Exercise! - Heart Rate

Hi,
I just joined Bally's I was previously at Goodlife Fitness which is in Canada. The person I signed up with at Bally's was really nice, so anyone in Toronto looking to sign up PM me and I will give you his number.

Anyway there are a few things that I find different about the Bally's classes then Goodlife, one thing was a Goodlife they stressed to keep moving in between excersices to keep the heart rate up, where in Bally's after a set of excersices everyone just rests a bit and there is no mention about heart rate. Can anyone tell me the importance to keeping the heart rate up? Also can someone tell me the importance of the cool down, when on any of the machines, is it really needed?
Thanks

I am not fitness expert, but I have to tell you that I have been at Bally for over a year now, and I agree with you. I was always told though, that fluctuating your heart (by doing "random" on the machines) actually gives you more of a work out because your body has a tendency to get used to the rate at which you're working.
If you're weight lifting, you want to rest between sets for at least 45-60. If you're doing cardio, I would keep your heart rate up for the entire duration of your workout (minus your warm up and cool down).
I can tell you for me, the cool down is VERY important. I work out pretty intensely, and if I would just get off, I would be light headed, dizzy, and discombobulated for about a half hour. Allow yourself the extra 2 or 3 minutes to get your body temperature back down to a normal rate.
Good luck at Bally's! I absolutely LOVE my Bally!

Working the weights and keeping your heart rate up in between is more like a circuit. You use a bit lighter weights and get more of a cardio workout.

Working the weights and resting in between is more for building muscle. You lift heavier and the rest in between allows the ATP to be replaced in your muscles, in order to lift more in the next set.

No matter what exercise you do, cool down is extremely important. It allows the blood to be redistributed evenly throughout the body, your heart rate to come down gradually instead of abruptly. A gradual cool down helps avoid the possibility of your muscles seizing up. After a cardio, that's the 5 minute walk or slowdown that happens at the end. During resistance exercises, your heart rate doesn't usually get so high. But you should do a cooldown on one of the cardio machines after a circuit routine.