In the world of health and fitness there’s so many myths and contradictions floating around that it can be pretty overwhelming.
While some theories sound plausible, others may seem a little far-fetched. Don’t stress, we’re here to help set the record straight so you train smarter and harder!
Myth: Lifting weights will make women look bulky
Fact: This myth couldn’t be any further from the truth. Naturally, women don’t produce enough testosterone to gain huge amounts of muscle. In fact, strength training can assist in helping to reduce your overall body fat percentage. Incorporating strength training into your exercise routine will help maintain muscle mass, which is something that can be lost when you only participate in cardio.
Myth: Doing crunches and ab workouts will get rid of belly fat
Fact: The unfortunate truth is that spot training doesn’t work when it comes to losing specific fat pockets. You can’t control the places of fat reduction when you work out. If you already have a high percentage of body fat covering your abs, you will need to reduce your overall body fat before your abs are revealed. Ab exercises don’t help you lose belly fat – they simply help define the underlying musculature.
Myth: Cardio burns the most calories
Fact: It’s true that you will burn calories while doing cardio, but with strength training, even after you finish lifting weights, your body continues to burn calories for hours afterwards. The most important thing to remember is controlling your calories intake, as weight loss only occurs when you are burning more calories than you are consuming.
Myth: Stretching is best before working out
Fact: Despite what we’ve been led to believe, stretching before a workout while your muscles are cold is ineffective. A much more effective method to precondition your body before exercise is to warm up with some light cardio and range of movement drills specific to the activity you are about to undertake. This will get your blood flowing and warm up your muscles to help prevent injuries.
Myth: More exercise is always better
Fact: The number of calories you burn depends on the intensity of your training. When it comes to working out, it’s all about quality over quantity. In fact, high intensity interval training can burn more calories in a short amount of time. A few days of quality exercise each week will typically achieve better results than every day light training.
