I was wondering, sometimes I like to wear arm and ankle weights, sort of a little muscle head if you will :P, but I was wonder if that is ok to wear those and play the snares at the same time or even practice. I was wondering would this tamper with my performance or actually enhance it and possibly make me faster? Normally I wear 5lbs on my arms and 10lbs on my legs. Let me know someone because I am actually hopping to get my "own" snare drum with my job money on friday! I dont want to start off on the wrong track.

Well I really wouldn't put that much weight on your arms. I think you'll end up hurting your wrists or something. However, if you want to weight the sticks I think that's good. I tape a few pennies on each one, about a quarter of the way from the head, that way they still bounce and everything but are heavier so they work your muscles that you use for drumming more. Don't make them too heavy or you will hurt your wrist. Leg weights would be good, but just standing there with them on is pointless, you would do them while you are martching. Our tenor player did that one year, and he was fine with it. The only thing you should watch out for is make sure your technique is solid while you do it, or you will just build up the wrong muscles, and I would start with smaller ones on your legs at first, because like I said you still want to be able to have good technique. As for your arms and everywhere else, working out once in a while never hurts...

That pennies idea sounds good but which way should it go? Pennies next to eachother going around the stick or stacked on eachother in one spot or stacked around the stick or what?

I meant I wear Arm weights and stuff, like not for drumming but for body trainging and that type of stuff... anyways ima try the pennies idea! more opinions liked.

I have heard that weightlifting in general, unless done properly, can be detrimental to your drumming because of the muscles that are used in the wrist for each activity (i.e., they're different). I am looking up the physiology and getting a few second opinions to back myself up, but my first instinct is that the wrist weights are a bad idea because of the physiology. The pennies taped to the stick, on the other hand, would seem to be an excellent idea, because they don't change the movement of your stroke or put weight directly on the wrist.

I know im doing it properly, but would it still be detrimental to my drumming, how bout if i take them off when I drum?

Okay, after looking through some very VERY boring A+P books that I have laying here, it would seem that as long as you take them off when you are actually drumming, the wrist wouldn't be too strained, but I'd be carefully watching my technique for a while. As for lifting in general, looks like as long as you have good form, and don't do any weird wrist curls or work out 12 times a week, etc, you'll be fine.

P.S. Sometime when I have time, I can come back and post all the boring Anatomical and Physiological reasons for my conclusion, but right now it's almost 2 AM, and I've got to workout, work and teach tomorrow.

I only work out 7 times a week though.. dang, but i guess i just wont work with them and nope no weird wrist curls here.

With the pennies, tape them around the stick, and do 2 or 3 rows of them. I usually do 3 around the stick (like around the circumference), and space them evenly, so when you look at the stick head-on they kinda form a triangle. You might have to play with the tape so they stay on well when you play, but you'll get it. Then do that 2 or 3 more times, so you use 6 or 9 total. I use 9. Don't put too many on...it doesn't seem heavy at first, but play with them for a while and you feel it. Make sure everything's even though, you don't want anything to be off balance or you will probably strain yourself. As for your working out, unless you're superman, you shouldn't work out every day. The point or working out is that you damage your muscles while you do it, then when you rest, the muscles repair themselves and get stronger, hence "building muscles". Working out the same muscles every day won't give them adequate time to repair themselves. If you work out different groups every day then that's different, but I'd still be careful, you don't want to hurt yourself.

ok i c now, I was just trying to get cut and lose some more weight before summer is over so I can look sexy for back to school, I c now, and Im going to try the pennies thingy today.