New to bodybuilding, be nice - dumb questions to follow

I'm 36, soon to be 37. I am 5'11" and 175lbs. I have basically no chest but average arms. I am way, way out of shape. I can try to play basketball with the kids and in 10 minutes I'm about to black out and dripping with sweat.

My goals:
Bulk up the upper body and some of the legs to match.
Get in good physical shape so I have stamina and good health to boot.

My wife's goals: (she's 33)
Lose weight after three kids. She needs to lose 60 or more pounds and has no strength.

Neither of us have easy access to a gym with three kids and living in a small town that does nto have one. The nearest on is 35 miles away. We purchased a Bowflex Power Pro XTL and a recumbant (spelling?) bike to work out on. These will be our only source of equipment.

I've read about 10,000 different opinions on Creatine, protein, weight loss pills and etc. I'm more confused then when I started reading. All I want is to do the hard work needed to get there and what ever supplements that will help us achieve the goals. We are both dedicated to this and want to do it the right way without marketing gimicks making us waste our money and efforts. I see a lot of good experianced people here and looks like a great place to spend my time asking questions.

I need help getting this thing rolling. The bowflex has a routine for Toning, Weight loss, Cardio, strength training etc. Do I use those and customize later?

We will both start jogging daily this spring.

I know this was a long post with too many questions to answer in one reply, I just need help getting this thing rolling. I'm tired of sitting in front of the TV feeling like I'm 70 already. :)

Lannie

start out slow first....no need to go heavy and hard and be sore for 2 weeks....so ease into it, hitting basic BIG muscle groups like bench press, curls, squats, or whatever the bowflex has to offer close to those areas......im not big on cardio myself but id say a good 30 minute cardio before the workout should really get things cookin........as far as supplements go, protein is always a MUST after the workout....creatine supposedly helps INCREASE muscle and BURN fat......hydroxycut and similar products help increase metabolism, supprese appetite and increase energy too......good luck

Perhaps you could post an example of the workout they say you should do with the bowflex- Pretty much everyone here uses free weights, since they're far more beneficial- But I definitely hear where you're coming from when you talk about not being able to get to a gym. The bowflex is a good machine, you should get a hell of a workout with it.
Okay, first stop for you should be the nutrition forum. Getting your diet straight is the first thing you should do, and that alone will help both of you towards your individual goals- Naturally, the body needs the proper fuel to work out. Once you're done with that...
It's time to pick a workout program to suit your needs. You and your wife want two different things- You want to bulk up a little and increase your overall fitness, while she wants to lose some weight and get in shape. Obviously, the workout programs are going to be different-
You'll be shooting for basic compound exercises with heavier weights and less reps, working each muscle group once a week, and perhaps cardio two or three times a week for about thirty minutes. I wouldn't recommend doing cardio right before lifting, though.
She'll be concentrating on lighter weight with more reps, and more cardio than you.
Here's a sample workout program the two of you might follow-
Monday- Chest
(warmup) 2 sets of 10 reps, really light weight, using whichever exercise you feel like starting with.
3 sets of bench presses
3 sets of incline presses
3 sets of decline presses

Tuesday- Legs
(warmup) Same idea as above
3 sets of squats
3 sets of hamstring curls
And, if the bowflex has some sort of calf exercise, three sets of those- If not, do standing calf raises instead.

Wednesday- Shoulders
(Warmup)
3 sets of military presses
3 sets of side lateral raises
3 sets of front raises

Thursday- Back
(warmup)
3 sets of rows
3 sets of pulldowns
3 sets of single arm cable rows

Friday- Arms
(warmup)
3 sets of curls
3 sets of single arm curls
3 sets of triceps pressdowns
3 sets of overhead extensions

You can throw in an ab workout or two wherever you feel like it- Do crunches, hanging leg raises or knee raises.
Remember to rest two to three minutes between sets- The number of reps you do for each set is up to you, if you're trying to gain mass, you should go for 6-8 reps- Meaning the weight should be too heavy for you to lift more than eight times, but light enough for you to lift it six times. Your wife should shoot for around ten to twelve reps per set.
This is just a quick example of a workout routine, there are plenty of different ways to go about getting the results you both want and I'm sure others will have more suggestions. Let us know if you have any more questions, and welcome to DB!

Welcome to DB lschafroth. I think you've receive 2 excellent posts. CPL was very detailed.

My opinion is from your beginner perspective. Too many articles on this and that.. creatine, protein and such. Way to confusing for a beginner. Info overload am I right?

So here's my baby steps suggestions.

Use the tape for Bowflex. Get started. Get your nutrition in order by posting your diet and using Fitday to let others view what you are eating. As you progress, you can start using protein shakes. Then over time, if you join an actual gym, use creatine when you really need have gone past the nutrition and want to gain some muscle mass.

At the moment, being new.. I'd work on using the tape to just use your equipment. Slowly. And I'd use Fitday and the Nutrition forum to start figuring out what you need to eat (meal plans) on a daily basis.

Taking this whole thing nice and slow is going to be of great benefit to you simply because you will be able to adjust as necessary. Starting off too quickly is overwhelming and you'll get so sore you will never want to do it again. I'm a fan of Bowflex (Soloflex) and such. I used them to get into bodybuilding. Free weights are something you can progress to later as you have mastered the understanding of the different exercises.

Use the program it comes with and customize later. Workout with it until you have made some good gains (mainly diet and exercise). If you feel you've outgrown it, join a gym. Do whatever you feel necessary to keep going. I used my Soloflex for 2 years. I didn't want to join a gym and I had no money (college). Once I did, I'd never go back. But I'd never give up that experience either. Got me into fitness the right way. Slowly. Not the most efficient but it was what worked at the time.

You've got a lot to deal with. I'd focus on the easy stuff.

Training - Use the tape Bowflex came with until you get bored
Nutrition - Use Fitday to figure out what you need to eat and how much of it
Supplements - Start off with a whey protein for after your workouts. Daily multi-vitamin. Look into a good EFA complex (essential fatty acids).

You can progress from there.. later. Ask a lot of questions. That is what DB is for.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Thanks cpl & mda1125. Most excellent posts.

I have downloaded to Power Pro manual in PDF so I can give you examples. I have the file if anyone wants a copy so they can see what I am refereing to.

From the Manual:

Body Building
Frequency: 3 days on, 1 day off time, about 45-60 minutes

Day1:
Chest
Bench Press 2-4 sets, 8-12 reps
One Arm Seated Fly (all exercises 2-4 sets, 8-12 reps)
Shoulders
Seated Shoulder Press
Reaer Deltoid Row
Lateral Shoulder Raise
Shoulder Shrug

Day2:
Back
Seated Lat Row
Lying Lat Pulldowns
Arms
Standing Bicep Curl
Standing Reverse Curl
Lying Triceps Extension
French Press

Day3:
Legs
Leg Press
Lying Leg Extension
Standing Hip Extension
Seated Hamstring Curl
Seated Calve Raise
Trunk
Functional Lower Back Extensions
Resisted Abdominal Crunch
Resisted Oblique Crunch

Says to rest 30-60 seconds between excercises. It says to Tighten the muscle before you move, squeeze the muscle as you move, cramp the muscle at the point of full contraction and resist the movement as you lower teh weight. Count three seconds up and three seconds down and work to fatique during each set.

The manual shows all excersices without the lat tower and leg attachment so I can use those instead of some of the other ways of doing it with the bench and etc.

The bike we have is the type you sit down with your legs out in front of you and you peddle. You can flip the seat up and over and then use it as a stare stepper to if that is needed.

Suppliments:

Do I want to hold off on the creatine until I've worked out for a while and hit my first limit then start taking it?
I've read the older you get the slower you absorb protein shakes and etc. How much and often do I take the drinks? I've been using Strawberry shake with skim milk and it tastes great. If that's wrong I will change it.

Running:

If I start jogging, how does that fit in with working each group once a week?

Thanks for everyones help so far!!! Should I post the PDF of the manual here?? Are there size limitations?

I'm getting pumped talking about it.

LS

The PDF won't fit as there are size limitations. No need to upload it.. it's part of your Bowflex package. It's all good! But you can quote from it like you did to explain a point or if you have a question. It might also be copyrighted and legally available only to the purchases of the Bowflex.

Now the strawberry protein is just wrong. I've never liked anything strawberry protein. How.. how can you do it?

I'd hold off on the creatine. I'd master your diet first. I'd master the training. And once you have peaked out then you can look to more advanced supplements to compliment your routine. Take your protein shakes (1-3x during the day) and get more then 50% of your protein from lean protein sources (not shakes). As you get older sometimes digesting is harder but these shakes are pretty advanced and easy to digest.

Jogging fits into your routine. You just space it 8 hours apart from any weight training. And limit your cardio when you begin to something reasonable. 3x a week.. 20-30 minutes. Moderate intensity. No need to burn out quickly. It's more for your heart and to help you obtain a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. It's not really working a muscle group in the same way. But spacing it out will help you keep your energy levels higher. You don't really want to jog and then do a 45 minute workout. Too much. That is the reason for spacing it out. In fact, you could do the cardio on days you don't train with the Bowflex. That would be ideal.

Keep reading thru the manual. Just follow it. Take it slow. You want your excitement to last and not be a BLAST and then done.. bored after 30 days. You can always up the intensity over time. And you will as you progress. Start off nice and easy and push yourself as you get to know your body limitations.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Can't beat the advise from the more experienced postings but your question hit close to home.

Start: I was 5'-11" and 250lbs (yikes!!) with bodyfat around 25%
Now: Same height (thank god!) 218lbs with bodyfat around 13%.

How did I do it? Here goes a summary. . .

1) Overtime remove all food from your home that promotes poor nutrition (cookies, ice cream, chips, 70% lean hamburger, etc.)
2) Encourage all family members to improve their daily nutrition. Don't force but your actions will help them to eat healthy.
3) Try to eat every 2-1/2 to 3 hrs. Smaller meals and combine quality lean proteins (skinless chicken breasts, salmon, etc.) with complex carbohydrates (brown rice, small potatoes)
4) Get at least 8 hrs of sleep!!! If your dragging or lacking motivation then this is probably the issue.
5) Think long-term lifestyle change! Don't look at this as "I want to lose 20lbs" think along the lines of "I will lose 5 inches around my waist and gain 1-1/2 inches on my chest and arms."
6) Keep the forum posted with your progress! This group really cares.
7) Get checked by your physician. You need to know if your blood pressure, cholesteral, and blood glucose are normal or need improvement.
8) Take before and after pictures (front, side, & back)!!!!!!
9) Once a week, give yourself a free day.
10) Cardio is good for improving circulation and cardiovascular strength. Check out Body For Life to read about the high point technique.

Good Luck!