Home workout equipment (cowboydoc...??)

[MJB]

I have a bowflex I bought about 3 years ago. I like it. So far I have lost about 50 lbs, going from 210 down to 160./forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I workout for about a half hour, 3 times a week from around September until about May. It is too hot for me to workout during the summer, plus I have much more work to get done outdoors then anyway. I think the biggest secret to keeping to a home exercise plan is to keep the equipment where you can't ignore it. My bowflex is set up right in the living room. I see it sitting there whenever I am watching TV. Many commercials for home exercise equipment make a big deal about how easy it is to fold it up and hide it in a closet or under the bed. That is the last thing you would want to do. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Is it worth the money? For me, I would say every penny. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[thcri]

MJB,

How much room do you need for the bowflex. I have a room I would like to put one in but it only has a 6.5' ceiling. Will it work in that room? I have I suppose 10 x 10 for floor space.


Murph

 

[MJB]

6.5' might fit. I will have to take some measurements when I get home.

 

[dmccarty]

Richard,

Its a tough question.

But the bottom line is that you have to have the discpline
and time to work out. Regardless if it is at home or at the
gym. My problem now is time. With the land to work on,
a house to get built, a house to prepare to sell, a young kid
and another on the way, plus a couple of jobs, who has time?
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I went to one gym that was 50+ dollars a month. Expensive.
But I liked it because they had quality equipment, a pool,
hot tub, steam room and a dry sauna. Two things helped me
go work out. One was the steam room. I liked that so much
that it was my reward for going to work out. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Many a
night I was very tired and did not want to work out but the
steam room got me to the gym. Once I was there I would
do my work out without a problem. It was the getting there
that was hard work. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The other draw to the gym is that once you have worked out
for a couple of months you will notice a big difference in how
far you have come. And if you let up on the routine you start
slipping backwards. Which requires more work to get back to
your high point. That helped me get to the gym.

So find something that holds your interest. The cardio is
really boring. Even listening to the radio or watching TV so
you just have to do it....

Once our house is built I'm really thinking about buying a set
of free wieghts. They are cheap compared to the other
equipment. I can get the cardio work done by running/walking
or property. The problem with any of the weight machines is
that they are limited in how much weight they "hold." I looked
at one of the brands and I was lifting more than the machine
could hold. And I'm not a Arnold by any stretch of the
imagination.....

One thing you could do is just join the gym for awhile and see
what you like and dont like. Go for a couple of months and
see how much progress you make on the machines. Then see
what you might want/need at home.

Later,
Dan McCarty

 

[rdricks]

We also use a Bowflex - have had it for about a year and still use it Monday through Friday. However, we also set it up right outside our bedroom, where we practically trip over it. we have taken away every excuse not to use it.

It has been worth it for us, but you must have the self-determination to use the thing. It isn't going to "Bulk you up" like free wight may, but to keep in shape it is nice, and the variety of exercises is also nice. (If you start getting bored of a routine you can change)

 

[Mosey]

"Powered treadmills confuse me"

I felt the same way, so I bought a manual treadmill. They're hard to find and the biggest one I could find was a 48"x16" belt, which is really too small for me, but was fine for my wife. It provided a good workout since the user had to supply all the energy. Note that I said "provided", not "provides". I ended up returning it. The problem with a manual treadmill is that you have to hang with your hands the whole time. If you let go, then you don't have anything to push against and will just walk off the front of the belt. It's funny how sometimes things like that aren't obvious before hand! Having to hang on all the time was hard on my back and made my hands start to go numb after about 20 minutes.

So, now I have a motorized treadmill. It's a 50"x18" belt, so it fits me much better. It has a power incline and a lot of fancy features to make the "walk" or "run" more interesting by having pre-programmed "courses" and iFIT technology so it can be hooked to a computer or TV so you actually see the course. We bought it for winter use when it's too cold out to walk or run. We've only had it a week and haven't even tried it yet because I'm just getting over being sick and so is my wife. We'll see how it works out in the long run (pun intended!).

As for losing weight, I lost over 25lbs by cutting way back on eating and eliminating sweets altogether, and swimming for 30 minutes as hard and fast as I could 3 times a week. I lost 5lbs a month this way. Now that I'm down to the weight I should be, I just need to keep from regaining it! I plan to only swim once or twice a week and mix that with the treadmill or actual walking or running, depending on the weather. The key to losing weight is to BOTH exercise AND diet. If you just diet, your body will lower it's metabolism and try to shut down to conserve energy, so you won't lose weight very fast. If you just exercise, you won't burn fat, you'll just burn the food you eat. A weight machine or Bowflex type machine is mostly for building muscle, not for losing fat. Good luck!

 

[Wingnut]

Consumers Report rated the (then current) exercise machines several years ago and put Bowflex on their "recommended" list.
My experience is that you need a LOT of self-discipline to use - and continue to use - exercise equipment at home. I have a resistance weight training station (Weider), a cross-country ski machine, an airwalker (my wife REALLY wanted that ... has never used it) ... had a stationary bike, rower ... BUT, the only exercise exercise I get is getting to work an hour early and hitting the gym for a 30-45 minute workout. It's convenient, it's NOT at home where I have too many distractions ... and it saves water (I rarely shower at home anymore /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif )

pete

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> If you just diet, your body will lower it's metabolism and try to shut down to conserve energy, so you won't lose weight very fast. </font>
I've lost 41 pounds in the last 15 weeks on the ABE diet. Anything But Exercise. I use a software product called BalanceLog, on both my Windows PC as well as my Palm M505, from Healthetech that helps me track calories. It can also track calories burned from almost any activity. My theory on losing weight is kind of simple, eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight.

BalanceLog would also benefit people who have to track carbs, sugars, proteins, etc., for medical reasons, e.g., diabetes, heart condition, etc. It contains a great database of all kinds of foods, including commercial and prepared foods as well as an exercise database for all kinds of activities, like shoveling snow!

 

[rationalizer]

I think powered treadmills are the best choice for home excercise. For one - you can watch TV easily. Second - they "force" you to keep up. I found that the single best thing I did to lower my marathon times was to use a treadmill. The "incentive" of not falling off the back is a good one. When you get comfortable at a certain speed - crank it up another tenth, or raise the incline.

Bill

 

[Mosey]

Mike - "lost 41 pounds in the last 15 weeks on the ABE diet. Anything But Exercise."

That's amazing! It doesn't work that way for me though. If I don't exercise to keep my energy level up, I don't have any motivation and tend to get real lazy and not want to move. If I exercise, I have more energy and motivation to do things the rest of the day. It's kind of the opposite of what seems to make sense. Instead of being tired from the exercise and just wanting to rest, I get "energized" from the exercise. Plus, I think the exercise is important to good health. I've always done type of exercise to stay healthy. It keeps the cholesterol level down (mine is about 170) and keeps the heart strong! Why are you so opposed to exercise?

PS: Another advantage of exercise is that when you do need to lose some weight, you don't have to starve yourself. All I did was cut back and cut out sweets for a while. Now that I don't need to lose any more weight (and shouldn't or I'll be too skinny), I can eat what I want as long as I keep exercising. I don't want to live the rest of my life without being able to eat the things I like.