Keeping Fit: Debunking 5 common fitness myths

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, August 12, 2023

Many of us have been misled by inaccurate advice when it comes to exercise and diet. Many of the old ideas that have been handed down have had to change in the light of new science. Nevertheless, because they have been repeated so often, or seem true, we still often find ourselves believing them. This can trap us into continuing to do things that are really ineffective, or worse, possibly hurtful. With that in mind here are five common fitness misconceptions that you can avoid in pursuing your own better health.

You will get a flat stomach by doing crunches

Everyone wants to know how to flatten their stomach. Crunches are one of the most popular ways to do this, but they won’t actually help you lose more belly fat.

There is no such thing as spot reduction. You cannot target specific areas of your body and lose weight from them, in the same way you can target specific muscles to gain mass. Just like you don’t decide where you would put on fat when you eat too much, you can’t control where you will lose it when you eat too little. So while doing crunches can help strengthen your abdominal muscles, they won’t necessarily make your stomach look any flatter than before.

Losing fat around your midsection requires an overall increase in energy expenditure from any kind of calorie burning activity, as well as a focus on your diet to create a calorie deficit. Eating fewer calories than your body needs will burn its stored fat for energy.

Doing exercise is a good way to lose weight

The reality is that most people can only burn an average of about 5-10 calories per minute in any form of exercise. With more than 3,500 calories stored in every pound of fat, it is necessary to put in an average of 6-11 hours of exercise just to burn one pound. This is why the primary method to burn fat is your diet, not your exercise program.

To lose a pound a week it is much easier to cut 500 calories a day from your diet by cutting out two sodas and replacing your fries and roll with a salad than it is to work out from 50-100 minutes or more (the equivalent of five miles of jogging!) daily. The main purpose of your exercise program is not to burn calories, it is to preserve your muscle and metabolism.

Women will “bulk up” if they strength train

Women do have the ability to build muscle when they strength train, but generally not in a way that would be considered “manly” or ‘bulking up” unless they are taking male hormones (steroids). Indeed, a pound of muscle is actually about 20% smaller than a pound of fat. So, if you build a few pounds of muscle and lose a few pounds of fat over a few months of strength training, you could weigh the same and actually be smaller. Indeed, lifting weights while on a diet assures that virtually all weight losses will be fat losses, making you smaller, not bigger.

Your workout isn’t effective if you are not sore

Soreness is not a good indicator of how well you are working out. It is actually a sign that you have pushed your muscles a bit too far and slightly damaged them.

Some microtrauma is necessary to create an adaptation and response that you become stronger from. However, if you try something new and lift too much weight or do too many reps beyond what you are accustomed to (and therefore experience excessive amounts of microtrauma), this can delay, rather than enhance, your adaptive response to the workout. Far better to start out a bit lighter and easier than you think and build up slowly as your fitness and strength improve.

If you stop working out your muscle turns to fat

No, these are two totally different things. Muscle will no more turn into fat than an apple will turn into an orange. If not used, muscle will become smaller, and fat may appear over the muscle if caloric intake is not controlled, but the muscle cannot change into fat. Many people worry that if they stop regularly lifting weights their muscles will turn into fat. But muscle cells and fat cells are two very different types of tissue.

The fitness industry is full of myths and misconceptions, and this list just scratches the surface. There are plenty more to be found. But don’t let that deter you from pursuing your goals. Instead, seek the most evidence-based training help you can find and then start putting it into practice. If you live in the Dalton area and have any other questions or concerns about your training or diet, the physical trainers at the Bradley Wellness Center are happy to help you find the answers. and that’s no myth.