Some of the Biggest Misconceptions About Fitness

There are people who look for instant results or a “magic bullet” that will get them the results that they want quickly. However this is seldom the case. In fact it can be both ineffective and extremely dangerous.

In order to get a “six pack” of abdominal muscles, I can do situps.

While many people spend most of their gym time working their core muscles in the hope of getting that dream six-pack, the fact is “toning” doesn’t exist – you can either build muscle or drop body fat. Low body fat creates more noticeable abdominals. By focusing on all the compound exercises such as squats, dead lift and military press, the core muscles are worked heavily anyway, and the amount of calories burned from using the large muscle groups of the legs and the upper body will result in much quicker fat loss.

Weight training will make me too big

This is often heard in many gyms, and it’s completely false. Women tend to shy away from the weights in fear of getting too muscular. Lifting heavy weights will not make you look like an Olympic weight lifter. Strength training is the most effective way to burn fat, and having a slightly higher level of muscle will result in more fat loss and a higher metabolism.

The slow burn is what works best

Fitness enthusiasts believe that in order to burn fat you need to operate inside “the fat burning zone” which is based on a crude heart rate formula. But that not the case. Fat burning is purely down to how many calories burned. Fat loss is very similar to using gasoline in a car — the faster you go, the more gas you use — the harder and more intense you train, the more calories you burn. Try to include some sprint interval training into your routines to turbo charge that fat loss. Short fast bursts of exercises always win the fat loss race.

Stretching before workout prevents injuries

Remember in high school gym class you spent five minutes doing static stretches before beginning each session. Research now shows this to not only be ineffective, but could actually increase chances of injury as the muscle is being extended and de-stabilized. Instead, try a five-minute pulse raiser, which gets the heart rate pumping and muscles warm. Stretching after exercises is always recommended too.

Turning fat into muscle

It’s simply not going to happen.  You deal with muscle and fat differently. By exercising and reducing calories, you can successfully burn the fat off.  With a well-structured weight training routine, you will increase your muscle mass.

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