How should my workout be? Please enlighten me!

[MusicIsReality]

Hello!

I am new to these forums and to body building. I have never worked out and I would like to start now. I am 17 years old, 5"11, 120 pounds. I do not have any muscle nor am I skinny as a stick (but more to the skinny side). My BMR is 1600 and my total daily calorie needs is 2480.

My goal is to gain muscle mass, gain weight, feel better about myself, and keep my time away from other issues in life. I'm looking for my better self.

I do not go to the gym but I do have a Bowflex. Please keep comments to yourself about whether the Bowflex gym is bad or how useless it is. It provides me a range of exercises so I'm basically going to use it in the beginning and when I learn through all the basics of working out.

Please give me advice on what exercises to perform, how many of each, and what days to do them. Information about nutrition will be welcomed. I have looked through many sites and read many articles and I do have a basic view of this area. I have an active lifestyle so food is a major thing for me. I am looking for simple meals that I can make easily but provide the same effectiveness. Breakfast should be fast and simple because I do not have much time to prepare and eat in the morning. I wake up at 7AM and leave to school around 8. My lunch is around 10AM-1PM (I have different times for lunch on odd days). I am looking for advice and ideas regarding my lunch meals. It should be something I can prepare at home rather than wasting my money on fast food. I come back home from school at 4PM, and at this time I'm free. What should I eat and when should I workout after this time? Any cardio needed before my workout (ex; quick jog, bicycling, etc...)?

Here are the exercises the Bowflex provides:

Chest Exercises

* Bench Press
* Chest Fly
* Decline Bench Press
* Incline Bench Press

Shoulder Exercises:

* Reverse Fly
* Crossover Reverse Fly
* Crossover Rear Deltoid Rows
* Crossover High Rear Deltoid Rows
* Lateral Shoulder Raise
* Forearm Lateral Shoulder Raise
* Front Shoulder Raise
* Seated Shoulder Press
* Shoulder Rotator Cuff (internal)
* Shoulder Rotator Cuff (external)
* Shoulder Extension
* Shoulder Shrug
* Scapular Protraction
* Scapular Depression
* Scapular Retraction

Back Exercises:

* Standing Shoulder Pullover w/ Bent Lat Bar
* Standing Shoulder Pullover w/ Hand Grips
* Narrow Pulldowns w/ Bent Lat Bar
* Narrow Pulldowns w/ Hand Grips
* Bent Over Row
* Crossover Bent Over Row
* Seated Lat Rows
* Crossover Seated Lat Rows
* Standing Low Back Extension
* Reverse Grip Pulldowns
* Crossover Wide Pulldowns w/ Hand Grips
* Crossover Narrow Pulldowns w/ Hand Grips
* Seated Lat Pulldowns
* Seated Wide Lat Pulldowns

Arm Exercises:

* Triceps Pushdown w/ Hand Grips
* Triceps Hammer Pushdown
* Triceps Pushdown w/ Bent Lat Bar
* Triceps Extension
* Hammer Triceps Extension
* Cross Triceps Extension
* Triceps Kickback
* Hammer Triceps Kickback
* Resisted Dip
* Biceps Curl
* Concentration Biceps Curl
* Reverse Curl
* Barbell Biceps Curl
* Reverse Barbell Biceps Curl
* Seated Biceps Curl
* Seated Biceps Hammer Curl
* Wrist Extension
* Wrist Curl

Abdominal Exercises:

* Trunk Rotation
* Seated (resisted) Oblique Abdominal Crunch
* Seated (resisted) Abdominal Crunch

Leg Exercises:

* Leg Extension
* Squat
* Standing Hip Extension (knee bent)
* Standing Hip Extension (knee extended)
* Leg Kickback
* Hip Flexion
* Dead Lift
* Stiff Leg Dead Lift
* Standing Hip Adduction
* Standing Hip Abduction
* Calf Raise

All help will be very much appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[djeclipse]

I would suggest selling the bowflex and with that money buy a squat rack and a good starter olympic bar, a flat bench and weights.

You will still have money left over for home made stuff like a chin up and dip bar and other stuff like a thick rubber mat etc.


You will make more progress and be better from it by lifting free weights with just the olympic bar and the squat rack then the bow flex.

 

[SouthernLord]

Do you have access to a gym with a power rack, flat bench, chin up bar, parallel bar, and deadlift plat form? Also a barbell and a few hundred ponds of free weights? Maybe your schools gym?

This is going to be your best option imo. I know very little about the bowflex other than what I have seen on infomercials. Maybe someone here can help you in that department.

 

[SouthernLord]

I would suggest selling the bowflex and with that money buy a squat rack and a good starter olympic bar, a flat bench and weights.

You will still have money left over for home made stuff like a chin up and dip bar and other stuff like a thick rubber mat etc.


You will make more progress and be better from it by lifting free weights with just the olympic bar and the squat rack then the bow flex.

We think alike

 

[djeclipse]

We think alike

Cheers

Unfortunately the Bowflex is all marketing and Chuck Norris.

 

[MusicIsReality]

You guys have no clue how bad I feel when people say to use other equipment...the reason being is that I bought the Bowflex recently... And if I sell it now, my parents would be like "WTF?"

Any information will be very much appreciated.

 

[StoneOfFire]

punk,

how dare you come over here
with "Please enlighten me!"
and then tell us to keep certain comments to ourselves.

that you even protect the bowflex before it is attacked
is a good indicator that YOU KNOW ITS CRAP

are you here to advertise the bowflex,
listing all of its "capabilities"?

im looking past all the fancy lifts advertised
and im looking right at your weight;

120lbs

at 120lbs you need to drop all your silly 'workouts'
and start from where you are:
the very beginning.

now FIND A WAY to get under the bar
or just stick to music

"Please keep comments to yourself"
get lost with that shit.
you cannot achieve an ELITE level of FITNESS
with that crap and you know it
what are you even doing here?

im sure there is a bowflex forum out there for you?

 

[StoneOfFire]

You guys have no clue how bad I feel when people say to use other equipment...the reason being is that I bought the Bowflex recently... And if I sell it now, my parents would be like "WTF?"

Any information will be very much appreciated.

that is typically what happens when you buy first and research later.

hopefully you will remember this mistake.

 

[SaiBoT]

The thing is that if you are a beginner you will get some results with just a bowflex and bodyweight exercises, still it won't be nothing impressive if you know what I mean, eventually you will need a oympic barbell and dumbells.

 

[MusicIsReality]

punk,

how dare you come over here
with "Please enlighten me!"
and then tell us to keep certain comments to ourselves.

that you even protect the bowflex before it is attacked
is a good indicator that YOU KNOW ITS CRAP

are you here to advertise the bowflex,
listing all of its "capabilities"?

im looking past all the fancy lifts advertised
and im looking right at your weight;

120lbs

at 120lbs you need to drop all your silly 'workouts'
and start from where you are:
the very beginning.

now FIND A WAY to get under the bar
or just stick to music

"Please keep comments to yourself"
get lost with that shit.
you cannot achieve an ELITE level of FITNESS
with that crap and you know it
what are you even doing here?

im sure there is a bowflex forum out there for you?

Whoa someones having a bad day, calm down son. I for one is not "protecting the bowflex" but am just asking assistance on doing a proper workout. I was not "listing all the capabilities" but just helping readers know what the machine performs so that they can help me on which exercises to do. What am I doing here? For help fool. Why else would I be posting?