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Originally Posted by boatin
I've got a bowflex, and I love it. Since Christmas, I've been on the following routine:
On MWF, I do bench/fly/shoulder shrug/narrow and wide lats. On TTS, I do back/crunch/oblique/reverse crunch/reverse curl/curl/trunk/calf raise. 3x a week I'm rowing for 20 minutes and I stretch every day. I'm a juggler, so my triceps have always been in the best shape on my body. I see no reason to work those...
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The way I read this, you're training chests/shoulders/back 3x week, and core 2x week. Your chest/back routine consists of 7 exercises done 3x12. That's a LOT of training, especially as you are new to this. Look at it this way:
*bench 200 lbs x 3 x 12 = 7200
*fly 140 x 3 x 12 = 5040
*delt row 120 x 3 x 12 = 4320
*shoulder press 140 x 3 x 12 = 5040
*shoulder shrug 200 x 3 x 12 = 7200
*wide lat 180 x 3 x 12 = 6480
*narrow lat 220 x 3 x 12 = 7920
For a poundage total of 43200#. And you do this three times a week? You're doing almost 65 tons a week. That is a LOT of volume.
Now, admittedly, the bowflex doesn't actually apply that "poundage" the same way actual weights do, but it is still a LARGE amount of stress on your system.
If you read up on powerlifting (for example) you find out how people that are deeply serious about strength treat their programs. One of the core concepts of modern powerlifting is making sure your work capacity if up to snuff. You went from nothing (so far as I can tell from your post) to 65 tons a week in one jump. That's a HUGE leap. You are better off increasing your volume in reasonable chunks, rather than jumping into high volume training. At this point, it is a moot question, as you are already showing signs of issues with it, yet you body is acclimating to it at the same time.
Deload for a week or so by either laying off entirely, or halving your sets/reps. See if that helps. As Ch'i said, you should probably vary your movements by now (another problem with the bowflex system is an inherent limitation in what movements you can actually do with it). Your system will adapt to the stresses presented, and your goals will cease.
Overall, I would do a bit less. You've got a lot of overlap in that program, and are hitting your shoulders hard as a result. For example, there is no functional reason to hit both wide and narrow lats (by pull-down I am assuming) in the same workout. Sure, you're hitting the lats differently, but you're hitting the biceps and shoulders the same way on both, and that is what will give out first, and get over-trained first. Add in shoulder rows, flys, bench presses, and shoulder presswork, and you are asking for some very beat up shoulders.