Drum Hill Fitness

...Travis Webb

The human muscle system is a continuous network of muscle throughout your entire body. There are muscles of different sizes, shapes and functions. All of which allowing us to move from place to place and perform daily functions. Your metabolism is greatly affected by how much muscle you have and how active you are being.

A simple way of thinking about how muscle works is this. Muscles are made up of cells, these cells need fuel to function. If you have a lot of fuel (body fat) in your body you need more muscle in order to burn that fuel. The more you move around, the more fuel the muscle cells need to keep you moving. Therefore the more muscle you have and the more you move the more fuel you will burn.

To gain muscle throughout your body evenly it’s important to develop a full body workout routine that can be performed throughout the week. Each muscle group should be worked on a regular basis to promote balance and even strength gains. This will also allow for more body fat reduction in problem areas such as your mid section. Weight training will help to promote muscle growth or maintenance. Cardio will ask your existing muscle to function more. Do your best to make a balance of both and you will see more results from your metabolism.

...By Dave Melton

Bring a Buddy for Free!

5 reasons why working out with a partner will help achieve your fitness goals:

1. Time goes by faster with a friend
2. It creates accountability
3. Friends can give you an objective view
4. You will always have a spotter
5. You can celebrate successes together

Best Fitness of Drum Hill wants to help you achieve your goals with your buddies so we have added an option that will allow you to bring a friend with you for free every time you come to the gym. Whether you want to bring a spouse or child for their daily exercise or an occasional buddy to join in on your workout you will be able to do so. Ask at the front desk how you can bring a friend for FREE.

...By Travis Webb

Each Fitness Facility has their own machines, but what can they be used for? I’ve heard from countless members along with none members ask Fitness Professionals for machine based work-out programs. Each person having their own reasons for their request but the unified thought process was machines were a good place to start. The good thing is machines can be a good place to start and they can be used for a variety of reasons.

Each machine has illustrations that show you how to work the machine and which muscle group should be worked. There are positive and negative aspects to the simplicity of these illustrations. The positive is it’s relatively easy to look at the illustration and figure out what to do. Another positive is machines are good for preparing your body for more complex exercises. The negative aspect are not knowing how many repetitions, sets, and rest periods you should be using per machine. If you’ve ever wondered whether or not an exercise is being done correctly its always best to consult a professional.

To solve the problem of repetitions, sets, rest periods and even weight used there are a couple pointers to follow. First of all it’s better to use the machine at the lowest weight so your body can learn the range of motion. There is no point in using heavy weight first, you could injure yourself. To figure out the rest of the details you should first know what goals you’re trying to achieve. In most cases, but not all, using lighter weight with higher repetitions such as 3 sets of 12 repetitions, will help with weight reduction. In most cases, but not all, using heavier weight for 3 sets of 4-8 repetitions, will help in gaining muscle. No matter what, if you start lifting weights you will gain muscle in some degree.

Now that you have an idea of the details you can refer to a professional to guide you through each machine. Everyone has their favorite machines but that doesn’t mean you should only do parts of your body. Include as much diversity in your workouts as possible and you will reach your goals faster. Remember! Machines are a good place to start but there are always more complex exercises that will get you better results from your body. Look forward to changing workouts and your new body is all yours.

...By Travis Webb

This time of year is one of the most anticipated fitness times of the year. A new beginning and a fresh start towards achieving goals are great causes to be excited. To get started the healthy and effective way the first step is to create goals to be achieved. Having something to work towards will drive you forward. The fun part about goal setting is the sky can be the limit! There can be weight lose, muscle gain, life style changes, eating habits altered, athletic achievement, even aspirations of running a mud race.

After creating a set of goals to achieve the second step is to come up with realistic timelines. Anything worth achieving is not achieved easily, so the best thing to do is to find out how long it will take to achieve your goals safely. Once you understand the safety guidelines of exercise you will understand that doing things safely is also the most efficient!

Any fitness facility will have a wide variety of exercise equipment to utilize. Each piece of equipment is used to work different muscle groups. The best workout plan has exercises that will work all of the muscle groups throughout the week. Working the larger muscles and the smaller muscles will provide you with a well rounded workout program resulting in the highest results. Since every person is unique their workout program should also be personalized.

Once you start working out and achieving your goals it will be time to stay motivated. Having workout partners is a great way to stay focused. If you are not getting the results you want do not give up! The answer is always out there so never hesitate to ask for assistance. Being informed will allow you to adjust your workout program quickly which will get you back on track.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, and Chelmsford, MA.