Top 5 Fitness Myths – Debunked by San Diego’s Best Personal Trainers
Lifting heavy weights will make you look like the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, if you workout hard you can eat whatever you want, and cardio is the best way to lose body fat! Yup, there are a ton of fitness myths and they haven’t changed much over the years. Worse yet, these fitness misconceptions could be sabotaging your efforts!!
Society is saturated with misleading information, as our personal trainer Meg Kruse says “these faulty beliefs lead to unattainable expectations which inevitably leads to failure, loss of hope, and giving up”. Yikes.
We asked a few of our trainers to clear up some of the biggest fitness myths they hear regularly.
#1 Lifting Weights Makes Women Bulky
Seriously though, where did this myth start? Bulking should be the least of women’s concerns. When you lift weights you increase muscle which leads to increasing your resting metabolism. This means you will burn more calories at rest! Yes, you read that right, the more weight you lift the more calories you will burn outside of the gym!! Our trainer Janet Bertrand urges that “lifting weights doesn’t make you big, eating bad makes you big! A woman can lift super heavy and still be super lean and tiny.” Ultimately, lifting challenging weight is required to gain strength, and increase overall fitness.
If you’re a woman, and looking to build bigger muscles (more power to ya girlfriend) it takes a lot of time, proper nutrition, and a calorie surplus, but we’ll save that conversation for another time.
#2 If You Workout Hard, You Can Eat Whatever You Want
You just had a grueling hour at the gym. You pumped heavy weights, created piles of sweat, and according to the treadmill you burned an upward of 600 calories. You deserve that pizza right? As much as we wish it were true, that is not the case. Nutrition is KING, especially if you’re attempting to transform your body. According to our trainer and nutritionist Ryan Rogers “You can’t outwork a bad diet. Furthermore, your diet should fuel your activity. Eating a bunch of poor quality food will only lead to poor quality work output.” Working out does not erase bad eating habits. Case closed.
#3 How Do I Lose Fat in My [Insert Body Part Here]?
Trainers call this spot reduction, and it can not be done. If someone is looking to slim their midsection, 1,000 crunches won’t do the trick. Sorry to break it to you, but abs are made in the kitchen. The human body is created to burn fat however it sees fit, and you have no say. Simply put, it’s impossible for someone to decide where they lose fat from. Your body is genetically created to add or drop weight in certain areas- some will lose fat in their hips, while others will have a tiny waist. If your goal is to shrink a certain area you’ll have to lose weight overall, and this is done through proper nutrition and the assistance of exercise.
#4 Cardio (Aerobic) is the Best Way to Lose Body Fat
Don’t get us wrong, aerobic, steady-state training can be an effective way to shed some pounds. However, losing weight and losing body fat are two different things. When it comes to losing body fat, the key is proper nutrition while workouts serve as an assistant in the process. If your goal is to achieve and maintain a toned figure, add strength training to your routine, and burn more calories than you consume. For optimal body fat loss, our trainer Jeff King recommends “doing strength training, aerobic, and anaerobic training.”
#5 Do This “ONE” thing, & You’ll Have an Amazing Body
There are no shortcuts to a healthy and fit life, it takes consistency and time to achieve results. As much as we wish it were true, there is no magic pill, fit tea, or 10 minute workout that will lead to a life of sustainable health and wellness. Knock it off with the gimmicks, get in the gym, hire a personal trainer/coach, or consult with a nutritionist about you goals, and then talk to us about your results!
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Leave a Reply