Body by Bowflex, June 2005

Warning: nearly-nude male adult below! If such material is offensive to you, please leave now. Come back in a week and this post will be safely hidden.

I’m going to be posting one collage image of me once a month for the next three months to catalogue what sort of physical changes I can achieve (or not) by following an advanced workout program with a Bowflex Extreme. I realize I’m not male model material. That’s OK. This is for educational purposes, not titallation. That’s why the smiley faces have been placed over strategic portions of my anatomy. I’ll likely blog the workout itself at some point down the road.

I have several goals with the Bowflex. I want to try and lower my blood pressure and heart rate a little bit. I have, in the past, been a half-pack a day or so smoker, and have also enjoyed many beers over the last ten years or so. Both of these activities have been curtailed as I prepare for my journey to Iraq. It’s ironic that as I prepare for entry into a hostile zone, I being taking better care of my body.

Anyhow, through minor lifestyle and dietary changes, I have dropped 15 pounds off my frame already, and the goal now is to build back some muscle where the beginnings of middle aged fat have started collecting. My chest is sadly shrunken from my Marine Corps days, so I’ll be attempting repair work in that area.

The Bowflex itself is quieting down. I was worried during my initial workout - the machine made lots of creaking noises. However, I think the cables and so forth were stiff, because the creaking was much less pronounced during this evening’s workout (which was performed clothed, I might add).

I am being somewhat loose with the weight and repitition guidelines that the i-Trainer software has recommended - I am tending towards adding a set or two sets and doubling the recommended weight.

The images below represent the starting canvas, so to speak. My wife was kind enough to snap them. In about a month I will post this collage again. While my face won’t be any prettier, I’m hoping my body itself will show improvement.

At 34, it could be worse. It could also be much better. Bowflex Grandma from the commercial has no reason to be jealous. Not yet.

I’ve taken the image down temporarily so as not to compromise the fact that I’m currently an active duty soldier. It will go back up after I am off active duty.