workout Routines (Chest)

Bench Press – Shoulder Horizontal Adduction and Elbow Extention

Muscles Targeted:

• Pectoralis Major (Chest Muscles)

• Anterior Deltoid (Front Shoulder Muscles)

• Triceps

This exercise is performed in the seated position with facing outward.

It uses the handgrip accessories and utilizes the center cross bar in the wide position.

Starting position:

• From a sitting position, hold the handgrips one in each hand, keeping the cables and grips running along the underside of your forearms

• Straighten your arms to the front

• Make sure your arms are directly in line with the cables, with your wrists straight and your palms facing the floor.

• Raise your chest and press your shoulder blades together, keeping a very gentle, comfortable arch in your lower back

Movement:

• Slowly move your elbows outward and bend your arms, keeping your forearms in line with the cables

• Stop when your upper arms are straight out to your sides, at the same level as your shoulders

• Slowly press your arms forward, moving your hands toward the center in front of your body. Return to the starting position, keeping your arms straight to the front at shoulder width, with your hands just above your knees and in line with the cables. Keep your chest muscles tight.

Form Pointers:

• Keep a ninety-degree angle between your upper arms and your torso at all times

• Do not let your elbows travel behind your shoulders

• Keep your shoulder blades pressed together and keep your spine straight and aligned

Chest Flys – Shoulder Horizontal Adduction with Elbow Stabilized

Muscles Targeted:

• Pectoralis Major (Chest Muscles)

• Anterior Deltoid (Front Shoulder Muscles)

This exercise is performed in the seated position with facing outward. It uses the handgrip accessories and utilizes the center cross bar in the wide position. Position the pulleys in the wide position.

Starting position:

• From a sitting position, hold the handgrips one in each hand

• Straighten your arms to the front

• Make sure your arms are directly in line with the cables, with your wrists straight and your palms facing in.

• Raise your chest and press your shoulder blades together, keeping a gentle, comfortable arch in your lower back

Movement:

• Slowly move your arms inward, keeping your elbows in a slightly bent position all through the motion

• Stop when your upper arms are straight out to the front, at the same level as your shoulders

• Slowly return to the starting position while keeping your chest muscles tight.

Form Pointers:

• Keep a ninety-degree angle between your upper arms and your torso at all times

• Do not let your elbows travel behind your shoulders

• Keep your shoulder blades pressed together and keep your spine straight and aligned

Decline Bench Press: Horizontal Shoulder Adduction and Elbow Extension

Muscles Targeted:

• Pectoralis Major (Chest muscles)

• Anterior Deltoid (Front shoulder muscles)

• Triceps

This exercise is performed in the seated position with the seat on the lowest setting, facing outward. It uses the handgrip accessories and utilizes the center cross bar in the standard position.

Starting position:

• From a sitting position, hold the handgrips one in each hand, keeping the cables and grips running along the underside of your forearms

• Lower your arms five to six inches from the standard bench press position

• Straighten your arms to the front

• Make sure your arms are directly in line with the cables, with your wrists straight and your palms facing the floor.

• Raise your chest and press your shoulder blades together, keeping a gentle arch in your lower back

Movement:

• Slowly move your elbows outward and bend your arms, keeping your forearms in line with the cables

• Stop when your upper arms are straight out to your sides, about ten degrees below your shoulders

• Slowly press your arms forward, moving your hands toward the center in front of your body. Return to the starting position, keeping your arms straight at shoulder width, with your hands just above your knees and in line with the cables. Keep your chest muscles tight.

Form Pointers:

• Keep a ninety-degree angle between your upper arms and your torso at the bottom end of the movement, and slightly less than ninety degrees at the top of the movement

• Do not let your elbows travel behind your shoulders

• Keep your shoulder blades pressed together and keep your spine straight and aligned

Incline Bench Press – Shoulder Horizontal Adduction and Elbow Extension

Muscles Targeted:

• Upper Pectoralis Major (Chest Muscles)

• Anterior Deltoid (Shoulder Muscles)

Tricep Extensions

This exercise is performed in the seated position facing outward. It uses the handgrip accessories and utilizes the center cross bar in the wide position.

Starting position:

• From a sitting position, hold the handgrips one in each hand

• Raise your arms six to eight inches from the standard bench press position

• Straighten your arms to the front

• Make sure your arms are directly in line with the cables, with your wrists straight and your palms facing the floor.

• Raise your chest and press your shoulder blades together, keeping a gentle arch in your lower back

Movement:

• Slowly move your elbows outward and bend your arms, keeping your forearms in line with the cables

• Stop when your upper arms are straight out to your sides, about ten degrees above your shoulders

• Slowly press your arms forward, moving your hands toward the center in front of your body. Return to the starting position, keeping your arms straight at shoulder width, with your hands just above your knees and in line with the cables. Keep your chest muscles tight.

Form Pointers:

• Keep a ninety degree angle between your upper arms and the sides of your torso at the bottom end of the movement, and slightly more than ninety degrees from the front at the top of the movement

• Do not let your elbows travel behind your shoulders

• Keep your shoulder blades pressed together and keep your spine straight and aligned

Bowflex Workout Routines (Abs)

Seated Resisted Abdominal Crunch with Spinal Flexion

Muscles Targeted:

• Upper and Lower Rectus Abdominus (Front Abs)

• Obliques (Side Abs)

This exercise is performed in the seated position facing outward.

It uses the handgrip accessories and utilizes the center cross bar pulley in the narrow position.

Remove the leg extension before you begin this exercise.

Starting Position:

• From a seated position, move hand grips to rest over each shoulder by sliding them one at a time over each arm

• Keeping your feet flat on the floor and your hips and knees bent, position your back either in a gentle arch or flat against the seat

Movement:

• Tighten your abdominal muscles and curl only your torso, moving your ribs slowly downward toward your hips. Go as far as possible without moving your neck or your hips. When fully crunched, do not let your lower back come off the back of the bench

• Return to the starting position slowly and without relaxing, reversing the previous movement

Form Pointers:

• Exhale up and inhale down

• Do not lift your chin/head

• Keep abs tightened until entire set is completed

• Move slowly to reduce reliance on momentum

Seated Resisted Oblique Abdominal Crunch

Muscles Targeted:

• External and Internal Obliques (Side Abs)

This exercise is performed in the seated position facing outward. It uses the handgrip accessories and utilizes the center cross bar pulley in the standard position. Remove the leg extension before you begin this exercise.

Starting Position:

• Set the seat to the lowest setting possible

• From a seated position, slide your arm through the webbing on the handgrip to pull it around one shoulder like a backpack strap

• Keeping your feet flat on the floor and your hips and knees bent, position your back either in a gentle arch or flat against the seat

Movement:

• Tighten your abdominal muscles, paying special attention to the area from the front of your pelvis to the side of your ribs on the same side

• Slowly rotate and curl your torso, moving diagonally with the side of your ribcage directed at the front of your pelvis

• Move as far as possible without letting your lower back or hips come out of contact with the bench

• Return to the starting position slowly and without relaxing, reversing the previous movement

Form Pointers:

• Exhale up and inhale down

• Do not lift your chin/head

• Keep abs tightened until entire set is completed

• Move slowly to reduce reliance on momentum

The main muscle groups to focus on in regards to the arms are the biceps, triceps, and forearms.

Utilizing bowflex workout routines the Bowflex home gym will provide added force to the exercise, promoting strength and toning for that particular area.

Bowflex Workout Routines Biceps:

The biceps are the muscle group made up of the biceps brachii, brachialis, and the brachioradialis.  The high pulley curl and reverse curl are the ideal exercises for the biceps.

When the high pulley curl is executed properly, the body will be laying flat on the bench, facing upward toward the ceiling.  Place the hands, palms toward you, about eight inches from each other on the pulley bar above.  In slow movement, begin to curl the bar toward the chin, and then slowly raise the arms and pulley back to the starting position.

The reverse curl is similar to the high pulley curl only the palms are facing away from you.  This exercise may be done in standing position utilizing the pulley bar.  Begin placing the hands on the bar.  The same motion executed for the high pulley curl can be repeated for this exercise.

Bowflex Workout Routines Triceps:

The triceps brachii, medial head, and long head make up the tricep muscle group, the back of the upper arm.  Pushdowns and parallel bar dips are a great way to tone these muscles.

The pushdowns will again utilize the pulley bar.  For this exercise grip the bar and position the arms in a way that the forearms are parallel to the floor.  Being sure to keep the elbows in close to the body and proceed to push the bar toward the floor.  Release the weight slowly to the starting position.

The parallel bar dips may be implemented by utilizing the bars on the side of the bowflex.  For this exercise, it is imperative that the back stay straight and knees bent.  Begin by placing the bars.  Push the body upward and then downward in a slow motion.

Bowflex Workout Routines Forearms:

The flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus, flexor carpi radialis, pronator teres, pronator quadratus, extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis make up the forearm, lower arm.  The reverse pushdown is an ideal exercise for these muscles.  Similarly to the pushdown.  This exercise can be executed with the pulley bar.  Be sure to keep the elbows bent and in toward the body; proceed to push the bar to the floor.  When releasing the weight, the arms should move upward until the elbow reaches a ninety-degree angle.  Then repeat.

There are several bowflex workout routines for the legs that one could execute with the Bowflex home gym.

Depending on what is desired, one could focus on many different muscles at one time or specific areas

Bowflex Workout Routines Quadriceps:

Quadriceps, which include:  the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis, the thigh muscles.  Some exercises one could perform are the leg press, leg extension, and squats.

The leg press is executed by sitting on the Bowflex press, placing the feet shoulder width apart on the cross piece and gripping the handles on either side.  In a slow motion begin to push on the cross piece, forcing the weight away from the body.  During this step the knees should never lock, but rather begin to lower the weight back down just before the legs are completely straight.  This exercise will also work the hamstrings and calves.

Leg extensions focus solely on the quadriceps.  Begin by sitting on the bench provided near the extension area of the Bowflex, place the feet behind the padded bar.  Be sure that the knees are hanging over the edge of the seat.  Maintaining the sitting position, force the weight upward until the legs are completely straight, pause momentarily and then slowly lower the weight back down.

When executed properly, squats will work the lower back muscles, hamstrings, calves, and glutes in addition to the quadriceps.  Place the barbell on the upper back.  Be sure that it is not resting on your neck.  Standing with the feet about shoulder width apart and the hands gripping the barbell and the back straight begin to bend the knees and lower the hips until the thighs are parallel with the floor.

Bowflex Workout Routines Hamstrings:

Hamstrings are the back of the thigh.  The muscles included are the Semitendinosus, the semimembranosus and the biceps femoris.  Squats are good for this area of focus.  Another exercise that could be executed is the dead lift.

The stiff-legged dead lift will require the use of the barbell.  This exercise will work the lower back and calves as well as the hamstrings.  Begin by bending at the waist, keep the head straight, and grip the barbell.  Raise the barbell upward until the back is completely straight, lower the barbell back towards the floor allowing the plates to come as close to the floor without ever touching it.

Bowflex Workout Routines Adductors:

To work the inner thigh, simply execute the leg press and squats.  The one difference is the placement of the feet.  For this style, the feet should be spread further from each other widening the stance.