Customer Reviews

The Bowflex Body Plan

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I like Ellington Darden alot. He DOES know his stuff. So Anyway I own the Ultimate Bowflex. I used to own the regular Bowflex with no attachments and I really never used it. It just sat for a very long time. Alot of it was I just wasn't sure how to do the exercises. So I went on a low carb diet, started walking and lost weight. Then I hit a HUGE stall. I always new I needed to strength train but never did. I hated going to the gym and wasted my money on a year membership. So this past winter I got an offer to send back the regular bowflex, trade it in, get 1000 toward an ultimate with EVERYTHING. So I did it. Get a brand new machine with all the bells and whistles. Again I still wasnt sure what to do. THe video that comes with the ultimate is great, gives a good description of what to do. So I was looking around one day and saw this book and brought it. Well I love it. It is great. Gives GREAT detail instructions and tips for the best exercises on the bowflex. It also has several plans, for gaining muscle, losing fat, for your hips, for your arms, for your chest and for your abs. I still need to lose fat before I can try other routines. But I went on his meal plan which is real simple and good for you. I am eating stuff that was restricted on a low carb diet. And I lost weight. I used to not be able to go down past 168 no matter what I did. Now I am 5'11" and 162 lbs (which is actually just right I just need to lose fat and gain muscle). Also if I cheat I don't balloon up. I highly recommend this book if you have the bowflex. His workout routines and eating plans are also worth it. There is also background information on the bowflex and he also explains healthy information (such as increasing water intake and the like). Ellington Darden knows his stuff and I want to read his other books. Take care.

First the good: If you're an exercise novice who recently acquired a Bowflex and got brain-lock while looking at the huge list of potential exercises that came with it, this book -- which is officially sanctioned by Bowflex's manufacturer -- is a Godsend. Darden picks only the most relevant exercises, describes them in great detail with good photos showing correct form, and organizes them into a series of plans (for novices, for intermediates, for advanced bodybuilder types, for people looking to build or slim specific areas of the body) that couldn't be easier to follow -- and that work.

For that alone, the book is worthwhile. Armed with these plans, the new Bowflex owner is much more likely to actually use his or her machine on an ongoing basis, and that's very good. The plans make it very easy to get going, and tangible gains start to come within the first few sessions. Good stuff.

But there's some not-so-good, too. Throughout the book (and indeed, throughout the officially-sanctioned Bowflex literature) there is case study after case study showing folks who made incredible gains -- losing 30 lb in a month, that sort of thing -- following "The Bowflex Plan". What becomes clear after reading is that those gains have less to do with the Bowflex than they do with the rather extreme (1500 cal/day) diet that's part of the "Plan". And, of course, the official Bowflex literature doesn't address the mounds of research showing that weight lost via extreme calorie restriction doesn't tend to stay off long-term. Take these case studies with the appropriate grains of salt.

There's another not-so-good factor in this book, at least from my perspective. Darden is a bodybuilder. His assumptions and recommendations -- ranging from exercise frequency to diet to supplements to appropriate levels of bodyfat -- come from the world of competitive bodybuilding. They aren't geared toward, and aren't always appropriate for, more mainstream athletes interested in improving sports performance or endurance. The Bowflex itself (and to a large extent, Darden's Bowflex workout plans) is certainly very useful for such people, but Darden's beyond-the-Bowflex recommendations may not be. Caveat.

I ordered this book because the manual that came with my Bowflex didn't have instructions for a few exercises and attachments (like the belt and instructions for the leg extensions)and I was hoping the book would have them. It did.
The book came and my first reaction was... this guy is nuts. I read most of the book thinking it would just get placed on the book shelf with all the other diet books I've collected over the years.
My second reaction was... this is different than all those other books (including the manual) and all those other books aren't working so what do I have to lose but some flab? I'm on my second week following the plan in this book and I've lost around 8 pounds and I can see my arms are toning up. The ice water is good, the diet is do-able and I like doing my light cardio workout after dinner.
I learned a lot of little secrets and I'm really convinced that I can last the initial six week plan and continue on after that with my Bowflex.
If you are doing multiple sets of 12 or more reps with light weights with little results... you'd benefit by getting this book and changing the way you're doing things.

I don't know strength training, at all. Unlike other reviewers I have no idea who the author is or even his credentials (having read they book they seem to be pretty good).

I do have a Bowflex. And while the routines presented in the Bowflex Users Manual that shipped with the machine are good, I found them lacking because I also needed to lose weight, not just build strength. This book is right up my alley. It presents an integrated program for beginners (my wife and I are in our 30s and 40s but neither of us have ever worked out) that blends a steadily advancing work out routine with a reduced calorie diet. And if we persist and stay on program, this book should last us for a few years (if not longer) with the advanced programs for targeting specific muscle development as well as additional, more advanced strength training techniques.

The menu plans are specific, but we'll be modifying it slightly simply because a few of the meals (Lunch particularly) aren't all that appealing. But because the meals are based on calories consumed - substitutions are no problem. For those that don't want to worry about meal planning, you've come to the right place. And for those that are more finicky eaters, you'll come away with the base knowlege to build your own meal plan and still achieve your goals.

Overall I think this book is well thought-out, with specific workouts and meals. The photos are clear and the explanations on how to do the recommended workouts are slightly better than the manual. More useful is the fact the author selected what he thinks are the best of the exercises (in total, only about 30% of the total possible workouts are presented). You'll be happier if you have the Leg Attachment, although you can just substitute other leg exercises that are also in the book. But eventually you'll probably find the variety lacking.

This is an excellent book. Anyone that owns a Bowflex, or even any quality home gym could benefit from it. Darden follows up on his other works and presents a program that promises results. The book could be viewed by some as a commercial for the Bowflex, but so what? Darden does not put down any other products or methods, he just states simply and directly that if you follow his exercise and nutrition plan, you will lose fat and gain muscle. There was some interesting historical background on the Bowflex as well as Darden's views and how they have developed over the years. It was interesting to see the models, who have appeared for several years in the Bowflex infomercials. Also, Ellington Darden dispels some of the common perceptions of hard core athletes that the Bowflex will not work for them, that it will not develop large muscles, etc. It is becoming quite evident to most of us that are at middle age that strength training is necessary, and yet we don't all have 5-6 hrs per week to train. With Darden's plan, you maximize the time that you do have, so that it delivers the most efficient results. He also candidly covers the problem of many us...after losing fat and getting fit, we backslide. His book includes specific advice for those who have had that problem. It also includes some area specific plans, eg the person who is already fit but needs to address a weak area.

Overall, I found the book to be excellent. It is laid out in a logical, concise format, clearly illustrated with ample photographs. I highly recommend it.

This is not a bowflex manual. This is a manual on how to change your body. All of the pictures and illustrations are with the Bowflex. But, the exercise plan can be performed on any home gym - the only requirement is that you can quickly switch between exercises.

The book gives you a progressive exercise plan, a balanced diet based on total calories consumed, tips on superhydration, and the science behind each principle. If you're like me, it's not enough to be told to do A, B, and C. I have to know why I'm doing A, B, and C - and Dr Darden gives you the why.

I know someone else said that there are surprisingly few exercises listed in the book and while I don't agree with that statement, I will state that a surprisingly small portion of the
book is dedicated to the actual exercises. I would guess 1/3 of the book is dedicated to the exercise. The other 2/3 are diet, bowflex history, the science behind muscle and fat, importance of strength training, importance of water consumption, rest, etc. Like I said, it's a body shaping manual not an exercise manual.

Someone else said that you won't find anything in here that you can't find anywhere else such as magazines, etc. To an extent, that is true. You can certainly find the exercises in magazines and you can find diets listed in other magazines, and so on. What you won't find, though, is all of the information in the same place - and you certainly won't find it backed up with the scientific facts explaining why the methods work.

I've been using his plan for 2 weeks now (and I don't own a bowflex) and I have lost 7 lbs and have seen strength gains on every exercise.

As a woman who owns a Bowflex Machine, I was pleased to see this book on how to use Bowflex effeciently and productively. And I wasn't disappointed.

Chapter 22, "Hips and Thighs:Tackling the Tough Spots", is exactly what I've been looking for to address my problem areas. Chapter 11 on "Muscle", and Chapter 12 on "Fat", are clearly written and helped me understand the science behind my own body's composition. Chapter 26, "Those Last 5 Pounds: 30 Tips on How to Lose Them" effectively summarizes Elllington Darden's philosophy. I appreciate the balanced presentation for women and men,in both text and pictures.

I recommend this book for any woman who has a Bowflex Machine, or any woman who ever considered using Bowflex.The numerous before-and-after photographs will help you to realistically "picture the possibilities" of what you can expect from Bowflex training and proper eating.

I bought a used Bowflex and the seller didn't have the manual. I wanted to use the machine properly and ordered a manual from the company, but it was back-ordered so I bought this book. It's well written and the photographs are good, but once the manual arrived I saw the book was pretty much a repeat. If you want a hardback, then buy the book, otherwise buy the manual since it's much less expensive.

This book is very informative regarding exercise physiology, etc. I like that it provides several different workouts, depending upon the reader's needs. Much of the information contained in this book is contained in the Bowflex PowerPro manual (and is also written by Mr. Darden), but is expanded upon in the book. Overall, very well written and motivating.

The first thing I thought, when I saw all the different exercises you CAN do with the BowFlex, is which ones SHOULD I do? Darden distills it down to 23 "best" exercises, which helped a lot.

He also goes into the best number of reps and sets to do, and the why's to back it up. The best number of exercises to do on any given day, sample plans by week, etc. Really helped me figure out how to get started.

There's a lot of information about nutrition, calorie intake, etc. too.