Diet, fat loss, fitness, health & well-being, Lifestyle
9 Fitness Myths You Need to Stop Believing!
In a world full of lies, the fitness industry is unfortunately no different. There are numerous unverified “fitness influencers” or “gurus” that stress ridiculous claims about how to get into shape, and those who don’t know any better fall victim. Getting your ideal physique is about knowing just as much on what NOT to do as it knowing what to properly do. Here’s the top 9 fitness myths you must stop believing today to unlock your desired health!
Fitness myth #1: You must strictly stick to cardio in order to lose weight
This one is quite unfortunate. I see many people at the gym married to the cardio machines, and I actually see their bodies get worse over time. Not only do they not lose weight, but they get fatter. Their existing muscle mass gets slowly eaten away at, as the prolonged cardio sessions raise their cortisol(stress) levels. In a preservation effect, the body holds onto water weight, resulting in that soft and puffy effect.
Even if you’re not performing excessive cardio, it doesn’t build muscle very effectively. Lifting weights is awesome for losing weight, as it build muscle. Building muscle elevates your basil metabolic rate, meaning that you burn more calories all day long. Even if you strictly lift weight but don’t perform cardio, you still can lose fat effectively. If you really want to supercharge fat burning effects, then perform both, while eating in a slight caloric deficit with a high protein intake(at least 0.8 g per pound of bodyweight).
Fitness myth #2: Heavy weights will cause excessive bulk in women
Many women are concerned that lifting heavy weights will make them look like a bodybuilder, so much so that they lift very light weights that really don’t challenge them. For a female to bulk up, it is much harder to do so than for men. The reason being is because women have much lower levels of testosterone, while having higher levels of estrogen and progesterone. Testosterone helps to build muscle, burn fat, and develop a wider bone structure. Unless you’re a genetic freak, you would have to develop an insane weight training regimen along with the likely use of steroids as a woman.
Fitness myth #3: Since I worked out today, I can eat unhealthy
This one resonates with me especially, as I used to do this all of the time. I needed a harsh reminder: you can’t outwork a bad diet! If you just busted your butt in the gym for 2 hours and burned 1,500 calories, does it make sense to eat 2,000 calories of crap foods? Unless you want to undo all of your hard work, then it doesn’t make any sense. In order to lose weight, you need to be burning more calories than you’re eating.
Fitness myth #4. The weight on the scale is the most important factor
The number on the scale is only one factor. There are many underlying factors that determine weight; water retention and sodium intake, hormones, stress, inflammation, etc. You can be losing weight just fine, but one day have your weight go up on the scale due to water retention from stress the prior day. Even when a person loses a good chunk of weight from training, the number on the scale may still go up from the muscle they built, and muscle is denser than fat.
I recommend using a scale and an app that also tracks muscle mass, body fat, intramuscular water, BMI, etc. so you can better track your results.
Fitness myth #5: Cardio machines demonstrate calories burned with 100% accuracy
Almost everyone pays attention to the exact amount of calories they are burning of cardio machines. However, these machines aren’t 100% accurate. The truth is that many factors determine how many calories will be burned, including your height, weight, age, sex, and current weight. Now, there are machines that allow you to enter personalized data, but rarely all three .
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Fitness myth #6: You need to consume protein and supplements within 60 minutes after training
This one does make some sense in theory. After an intense training session, your muscles become depleted of glycogen and microtrauma occurs. Eating a carb and protein rich meal after training helps to replenish glycogen while inducing muscle repair, growth, and recovery. However, why does it have to be within 60 minutes. Some “gurus” claim that if you don’t take advantage of this 60 minute post workout window, then you will negate all the benefits of your workouts.
The truth is that the post workout or “anabolic” window can last as long as 24 hours post workout. I don’t recommend going this long, but its not going to harm you if you eat a few hours post workout if you can’t eat sooner.
Fitness myth #7: If I’m not sweating, I’m not working hard enough
I’ll admit it, sweating during a workout feels pretty damn good. It does make you feel like you’re getting in a better workout. However, it’s NOT always a factor how hard you’re working. I personally train hard every session, but the only times I typically sweat a lot is during the summer and early fall. Many other factors go into sweat levels, such as body temperature and hydration levels. Some peoples bodies are naturally more effective at cooling themselves as well.
Fitness myth #8: Training abs more frequently will give you a six pack
I fell victim to this one like many people. It doesn’t matter how hard or frequently you train your abs, they will not be revealed if they’re covered by a layer of fat. Spot reduction is also a myth, so in order to reveal your 6 pack, you need to diet down to a low enough body fat %, which is around 12-15% for men, and around 17% body fat for women.
Fitness myth #9: No pain, no gain
There is a huge difference between feeling an intense muscle burn from lactic acid accumulation vs. actually feeling pain. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that you’re doing something wrong with your workouts. Pushing through the pain can lead to an serious injury that will put you on the shelf for quite some time. It’s just not worth it. This motto really should be pain = no gain! You can experience plenty of gains by pushing yourself hard in the gym without leading to injury! You need to be willing to leave your ego at the door.
Conclusion
In the fitness industry, it is crucial to not take everything at face value. I urge you all to do more of your own research and found out the underlying truth behind the most popular fitness myths. It is a comforting feeling knowing that these 9 aforementioned notions are all myths! Now, go out and live a myth free fitness lifestyle!