Twenty-Minute Bowflex Workouts

A Bowflex machine is a handy exercise equipment to do an all-round workout. If you handle the Bowflex with care and effort, you can maximize your workout in 20 minutes. Working out on a Bowflex machine for 20 minutes a day is more than enough. It's a great equipment to use to stay in shape without having to leave your home.

Frequency

Focus on working out on the Bowflex machine on a consistent and set schedule. Be sure that when you design your schedule, you leave at least one day for your body to heal. For example, if you workout on the Bowflex three days a week, you can set Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays as your workout days for 20 minutes a day. For a four day a week workout, you'll have to schedule a workout that is back-to-back. Therefore, select the muscles that you work on one day and choose different muscles on the next day.

Designing a Workout Routine

Focus on four different muscles each workout session. On the first session, work your biceps, calves, shoulders and abdominals. On the second session, work your chest, triceps, thighs and back. On the third session, repeat your workout like the first session and for the fourth session, repeat your workout like the second session. This is called a routine and allows you to build your strength consistently. Each exercise should take about one minute to complete, followed by a one minute break. After you complete all four exercises, repeat the cycle so that you complete two sets.

Completing Exercises

When you do your repetitions, be sure to do at least 12. Make each repetition count and do not rush your movements. The slower your movements, the more effective the exercise. After completing one muscle, take a one minute break and proceed onto the next exercise. Alternate exercises by focusing on different muscles of your body so that you give the muscles you just worked on a rest. For example, after doing 12 repetitions of your biceps, proceed to doing 12 repetitions for your calves. For abdominals, complete 24 to 30 crunches.

Types of Effective Exercises

The Bowflex is a versatile machine. There are many exercises that you can achieve using the equipment. Crunch, resisted crunch and reverse crunch exercises work the abdominals. For your back, use a seated pull down using bar/handle/grip, seated row and bent-over row. To work the chest, try the bench press (incline, decline or flat), chest fly and resisted punch. Legs can be worked by the seated leg extension, leg curl, leg press, hip extension/flexion, squat and calf raise. For shoulders, use the seated shoulder press, shoulder raises and seated shoulder shrugs. Biceps are worked by sitting or standing bicep curls using the bar/handles/grip. Kickbacks, lying/incline tricep extensions and standing tricep push-down using bar work the triceps, and finally, the forearms can be worked using wrist curls and wrist extensions.