Today is National Fitness Day, and if you have recently started trying to get into shape, or are struggling a bit, then here are some fitness myths that you may read or hear that you DEFINITELY need to ignore.
1. Don’t Lift Too Much Weight, You’ll get Bulky.
If I was given a pound every time someone said that they don’t want to get “too big and bulky”, I would have a ridiculously large amount of money sitting in my bank account right now. The fact is, to get a physique like a professional body builder, you have to train like a body builder. 6 days a week in the gym, every week, for years. Not to mention the mountain of food they eat everyday and the er…. “supplements” they take to be able to reach the freakish sizes that they do.
Whether you are male or female, new to the gym or have been going to the gym for years but have never strayed from the cardio machines, weight training does great things to your body, it helps to strengthen your bones, strengthens muscles, improves grip strength and you will look sexy AF. I promise.
2. The Best Time To Train Is Early Morning.
Personally, I prefer training in the morning. I like to get it done in the morning before I’m too busy later on in the day. The reality is, whenever you can train is the best time to train. There are no conclusive studies stating a particular time of day is better for fat loss or muscle gain is. If you can stick to it, stay consistent, then that is the right time to go to the gym.
3. Exercise Is The Best Way To Lose Weight.
Although exercise is the best way to get fitter, stronger and burn calories, exercise alone will not make you lose weight. If, on the way home from the gym, you stop by a McDonalds and eat a 20 chicken nugget sharer box to yourself, you will easily have consumed more calories than you would have burned.
It’s not a lack of exercise that causes people to be overweight; it’s eating too many calories and eating unhealthily. You cannot expect to lose weight if you don’t combine the two; exercise+calorie deficit=weight loss.
4. Sit Ups Are The Best Exercise For A Six Pack.
The truth is, you don’t need to do any abdominal work in order to have a six pack. The only criteria for a six pack is to have low enough body fat for the abdominal muscles to show. Sit ups themselves are not great for your spine, or your hip flexors, or your lower back, and only target a few muscles.
Big exercises such as squats and deadlifts are great for all muscles, including the abdominal muscles. You should be focusing on dropping body fat if you want a six pack. However, if your core is weak, then exercises like the plank, abdominal rollouts and the variations of those exercises are far better for strengthening your abs without destroying your spine.
5. A Post Protein Shake Is Best.
Food First. This goes for all supplements. Whether it’s protein, iron, or some form of vitamin insufficiency, you should try to get the macro, vitamin or mineral from food. I mean, why wouldn’t you? It’s tasty!
Your post workout meal should consist of lean protein, such as chicken, turkey or beef (for muscle repair) and complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice and bread (for restoration of glycogen). However, it’s often not convenient to eat a meal straight after your workout, which is why the protein shake comes into the frame.
If it’s more convenient to neck a protein shake post workout, then do it, just make sure you have one you enjoy, has a high amount of protein in it and that you eat a banana with it for the glycogen storage.
A Protein Shake isn’t the best post workout, however it might be more convenient.
6. Fat Turns Into Muscle.
This one is genuinely impossible. Fat is a completely different tissue than muscle tissue is. Fatty tissue is found between muscles and around internal organs like the heart and liver. Weight training builds muscle, but is impossible to replace the fat. You burn fat by being in a calorie deficit and exercising regularly with a combination of heavy weight training and cardio.
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Much love,
JF
September 27th, 2017 by Jack Foster
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