Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Owner's Manual page 16

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.
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Owner's Manual