Fitness Myths Debunked
You can target a specific area to burn fat.
You can't spot reduce meaning your body burns fat in the easiest places first and will lose fat in those stubborn areas last. Basically where ever you gain fat the easiest will be the last place for it to go. Now while you can't spot reduce you can target specific areas to gain strength or size.
My workout wasn't good if I wasn't sweating or sore
Those are bad indicators and don't actually determine what made a good workout or show progress. Everyone has different sweat glands, so some people might do the same workout and sweat like crazy while others barely break a sweat. Now this doesn't mean that each person isn't working hard or getting results but rather how your body just responds. This goes for being sore as well since our bodies are always adapting. Being sore isn't generally a good thing since this can actually be a sign of over training.
Lifting heavy is bad for my joints
Now lifting heavy does put some stress on your joints but if you're lifting smart and safely it's actually going to strengthen your joints. When applying more load to your body, your muscles have to build more fibers to handle the increased loads placed upon them. When this happens your body builds stronger connective tissue and bones while building more muscle.
I'm too old to workout
Your body naturally begins the process of losing muscle as we age. But if you are lifting and working out you can retain that muscle mass. You're never to old to jump into fitness and start moving. Doing something will always be better than doing nothing.
If women lift heavy they will get bulky
Lifting heavy will not make you bulky. In fact it will help you put on lean muscle, get fuller looking muscles and help boost your metabolism. Women don't produce enough testosterone to build a ton of muscle mass nor do you eat 3000 plus calories. So ladies it's okay to throw some weight around.
To get the best results I should be working out 5-7x a week
Well in this case less is more. Your body is constantly breaking down muscle and if you don't give it the proper time to recover at some point your results will hinder or you'll get hurt. On those dreaded rest days your body is actually taking the time to build and repair new lean tissue. But don't forget this is going to be in conjunction with fueling yourself enough to help with the repair.
Cardio is the best way to lose body fat
Cardio is great and short term, yes you might see some results upfront but your body is very good at adapting and while you might poor sweat it doesn't mean you're burning all those calories. At some point your body learns to become very efficient at that movement and learns to not expend as many calories. So what's the answer here? Nutrition drives fat loss and workouts simply support it. You can't out exercise a bad diet and countless hours of cardio will definitely not help you.
Don't lift longer than 60mins
Don't waste time in the gym, but don't race against the clock, either. Time is a guide – not a be-all and end-all. Doing quality work and eliciting a powerful training effect trumps all else.
