Bowflex home gyms are weight training equipment that can help you tone and strengthen your body, and when used correctly can also be effective devices to assist with fat loss. Using a circuit training program on a Bowflex is simple and will push your cardiovascular system to the max while also boosting your metabolism for weight loss.
The Workout
The Bowflex fitness guide that comes with every Bowflex home gym outlines specifics for eight different workouts, including a circuit training routine. The program consists of three different circuits, each with five exercises that work major muscle groups like your chest, arms, shoulders, legs, back and torso. The resistance for each exercise is set at a moderate level, and you quickly perform one set of eight to 12 repetitions for each exercise in the circuit. Each of the three circuits may be performed three times consecutively per workout depending on your fitness level.
Target Heart Rate
The goal of a circuit training routine is to keep your heart elevated throughout the session. The American Heart Association suggests finding your maximum heart rate and then exercising at 50 to 85 percent of that number. This will help you monitor your workout progress and burn more calories during training. Bowflex advises that your heart should not exceed 220 beats per minute minus your age, however, or you could be at risk for heart failure. Take no more than 20 seconds of rest between exercises to keep your heart rate up. The compact nature of Bowflex home gyms allows you to quickly switch between exercises, making circuit training an optimal workout for the machine.
Diet
The Bowflex fitness guide recommends undertaking a reduced calorie diet if you want to lose weight from exercising on the machine. While a Bowflex circuit training routine will help you burn calories, it may not be enough to shed pounds of fat. The Bowflex Diet designed by Dr. Ellignton Darden advises that men train on a 1500 calorie diet and women 1200 calories. You should eat whole foods and have 60 percent of your calories come from carbohydrates. Every two weeks, reduce your calories per day by 100 until you reach 1300 or 1000 calories per day, depending on your gender.
Customization
Changing the Bowflex circuit training workout to your own specifications is simple. The longer you make the training session, the more calories you will burn and the stronger your cardiovascular system will become. You can lengthen your training by simply repeating the Bowflex circuits more times, or you can add more exercises. Ensure that you do not over train a particular muscle group with too many exercises in a single circuit. You may also add light cardiovascular exercises like jumping jacks and sprints to the circuit between your Bowflex exercises for an even more intense workout.
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