Bowflex Xtreme - Manual (Page 23)

21
Design Your Own Program
Understand fitness and its components.
Improperly designed programs can be dangerous.
Take some time to review this manual as well as
other fitness guides.
Know your current fitness level. Before you start any
fitness program you should consult a physician who
will help you determine your current abilities.
Identify your goals. Goals are critical to choosing
and designing an exercise program that fits and
enhances your lifestyle, but so is strategy. It’s
important not to rush the process and try to
accomplish too much too soon. That will lead to
setbacks and discouragement. Instead, set a series
of smaller achievable goals.
Select complementary exercises. Be sure to
pair exercises that address compound joint
movements and single joint movements. In
addition, select exercises that address compli-
mentary muscle groups.
Put first things first. During each session, first work
muscle groups that need the most training.
Remember your cardiovascular component. Any
fitness program must contain a cardiovascular
fitness component to be complete. So complement
your resistance training with aerobic exercise such
as walking, running, or bicycling.
Training variables. When designing your own
program there are several variables that, when
mixed properly, will equal the right fitness
formula for you. In order to find out the best
formula, you must experiment with several
combinations of variables.
The variables are as follows:
• Training Frequency: The number of times you
train per week. We recommend daily activity but
not daily training of the same muscle group.
• Training Intensity: The amount of resistance
used during your repetition.
• Training Volume: The number of repetitions
and sets performed.
• Rest Intervals: The time you rest between sets
and the time you rest between workouts.
Once you’ve established a base of fitness, follow
these basic principles:
• Isolate Muscle Groups: Focus work on specific
muscle groups.
• Progressive Loading: The gradual systematic
increase of repetitions, resistance and exercise
period.
Define Your Goals