The Top 5 Fitness Myths Debunked
The fitness industry is rife with opinion, age-old assumptions, and false promises. It’s time to shine a light on a few of the more common fitness myths and provide some useful (and accurate) information at the same time.
Myth #1: Strength Training Will Make You Bulk Up
The truth is, strength training can align with whatever your fitness goals are. If you’re looking to lose weight, for example, gaining a bit of lean muscle mass will help by burning more calories at rest due to the fantastic metabolic properties of muscle tissue. Strength training helps you lean out!
Myth #2: You Can Spot-Reduce Fat
The truth is, you can’t spot-reduce fat. Even with a thousand crunches. In order to lose fat, you need to lose overall body fat. Dietary adjustments in concert with strategic exercise and lifestyle modifications are the key ingredients to reducing body fat.
Myth #3: Doing Lots Of Cardio Is The Best Way To Lose Weight
The truth is, while cardio is helpful at burning calories while you exercise, gaining more lean muscle mass will allow you to burn more calories at rest! This helps you achieve the caloric deficit that‘s essential to losing weight. Combining both high-intensity cardio and strength training is the way to go for the best results. And, of course, healthy nutrition, good sleep, and low stress are key.
Myth #4: Crunches Are The Best Exercises For Your Abs
The truth is, crunches are ok, but they alone will not yield the killer six-pack we all wouldn’t mind sporting. Creating tension throughout the whole trunk, such as with a plank or chop exercise, are the superior choices for abdominal exercises.
Myth #5: You Have To Do At Least 20 Minutes Of Cardio To Make It Worth Your While
The truth is, you can achieve cardio gains in less time if you utilize the High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) method. HIIT challenges our system to work very efficiently to deliver oxygen to the muscles being worked, and even afterwards at rest the body is still efficiently burning calories.
Jeremy Côte, Kinesiologist
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