Fitnesspros Bodybuilding and Fitness blog

He’s screaming at you. You’re already going as hard as you can, but that doesn’t mean you stop. The woman next to you almost starts to cry. You can’t breathe.
“Go! Go! Go! Harder!”
Your legs are on fire. Your lungs feel like they’re going to burst. Your entire body is dripping in sweat.

“Nice job, guys! Let’s bring your heart rate back down now. Pedal easy.”

You love the gym.

Exercising is one of those things that some people do because they recognize the benefits, but don’t actually like to do. Or there are people like you that love it. Or maybe you’ve never been a part of the gym-scene but you’re looking to get into shape and try all of those fitness classes your friends keep talking about.

The Gym Loves You, Too

Wherever you are physically, there’s a place for you at the gym. So tie your running shoes, pumpkin, and let’s take a tour of the awesome things a gym can do for you.

1. Let’s start with the group fitness room. No no, don’t back away. Group classes aren’t what you think they are. In fact, a large majority of people who have a gym membership actually have it so that they can go to their favorite group fitness classes. Group fitness doesn’t just mean jazzercise anymore, folks.

   Have you ever heard of Zumba? It’s one of the fastest-growing workouts in the whole world, and for good reason. It’s a combination of Latin-dance, plyometric jumping and aerobics. But the cool thing about Zumba is that it doesn’t even feel like a workout! You’re not a dancer? That’s okay; you don’t have to be one to follow the steps in Zumba! Zumba was created specifically for normal people like you and me who, not only have never taken dance lessons, but can’t tell our left foot from our right.

    Or what about that awesome yoga class you keep hearing about? People who do yoga regularly have lower blood-pressure than people that never do yoga. No, yoga isn’t just sitting and breathing, either. It’s an incredibly focused mixture of breathing and movements (and they’re not all easy; try holding the chair pose! It’s like doing wall-squats) that’s sure to get you feeling better about your day and your overall mood is sure to improve. Did you know that Americans have more chronic stress than nearly any other nation? So relax! Pull up a mat and let’s breathe.

2. You want something a little different from yoga? What about Pilates? Pilates will give you that long, lean, toned dancer body.
3. You want a little more cardio? Let’s move over here and look at the tennis courts! How many gyms do you know that have twenty – yes, twenty – tennis courts? Yeah, I didn’t think you knew any. The courts will stay nice and covered all year round so you can keep up your backhand during those snowy January days.
4. Yes, we even have squash and racquetball courts. There aren’t too many gyms that know that a lot of people still play racquetball like crazy. So go ahead, hit me!
5. Volleyball, you say? Well why not! We’ve got 6 sand volleyball courts – just for you.
6. What about basketball? Not only are the courts open for public use, but you can actually join a recreational team! You don’t have to be an incredible player to be a part of a team. Just come get some exercise with people who like to shoot some hoops.
7. You’re more of a cycler? That’s okay, too! In fact, we have some of the best cycling instructors in the valley. Whether you’re more of a stationary bike rider, or you’re just maintaining your riding while the roads are too icy, you’ll be sure to get an awesome workout with us.
8.  Oh, I see. You’re more of a swimmer. Well guess what? We’ve got a 6 lane, 25-yard competition pool that’s heated all year round. Imagine that; you can practice your butterfly while there’s a water aerobics class going on as well as a group swimming lesson at the same time and no one’s getting in each other’s way. Sounds pretty perfect to me.

So whether you’re looking for something a little more relaxing like yoga, a workout that’s a little more fun like Zumba, or something totally traditional like a good old game of tennis or basketball, let yourself become that gym junkie, get in shape, and love life! 

Author Bio:

Ginger Price loves health and fitness, and during her educational pursuits in English and PR she melded her love to her degree through writing and developing public awareness or health and fitness. Currently she writes for gyms in Salt Lake City such as Sportsmall. 

Whenever I hear someone say that one person is ‘stronger’ than another person it always irks me. The reality is that it’s very rare for someone to be completely stronger than any other person because we are made up of so many different muscle groups. In other words, just because you win at an arm wrestle – that probably only means you have the best forearm strength and technique – it doesn’t mean for instance that you also have the stronger calves. Likewise just because you’re the best on the bench press doesn’t mean you’ll be the best on the lat pull down etc. – unless you’re extremely well balanced you’re going to be better in some areas than others.

At the same time though, often someone who is very strong in the gym won’t be particularly strong at all when it comes to the ‘real world’. I know loads of guys who are prodigies when it comes to pressing barbells over themselves, but who are useless when it comes to trying to move a box or screw a nail into a wall. They have all the muscles for show, but they lack functional strength. Here we will look at what functional strength is and how to develop it.

What is Functional Strength?

Essentially as the name might suggest, functional strength is the kind of strength you can actually use in the real world. Pressing and curling is all good and well but very rarely are you ever asked to use any of these movements when you’re out and about, so on their own they’re no good.

Functional strength is the ability to use your strength for real world activities, and this means training in a number of ways. Such as…

Compound Exercises: Compound exercises are exercises that force you to use multiple muscle in unison. When you do a preacher curl for instance you will be curling only your forearm with the weight while your upper arm just rests on a preacher bench. You’re using just your bicep then, and that never happens in real life.

Compound movements are exercises like the deadlift where you pull a weight up from the floor using your legs, arms, back and core – and have to use your stabilizing muscles to avoid falling over. This is a compound movement and this is much better for developing functional strength.

Bodyweight Training: Bodyweight training means using your own bodyweight instead of dumbbells. Press ups and pull ups are the most obvious examples of this, but others include one legged squats and chin ups. These exercises are always compound, but they are also highly useful for any task that involves an element of agility or control over your own body.

Training Supporting Muscles: Too many people go to the gym with the intention of just training their ‘vanity’ muscles, and forget all the other lesser known muscles like their forearms, their serratus muscles, and their obliques. These then become their ‘weak links’ and let them down when they’re performing tasks that require any real strength. To avoid this fate, make sure you don’t forget the lesser known muscles.

Use a Range of Motions: Likewise training by just using a range of different motions will help to make you more versatile and give you different kinds of strength. Don’t do the same workout every day, but rather make sure there’s at least one new exercise in there every time. Whether you’re doing dumbbell runners, or heaving a full suitcase over your head it will all help to develop a versatile physique that’s ready for anything you can throw at it.

Naomi Wilson is a magazine content writer and provides valuable guidelines on variety of topics. Refer the specified link to get more knowledge on www.magazinesubscriptions.com.