Everyone agrees that it’s good to work out but no one ever questions the myths that revolve around it. In this article, we will talk about the 9 common exercise myths that may hamper your exercise routine and fitness goals.
9 Common Exercise Myths Debunked
Here are some of the most common exercise myths and some of them are pretty crazy. Let’s have a look at each one of them.
1. Women Who Strength Train Bulk Up
That’s not true. Women can lift 40-50 kgs without bulking up at all. This is because women just don’t have the amount of testosterone needed to become bulky. If a woman strength trains for long enough, she will become strong and fit but she will not bulk up.
For a woman to bulk up the way you see in bodybuilding competitions, they need to have a 6-8 hour strenuous workout routine every day along with a high dose of steroids to actually bulk up. These women will bulk up but they will also have a plethora of illnesses because of the steroids. A normal woman who is really trying to stay fit will never bulk up.
In fact, everyone should strength train. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, you need to spend time improving your strength.
2. You Can Only Workout In The Gym
Time and again we have proved this theory wrong. There are many exercises that you can do from home. Most of them are very strenuous and can get you in shape. You may not have enough dumbbells but that can easily be substituted with water bottles and heavy jars.
Working out from home can be equally strenuous if not more strenuous.
Now with the Coronavirus lockdown, we can’t go to the gym. Working out from home is perhaps the best way for everyone to gain strength. There are many creative ways to turn your home into a workout place, you just have to be willing to experiment.
3. Yoga Is Not Real Workout
Whoever said this has probably never done Yoga. True, Yoga does involve a lot of stretches but it’s certainly not the only thing that Yoga has to offer. If you do a single session of power Yoga or a few intermediate Yoga classes, you’ll know what we mean!
4. You Must Workout Everyday For Best Results
As amazing as your body can be, it is certainly not a machine. When you have an intense exercise routine, your muscles tear at a microlevel causing delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. It takes some time for the body to rest and reset.
If you don’t take time to rest you don’t give your muscles the time to build. A tired, unrested body will not be able to build stronger muscles.
If you overexert your body, you will notice that you are tired more than you should be and that you are getting muscle cramps more often.
Usually, it is a good rule to rest once or twice a week.
5. You Can Spot Train To Reduce Fat In One Part Of The Body
When you start working out, you do start to lose excessive fat. It is a general loss of fat from all over the body. It’s true that some parts of the body lose fat faster than others. Your arms and legs may lose fat faster than your stomach.
No matter what you do, you cannot lose fat or gain muscle in one part of your body. This is why exercises that target only one muscle don’t do you any good. Which brings us to the next topic:
6. Crunches Are The Best Exercise For Abs
Crunches can indeed help you get abs but if you don’t lose the layer of belly fat on top of it, your abs will not be visible. Instead, you should do a bit of cardio to start losing that belly. You shouldn’t stop crunches, but mix it up with squats, lunges, leg lifts, cardio etc.
It will take some time but when you mix it up you will start to see results.
7. Only Cardio Helps Me Lose Weight
On the flip side, there are people who think that only cardio will help them lose weight. While cardio is very effective in terms of losing weight, training with heavy weights allows you to burn more calories.
This is why a combination of cardio and strength training is important for your overall development.
8. A Good Workout Must Pain
This again is not true. Exercise can make you uncomfortable when you push yourself to do more. You may even get muscle soreness post-workout but, it should never be painful while you are working out.
Pain is usually a sign of injury and if you feel any pain, you should stop and asses your posture. Never push through the pain. It may worsen your injuries.
Most injuries happen on the foot, hence it’s very important to wear proper footwear while working out.
9. Sports Drinks Are The Best Source Of Energy After A Workout
This statement is partly true. Sports drinks are indeed the best source of energy after a workout. But who needs the best source of energy? Marathon runners and triathletes. Someone who works out for 30 minutes a day doesn’t really need it.
Sports drinks have a lot of sugar, so they actually nullify your workout if you are trying to lose weight. The best alternative to sports drinks is plain water.
So, here are some common exercise myths about exercising. Do you know of any more myths? Let us know in the comments section.
