The Truth, 7 Fitness and Training Myths debunked.

I thought it would be interesting to discuss some myths about training. Tell you the Truth, so you can make an informed decision about how you exercise and train.

There are so many organisations competing for your time and money, after all, it is the FITNESS INDUSTRY, a BUSINESS and they are there to make a profit. So choosing the right exercise for you to meet your time constraints, your budget and goals is difficult. Especially with the volume of marketing pushed our way, you know, the latest craze, do you remember "3 minute abs adverts", or "dance the pounds away"? (Nothing wrong with dancing, I love a boogie! But a workout? Really)? So let's sort out the Truth from the Myths...

Myth 1: "Lifting weights will make you too bulky".

Lifting weights will not make you bulky, it takes a lot of time, effort and excellent nutrition to get BIG!

Some men and lots of women avoid lifting weights in fear that lifting weights will make them bulky. However, there are many factors involved in the process of building muscle and it is actually much more difficult to bulk-up than you think!

FACT: In order to build muscle, you need to be consuming enough protein and carbohydrate to cover what you’ve burned, and more on top to repair and grow muscle tissue. It takes serious determination and concentrated hard work to get BIG. Additionally, women will find it harder to build bulk muscle due to having lower levels of testosterone.

Myth 2: "Light weights are best for toning".

Tiny dumbbells, lots of reps = muscle endurance

If you’re worried about developing excess muscle, it seems sensible to opt for light weights in the gym. That way you’ll tone, but not get bigger, right?

Wrong!

FACT: Heavier weights work the muscle and help with "toning". While performing high number of reps with light weights can be good for muscle endurance, the optimum way to "tone" is 8-12 reps with a weight heavy enough so that your last rep is nearly a failure. (I really dislike the word Tone! it means nothing, if people mean tighten and strengthen then just say that...rant over)!

Myth 3: "The more you sweat, the better the workout".

Sweating is the bodies way of cooling down.

Unfortunately, just because you’ve left a fitness class or your gym workout with sweat-dripping clothes, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve hit it hard.

FACT: When we perspire during exercise, it is essentially the bodies way of cooling itself down. Therefore, excess sweat can be the result of an overheated studio/room, rather than a particularly hard session. A good way of measuring how hard you have worked is by using heart rate measurements or power output. You can measure power in watts if cycling or spinning, and by the size of the weight if lifting.

Myth 4: "Running is bad for your knees".

Although, for some, running offers some level of discomfort in the knees and other leg joints, there is no direct link between running and problems occurring in your knees.

FACT: The real problem is we don't know how to run correctly! Often over-striding, landing on our heels because the running shoes are cushioned at the heel (try running barefoot, your body will immediately tell you to run on the balls of your feet, so you have to shorten your stride and run with a higher cadence). You then have all of the benefits of your natural shock absorbers of muscles, tendons and ligaments. If you wear suitable running shoes and are careful with your training, running correctly then there is no reason why running should give you bad knees, no more so than other sports like squash, tennis and badminton. It is important, however, to practice a couple of all-over body strength sessions alongside your run training to ensure the muscles can handle the stress and impact of running to alleviate pressure on the joints.

Myth 5: "You should work out every day for optimal fitness".

While consistency is important in any fitness regime, having ample rest and active recovery is also an essential part of training.

FACT: Everyone, including casual gym-goers, need adequate rest and recovery to allow the muscles to adapt to training stress. If you’re a beginner to training and exercise, you may want to adopt the “one day on, one day off” approach, while more advanced people may want to take a rest day just one day a week. Splitting body parts into groups (Back and Biceps, Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and legs) allowing enough time between exercising again for the muscles to recover, is a very good way to ensure you don't over train. The last thing you want is an injury! That said, while rest is important, training just once or twice a week, isn’t really enough to make significant fitness gains. (That really does depend on your goals though, your program and training plan should be designed and aimed at that).

Myth 6" "Sports drinks are the best way to hydrate post-workout".

Unless you are an endurance athlete, you don't need sugary, high carbohydrate laced sports drinks.

Hydration is vital to your bodies health and making sure you are well hydrated will help you in many ways not only for Cardio Vascular Health, but for your skin, cooling, intra cellular health etc.

FACT: Sports drinks are a carbohydrate drink made of water and sugar (more or less). Although sports drinks can offer some benefits post-racing or training, immediately replacing any lost glycogen during your efforts, you’d be best opting for water! (unless you are a Long distance runner who has emptied their Glycogen stores)...Its free (use the refill stations in your gym) it does everything you need and does not include a pile of sugar and carbohydrates. Drink water, go home and eat a well balanced meal with all of the Macro Nutrients you need and save money!

Myth 7: "Yoga and Pilates is a great form of exercise to burn fat and lose weight".

Yoga and Pilates are fantastic exercises and incorporated into your plan.

While Yoga and Pilates are excellent forms of exercise for stretching, core stability and flexibility, it is not necessarily the highest calorie burning exercise. They offer numerous health benefits, arguably relieving digestion problems and helping to control hypertension, and can generally be performed by people of all ages.

FACT: You will burn far more calories swapping your 50-minute yoga class for a 50-minute spin class. In a half hour yoga session, you could expect to burn roughly 120 calories if you weigh 56 Kgs (125 pounds). During a spinning class, you’d be looking at 250-400 calories in half an hour. (Remember that 1 pound of fat is 3,500 calories, so do the calculations, it takes a lot of effort to burn 1 pound of fat). If your goal is losing fat then swap yoga/Pilates for a more intense exercise session. Yoga and Pilates are a good form of exercise to add in to your fitness regime, allowing time for the muscles to stretch and mind to relax. However, if you need a quick work out, go for an activity that is more intense for improved cardiovascular health.

So, hopefully you enjoyed this and are now a bit wiser to these myths? Please like and comment, or if you want some help getting leaner, fitter and stronger, contact me to discuss how I can help you....

Contact me by e-mail: dannidobsonpt@outlook.com

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Danni X