Bowflex Power Pro Owners Manual - Page 75
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Q & A 73 Q. I'm a 40-year-old woman with a teenage son and daughter. My husband and I both want to lose 10 pounds and the children would also like to lose some weight. Can I put the whole family on the program? A. It would be great if you could, but you cannot. The number of calories per day is the problem. Teenagers require significantly more calories each day than 1500, which is the highest level. Check with a registered dietician (RD) for appropriate recommendations. Your teenage son and daughter, however, could follow the Bowflex exercise routines. Q. I'm afraid that I might get large, unfeminine muscles from some of the Bowflex exercises you recommend in this course. What can I do to prevent this from happening? A. You are worrying about large muscles unnecessarily. Building large muscles requires two conditions. First, the individual must have long muscles and short tendons. Second, an abundance of testosterone must be present in the blood stream. Women almost never have either of these conditions. Q. Why is it so important that I perform the Bowflex exercises with a 4-second count on the lifting and lowering? A. Because a slow, smooth 4-second lifting followed by a 4-second lowering involves more muscle fibers more thoroughly than faster speeds of movement. The more completely each involved muscle fiber works simply means you'll get better muscle-building results. Q. I'm confused about how to breathe during each Bowflex exercise? A. Let's say your goal is to do 10 repetitions on a specific Bowflex exercise that is performed in the recommended 4-second lifting and 4second lowering style. Here are the proper breathing guidelines to follow: •Breathe normally during the first five repetitions. •Take shorter, more shallow breaths during the sixth, seventh and eighth repetitions. •Emphasize exhalation more than inhalation, especially during the ninth and tenth repetitions. Focus on good form and slow movement. •Do not hold your breath on any repetition. Practice relaxing your face and neck. Do not grit your teeth. Keep your eyes open and remain alert. Under no circumstances could 99.99 percent of American women develop excessively large muscles. Progressive resistance exercise such as Bowflex will make your muscles larger -- but not excessively large -- and larger muscles will make your body firmer and more shapely. Q. I'm not as disciplined and patient as I'd like to be. How can I better stay on track with the program? A. One suggestion is to team up with a partner.