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For chest, a Bowflex home gym offers up to 10 exercises (note: each Bowflex model may vary in the amount of exercises offered):
Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Decline Bench Press
Chest Fly
Lying Cable Cross-over
One Arm Seated Fly
Resisted Punch
Lying Shoulder Pullover
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Which Exercises will Give You the Best Results?
Isolation vs. Compound Exercises
Isolation exercise move one joint at a time
Example - Chest Fly’s
When doing chest fly’s only the shoulder joint will be moving. This means you would be primarily targeting your chest muscles.
In contrast, compound movements move multiple joints at the same time.
Example - Bench Press
When doing a bench press your shoulder and elbow joints will both be moving. This means in addition to your chest, your shoulders, triceps, and biceps, will be exercised.
Because a compound exercise engages multiple joints they exercise many more muscles with the same movement. This means you can tone/develop more muscle and burn more fat with the same amount of effort.
In addition, compound exercises also engage more of your “core muscles” which also increases their effectiveness. This can also burn more calories while improving your posture and balance.
Tip 1 - For proper form, keep your arms at a 90 degree angle from your torso.
Tip 2 - Keep your elbows directly under your wrists.
Tip 3 - Keep your wrists straight rather then allowing your hands to bend backward.
Resisted Punch
Tip 1 - To get the maximum benefit, keep your wrists straight (just like when throwing a punch).
Chest Fly, Seated One Arm Fly
Tip 1 - Keep a slight bend in your arms to protect your biceps from strain.
Tip 2 - Keep your arms at a 90 degree angle from your torso.
Tip 3 - Start with lighter weights until your body learns the movement.
Lying Cable Cross-over
Tip 1 - To protect your biceps, keep a slight bend in your elbows.
Tip 2 - To keep proper form use light to moderate resistance.
Lying Shoulder Pullovers
Tip 1 - Just like with most isolation movements use light to moderate resistance.
Tip 2 - Keep your palms facing towards your feet throughout the movement.
In Summary
Doing a majority of compound exercises in your workouts will empower you to burn more fat and tone/develop more muscle - all in the same amount of time.