My time is devoted to helping people reach their fitness goals. However, I have noticed over the years that many people don’t know the difference between truth and myths. They let the lies slide and don’t realize that they can be affected in some way.
All of us have tried the proven methods: barbell training to build strength, a caloric deficit to lose weight, cardio for endurance, and so on.
Fitness is still a confusing concept.
My belief is that misinformation spreads quickly because it’s easy for people to accept. People love to take shortcuts in fitness and life generally. Our brains are drawn to following clear instructions and rules, and resisting changes when they occur. These “boot camp” or “CrossFit” trends are extremely popular today. People, especially newbies to the gym, can easily burn out by trying to do advanced workouts or drastically altering their diet. This leaves them with the impression that it is difficult to be fit and work towards your goals.
This behavior perpetuates short-cut chasing.
It shows a world where people aren’t encouraged to make small, consistent improvements to their health and diet, but rather go all in to what they do, which can make their journey frustrating and unproductive. Today I will dispel the most common myths surrounding working out, so you can see the truth and make informed decisions about what advice to follow in the future. Myths refer to information that is easily accessible and shared within the fitness community. It can give people a false impression of fitness and slow them down in achieving their true goal.
This is why it will be so rewarding to bust these myths!
Let’s get to it.
Myth 1: The “Lean Muscle” phenomenon.
Let me tell you, there is no such thing as “lean muscle.” This is most likely what people mean by “lean body weight.” Technically speaking, all muscle can be considered lean. When someone talks about building lean muscles, it is exactly the same thing as building muscle and burning fat. A rise in lean body mass refers to the difference between the weight gained and the amount of fat lost. Don’t worry about “no-carb, lean muscle diets” and instead focus on what works best for you.
Myth 2 – Strength training is all about heavy weights and machines.
It is a subjective term, and “heavy” can be very subjective. Strength training is about adding resistance to your muscles. The bar shouldn’t be too heavy to provide resistance. You can also build and maintain strength through bodyweight exercises, resistance band, medicine balls, or any other activity that causes your muscles to contract against external resistance. The increase in strength refers to your ability to increase your load and increase your endurance. Again, keep your eyes on what is best for you. If you put too much weight on a barre to “build strength”, you could seriously injure your self!
Myth 3: If your muscles aren’t sore from working out, then you haven’t worked hard enough.
This myth is huge for those who believe that “no pain, not gain” is the truth. Soreness is your body’s way of responding to inflammation. It is impossible to measure your progress by focusing on just one of the chemical reactions happening inside your body. To gain strength and mass, you don’t have to feel sore. You don’t need to be sore if you do a great workout but are still tired the next day. However, if you have a particularly intense workout that leaves you feeling sore the next day, it means you used just enough energy.
Myth #4: Stretching is essential before you begin working out.
It is true that it can be used to some degree, but it is often misunderstood. While everyone can agree that jumping into your one-rep max can do more harm than good for your body, static stretching should be left until after your workout is over. You can replace the word “stretching”, with a dynamic warm up, to get the desired result: improving mobility and elasticity of your muscle, and preparing them for greater intensity. Foam rolling can be a great choice as it helps keep your body moving and improves your range of motion. This allows you to get deeper into your exercise and puts the stress on all of your muscles.
Myth 5 – Crunches will give your rock-hard abs!
Nope, nope, nope. Although crunches will strengthen your core and abs, they aren’t the best exercise. Many people, especially novices, view crunches and sit-ups as the ultimate ab workout. Why not try something different? There are many options to help build stability and strength in the midsection, including the reverse press-up, the squat and the leg raise.
Myth 6: Intensity is what you get from sweating!
There’s also the sweating myth. Many people believe that the amount of calories you burn is directly proportional to how much sweat you produce. Your core temperature rises, which is why you start to sweat. Your muscles release heat when you exercise. When you exercise hard, your body releases heat. This is not the only variable. It also matters how warm you are when you exercise.You’ll feel more sweaty in humid areas. It’s not sweat’s release that cools you down but rather its evaporation. You may feel more sweaty if your gym is humid.
Myth 7: Cardio is the best way lose fat.
Sadly, no. If your diet and other workout routines don’t align with your goal, spending a few hours on a treadmill won’t make any difference. To be exact, you will need to consume approximately 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body fat. Take a look at this chart by the American Council on Exercise. Running for an average of 14 calories per minute will result in a person burning around 14 calories per hour. If you run a 10-minute distance, you will burn around 140 calories. Of course, there are other variables that can be added to your individual equation. Cardio is not enough to achieve weight loss. It is important to eat a healthy diet, and engage in activities that stimulate EPOC (exercise post-oxygen consumption). EPOC is when your body burns calories even after you have finished your workout. EPOC can be achieved through high-intensity interval (HIIT) training and other types of resistance training.
Myth 8: Too much protein can be bad for your kidneys
This myth is only valid for a small percentage of people and should not be taken as general advice. Researchers have shown that excess protein can stress the kidneys, and may further complicate the condition for people with a kidney disease. There is no evidence that high protein intake can have any impact on renal or hepatic function. High-protein diets will be easy if your kidneys are healthy. Just make sure you stay hydrated.
Myth 9: You’ll be fat if you eat carbs before going to bed!
This sentence is something we’ve all heard at one time or another. Even when you are asleep, your body still needs energy. Your body will absorb carbs and replenish glycogen stores during sleep after a long day or hard workout. Yes, excess carbs can lead to fat storage, but so will excess of any other food. *Carb-rich foods can increase the release of serotonin. Your body can achieve greater relaxation and better sleep with serotonin.
Myth 10: Spot reduction
You have the God-given right not to listen to anyone tell you that fat loss can be targeted to specific areas of your body. If this were true, everyone would be wearing a 6-pack because they did a gazillion crunches. This has not been proven by any single study. Scientific consensus is that you lose fat all over your body when you lose it.
