10 Fitness Myths

1. If I Lift Weights I’ll Get Big and Horrible looking

Muscle is more dense than fat. So if you add weights training to the mix, chances are you are building muscle, shaving off fat, and you will take up less space in your clothes than before. It is pointless just going by the scales as kg for kg, muscle will always be heavier than fat. So embrace weight training. You’ll feel and look leaner and rev up your metabolism while you’re at it.

2. As Long as I’m Moving, I’m Burning fat and losing weight

Not true. If your calories IN is way more than your calories OUT, I am afraid you ain’t losing weight my friend. Pigging out on fast food, unhealthy snacks, carbonated drinks and just walking a mere 20 minutes will not get you a svelte figure, ever! Also, if you are crawling along like a snail, you will never burn fat. To be in the fat burning zone, you need to be at 50% to 85% of your max heart rate. Wearing a heart rate monitor where you enter your age, weight and intensity level is the most accurate and efficient way to determine your heart rate zone.

3. I Have to Train for an Hour in Order to Have Any Exercise Benefit

Rubbish. You could do burpees for a mere 10 minutes, and burn fat. It all depends on the type of workout you’re doing. If you’re doing high intensity interval training you can accomplish all your goals in 15 to 20 minutes, or less. Tabata is all about doing reps at high intensity such as, sets of 20 seconds of hard work followed by 10 seconds of rest, but it is only four minutes long! It’s not how long you work, it is how hard you work.

4. Eating No Carbs Will Make Me Fit and Strong

Biggest fallacy on earth. It’s not, NOT eating Carbs..  It’s, WHICH carbs are you eating! Whole grains, legumes, vegetables and minimally processed grains are all good examples of the carbs that you can eat frequently without worrying about weight gain.

5. Cardio Is the Only Exercise Your Body Needs

Untrue! There is something else that is as important as cardio. While cardio is essential for keeping your heart strong, resistance training keeps your body in alignment and strengthens your key postural muscles. You see, our bodies are slowly collapsing as we get older, and weight training is what keeps us upright, aligned and strong. Raising the arches of our feet, strengthening our pelvic floor, and keeping our head from falling forward are the ultimate goals in preventing our bodies from collapsing as we age. Weight training strengthens tendons and ligaments as well as creates good bone density.

6. Work Out on an Empty Stomach to Burn the Most Amounts of Calories

Well, I prefer to eat before I work out.  I generally prefer to do 2 or 3 classes in the gym so I really need the energy boost to keep me going. And also, if you work out in the morning, remember you were asleep and fasting before, so it is a good idea to have a snack if you want to give it your best and your all, during training. Imagine this – would you rather give a half hearted 50% during bodycombat, or 100% at every single class?

7. The Type of Gym Shoe I Wear Makes No Difference in My Workout

All you weight is supported by your feet, so why wouldn’t you pay attention to them? Wearing the incorrect shoe can cause all sorts of pain and injuries. Arch support, shoe space, ankle stability and cushion are crucial elements in selecting the correct shoe for your feet and sport.

8. Running Is the Only Way to Lose Weight

Like we’ve said before, running is great, but weight training is even better! When you do cardio, you burn calories while you work out. If you build muscle, your muscle at rest can burn calories due to elevated metabolism, for 24 to 48 hours after you stop exercising!

9. Being in Pain After Training Is the Sign of a Great Workout

A sign of a good workout is results, not soreness! Some discomfort is fine, but not pain till you cannot walk nor stand. Make sure you check that you are working out the right way and taking the right amount of weights for your body’s capacity.

10. I Should only Train what I see in the Mirror

You need to train what you can’t see as well! I see tons of men especially obsessed with their chest and arms. They hardly pay attention to their back, hamstrings, rhomboids, glutes and calves. This will give you a rather imbalanced body – posture problems like a forward head posture and rounded shoulders, or neck, rhomboid and trapezius pain. A good way to build a balanced body is a workout that includes equal parts push and pull during your training.