Fitness myths you have believed for too long!

It’s easy to fall into the trap of fitness myths as they get passed along from friends, family members or third parties. You figure it must be true because everyone says so, but is it really?

A lot of fitness myths are the reason that your are not gaining your personal workout goals. Some myths are technically just harmless. However others can actually be harmful and increase the risk of injuries. Furthermore can they cause frustration and make you give up on your goal all together.
The problem that people don’t take under consideration is that we all adapt to workouts individually. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for you or me.

In this sense, you have to find your own truth. Continue reading to find out whether they are true or not !?

Here are 12 fitness myths

1) Through weight training you will become big and bulky

Yes, there is the option of becoming bulky and big, if this is your goal and your physic allows it. But even if you’re using heavy dumbbells, you’re not going to turn into a female Thor—really! Due to our genes women typically have less muscle tissue and produce lower levels of testosterone than men. We are less physiologically prone to becoming brawny.

In return, strengthening training helps you become lean and toned instead. With the right training plan, the correct amount of weights and repetitions you will get in great shape rather than a walking muscles man.

2) Cardio training is the only way to loose weight

As soon as we think about weight lose most of us associate hours of time spend running long distance in order to loose weight. It can most certainly help to burn carlories and lead to fat loss, correct. However, if done on its own it might not be the most efficient way of losing weight. The key for loosing weight is still the well known way of eating less calories than you burn throughout the day. Meaning, no matter how much cardio you do, if you still eat more or equally as much as you burn you will not loose any weight.

Furthermore, through strengthening training with or without weights, you will built muscles. The more muscles you have the more fat you will burn. Therefor strengthening training is just as important. Cardio training helps you to work out harder and longer.
With that being said, the only way to lose the right amount of weight is by adopting a diet that supports your goal as well as performing strengthening training and cardio training.

3) The longer and more often I train, the more results I get

Our body needs time to recover and rebuilt the muscles. As a beginner you should rest every other day. As an advanced athlete it is still necessary to rest once a week to give our body the time to regain energy and prevent us from over- training.

HIIT training has been around for a couple of years by now. It shows that with small interval sequences that are of a high intensity nature you can have quick and amazing results. It targets all major parts of your body such as my ShapedFit Guide. And the best part is you only have to spend 30 min a day working out. If your goal is not to become a body builder or marathon runner there is no need to spend hours and hours at the gym or run long distance.

4) Stretching is good after your workout

Keep doing it if it feels good to you. A recent University of Milan study on the effects of post workout recovery methods found however no significant changes in blood lactate levels (a measure of how fatigued your muscles are) in folks who stretch after exercise. While stretching may not completely reduce muscle soreness or speed muscle tissue repair, limbering up still has certain benefits. Stretching right after a workout, when the body is still warm, is the best way to increase joint flexibility.
Check out my ShapedFit Guide for more information on how and when to stretch.

5) Warm up isn’t necessary since your body warms up through your workout anyway

While this is technically true that your body warms up as you workout, a warm up is still necessary and essential for your results. When you start directly from 0-100 you will increase the risk of injuries and your muscles fatigue sooner. Your muscles need some time to pre- warm up and be engaged before you start your workout. Warming up increases the blood flow to your working muscles and prepares your muscles and yourself for the additional workload coming.

6) Running is bad for your knees

Running is a great workout, but it can impact the knees which is correct. It is the force of your body weight on your joints that can cause stress no matter whether you’re on a treadmill or on asphalt.

Women tend to have an imbalance in the strength ratio between their quadriceps and hamstrings.  This can increase the risk of ACL injuries, which is why it is recommended to include a full body resistance workout. It helps to built muscles that support your knees.

Another great option is to vary your cardio sessions with running, biking or an elliptical machine. You will enhance your running experience and also reduce your chances of getting injured.

7) Crunches are the key to flat abs

A lot of us believe that sit ups and crunches are the best way to achieve a flat stomach. I am sorry guys, but doing sit ups day in and day out will not give you the abs of your dreams. Losing weight and achieving a fit and toned body cannot be achieved overnight – nor is it possible to spot reduce. It requires dedication to a healthy and balanced lifestyle. You can do 100 crunches and still not see the results you wish for. There are ways to give yourself a better chance at getting flat abs.

Find a resistance workout routine that targets ALL areas of your body, not just your abs. For better results try planks, burpees and exercises facing downwards as you are working against gravity. You will not only shape your midsection better, but also tone up your whole body. Strengthening these muscles increases your stability, minimizes many types of back pain and improves your posture.

8) The more you sweat the more calories you burn

Sweat is a biological response that cools down your skin and regulates internal body temperature, just like in an overheated gym or when it is hot outside.
Sweat has nothing to do with intensity, it is your body’s way of getting rid of heat. Fat is oxidized inside your body, and it is not going to vaporize because you are sweating!

9) Not enough sleep will restrict you from loosing weight

I hate to break the news, but unfortunately it turns out that this is actually true.
Research has shown that even partial sleep deprivation ups production of the hormone grehlin (a hormone that triggers hunger) and less leptin (a hormone that helps us feel full). This causes us to eat more the next day and still not feel full after our meal. I am certain we have all experienced this before and can agree on, that being tired and hungry all day is not the best combo.

10) If you aren’t sore the next day, your workout wasn’t good enough

Most of us believe that when they do not feel sore the next day the workout wasn’t intense or effective enough. We associate sore muscles with a good workout. Let me tell you that I do not think a sore muscles should be an indicator for a good or effective workout. Sore muscles don’t mean your training was more effective than the one you did where you weren’t sore the next morning.  A lot of people feel sore within the next 12-72 hours after a workout when they are new to certain exercises. Your muscles work in a way that they have not been used to before.

Your progress should be an indicator of whether it was a good workout or not. Can you see body changes? Can you do more repetitions? Can you lift heavier weights? Are you getting closer to reaching your fitness goals?

Hence, if you felt like you gave it all, your workout was most likely still effective no matter whether you are sore the next day or not. You will still make progress and get stronger. You don’t have to have soreness to gain muscle size or strength. And to be honest would we still work out every day if we were in constant pain? I certainly wouldn’t.

11) Big muscles are strong muscles

Unfortunately we like to mistake the size of muscles with strength. This is not entirely true. There is a difference between the quantity (a muscle that is big) and quality (a muscle that is strong). For body builder athletes, size and shape—not strength—is the ultimate goal. For fitness athletes, strength for maximum effort is most important.

I am not saying that big muscles aren’t strong. But put a body builder and an olympic athlete infront of a barbell and see who can lift more. I personally want maximal strong muscles that tone and shape my body without making me look bulky, which is why I stick to my HIIT guide workouts.

12) Fat can be transformed into muscles as well as spot reduced in target areas

I hate to say it, but this is actually not possible. Sorry guys. There is no such thing as spot reducing fat. You will loose fat and built muscles as you work out, yes. But those are two completely different processes that have nothing to do with each other.

Fat loss is systemic, meaning it happens throughout your whole body, not one trouble spot at a time. While you do strengthening training you will built muscles that help you burn more calories throughout the day.

To reduce fat in any place, you need to perform the all so well known “more-calories-out-than-in” approach that addresses body fat as a whole. I already mentioned this before.

Your body will burn fat as an overall process with your diet . That means a well-rounded exercise program, with a combination of aerobic endurance activities and strengthening exercises all over your body, plus a healthy diet.