People often associate weight loss with hours of cardio and weight gain with unlimited eating, but that is far from what it should be. There are many myths and misconceptions about which exercise to do and how to do for effective results.
Lack of knowledge and unwillingness to learn results in wrong things getting passed on. This not only results in undesirable results but also an increased chance of injuries.
People blindly follow these to get their desired physique and when not able to achieve it, get demotivated.
1. Doing weight training stunt height
It's the biggest myth and the reason why many consider not to do weight training. I myself use to think how true is this fact actually is. People think that when kids or teenagers lift weights, it affects HGH (human growth hormone) which ultimately stuns height.
But that is far from the truth, most nutritionists think that this thinks may be because of damage in growth plates in immature bones.
But this is no reason to avoid weight training, Proper form and adequate rest are all that is needed to avoid injury. Studies done show no solid proof that lifting weights stuns height. In fact, in my personal experience, exercise helps in increasing HGH and decreasing cortisol levels which can help in increasing height.
2. Abs exercise get you a flat tummy
The reality is there is nothing such as spot reduction, reducing overall body fat is the only way to lose weight. Everyone has abs, even a 200-pound man, it is only under the belly fat.
Performing only abs exercise will do little good. We lose weight and burn fat when our body uses up energy, abs take relatively small amounts of energy.
Being in a caloric deficit is your only way to lose weight. A balance between training and diet is very important.
3. Weight training makes women bulky
This myth is the reason many women avoid weight training. The reality is both women and men need to do weight training. Women can't gain muscles as fast and in the same way, men do.
Mainly because of the structure of their skeletal muscle and the fact that they have 1/20th amount of testosterone as compared to men. Women have a completely different hormonal profile as compared to men.
4. You can convert fat into muscles
I don't know how people even think of that, Fat and muscle are made of completely two different macronutrients. any beginners think that this is in fact true just because they see an increase in muscle mass and a drop in fat percentage at the same time.
Fat and muscle are both are two ends of a rope, muscle is metabolically active and burns calories whereas fat acts as a storage compartment for excess. Beginners see fast results just because they have a large amount of fat reserve and their muscles adapt very fast to the change in stress put on them.
5. You can out train your diet
This is the main reason 90% of the people fail, people think if they have trained for 1 hour they can afford to eat a burger for lunch. Nobody can out train your diet, you can't exercise enough to do so.
1 hour of weight training burns 200-300 kcal. and 1 hour of running burns around 800 kcal. A single cheeseburger contains 300-400 kcal. You will definitely lose fat until you are in a caloric deficit, but that being said empty calories don't do anyone good.
The base concept is, If you have eaten more today you can't sweat it off in the gym but doing 1 hour of cardio.
6. If your muscle is not sore, that means you haven't exercised enough
Muscle sourness is first of all not bad, it is not caused by the build-up of lactic acid in the muscle or due to damage in tissues. Muscle soreness is just caused because of the fact that during lifting we damage our muscle fibers which when repaired causes stiffness or soreness.
Muscle soreness is definitely a signal that your muscle is growing but that does not mean that it is a measure that a workout is good or not.
7. Rest days result in muscle loss
Rest days are not bad, in fact, they are the reason for muscle growth. Our muscle grows when they rest while resting our damaged muscle fibers repairs, which make muscle appear bigger.
They prevent muscle fatigue and reduces the risk of injury. They act as a big motivational factor as it provides a mental break from the gym.
8. Stretching before exercising is good
First, let's understand, there are two types of exercises-
1. Static stretching- It involves stretching the muscle to the maximum and holding in that position for 15-20 seconds and then slowly retreat. As they use the full range of motion of the muscle, they are effective in relieving stress and relaxing muscles. They also improve the flexibility o the muscle.
2. Dynamic stretching- These as compared to static stretching are more active movements. In these, the muscle is stretched but not held in his maximum position. These are excellent options for warming up as they heat up the muscle. Generally, these exercise mimics some kind of sport movement or daily movement.
Doing static stretching before exercising relaxes muscle which significantly reduces the amount of weight we can lift. It can affect muscle performance during exercise that will increase the chance of injury.
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Very informative
ReplyDeleteGreat insight... Really impressed
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