Fitness Myths – The Truths everyone should know
For many reasons, there is quite a bit of misinformation in gyms and at water coolers all over about what it takes to get in shape, lose some weight or how to work out. Wives tales, century old remedies handed down, gym member to gym member, or some “experts” newest get lean quick scheme. Buy into them and I promise nothing more than confusion as they will most likely contradict one another at some point. Follow the science! Keep it simple!
Myth #1
- Women who lift weights will develop big masculine muscles.
Absolutely NOT. Simple truth, the amount of muscle a man carries is directly related to the amount of male hormones produced. Women simply DO NOT have enough of it to make their muscles massive, unless they are into serious weight lifting or are chemically enhanced. It is true that with extreme dieting and the use of and steroids, a woman can build muscle beyond normal ranges, but for natural women, strength training is a wonderful way to tone up, firm up and shape up muscles in a beautiful way. Remember, the leaner an individual is, the more muscular they actually appear. In other words, it is not really the weight training that is creating that overly muscular look, but more the diet and enhancement from chemicals. Weight training is a healthy, positive endeavour for every woman.
Myth #2
- If you don't exercise at least an hour a day, five days a week, you might as well do nothing.
Ridiculous! There is no such thing as an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to training. In fact, for many, more is NOT better at all. There are tremendous benefits to doing just a little exercise daily. Studies show that a half-hour walk three or more times a week significantly reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and boosts your energy and immune system. This says nothing for the benefits associated to increasing your metabolism and reducing body fat. This daily, short sessions ramp up your system and do wonders for your physiology as well. Your mood, mind set and stress levels all benefit!
Myth #3
- Doing direct abdominal work will get rid of belly fat.
Let’s kill this one quickly. There is NO SUCH THING as spot reduction. Ignore the infomercials! Direct abdominal training will strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture, but being able to see your abdominal muscles has to do with your overall body fat levels. Decrease overall body fat through sound whole body training and your abs will appear!
"You can’t pick and choose areas where you’d like to burn fat," says Phil Tyne, director of the fitness centre at the Baylor Tom Landry Health & Wellness Center in Dallas. So crunches aren't going to target weight loss in that area.
"In order to burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training elements. This will decrease your overall body fat content," including the area around your midsection, he says.
Myth #4
– Cardiovascular training will boost your metabolism for hours post workout.
While this statement is actually partially true, the lingering calorie burn, post cardio work, is not nearly as much as you might think! Although, your metabolism will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish an aerobic workout, the amount is not statistically significant. Some studies show only about 20 extra calories for the day. Build more muscle, increase your body’s fat burning all day long, even while you sleep. This is the reason for resistance training.
Myth #5
- Machines are a safer way to exercise than free weights.
Although it may seem as if an exercise machine automatically puts your body in the right position and helps you do all the movements correctly, that's only true if the machine is properly adjusted for your weight and height.
Unless you have someone knowledgeable determine what the right settings on each machine are for your size, you can just as easily injure yourself on a machine as you could if you work out with free weights.
This is not to say that there are not risks associated with free weights that are not present with machines, but there are opportunities for injury on machines if not properly utilized. Free weights if used with proper form and correct weight can be just as safe and safer on some exercises where it is better to have a normal, non-restricted range of motion.
The key to exercise safety is form, tempo and weight, irrelevant of whether you are using barbells, dumbbells or machines.
Myth #6
- When it comes to working out, you've got to feel some pain if you're going to benefit from the training. No Pain = No Gain.
Simply untrue and to be honest CRAZY! This might be the most potentially harmful of all the silly rumors out there. Pain is your body signaling that something is wrong.
While you can expect to have some degree of soreness a day or two after working out, this soreness should be a very from feeling any pain while you are working out. Fitness activity should not hurt during. If it does, then chances are you are either performing the exercise incorrectly, or you have already injured yourself to some extent.
As for "working through the pain," not advised. If you experience pain during a workout, stop, rest, and see if the pain goes away. If the pain does not go away, or if it begins again or gets worse after you start to work out, see a doctor as soon as possible. Pain is not a requirement for a good, productive workout.
Myth #7
- Running is the best way to get fit.
For some, maybe. For everyone, absolutely not. There is no single best way that fits all. It is more important to do what you like or you will almost certainly find a reason to quit. While running is beneficial, it is NOT a requirement to get fit. It can however, if it is something you enjoy, be a valuable part of your fitness routine.
Myth #8
– If you're not working up a sweat, you're not working hard enough.
Sweating is not necessarily an indicator of exertion. Your body sweats as a way of cooling itself. It is possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_996259_23.html & http://www.articlealley.com/article_996263_23.html
Author: jhorsley
