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The Biggest Fitness Myths Of All Time

Myth 1// The More You Sweat, The More Fat You Lose

TRUTH: Sweating is just your body’s way of getting rid of heat. Yes, sweating is usually a good thing whenever working out, but how much you sweat does not necessarily indicate how hard you’re working, or how much fat you will lose. There are a variety of factors that determine how much people sweat, such as obesity, level of conditioning, genetics, clothing material, and of course climate and temperature. As a result, some who are just one minute into their workouts could be sweating more than others who are wrapping up their first hour. When it comes to losing fat, it’s not about the sweat you put out, but rather the effort you put in. The harder you work, the more calories you’ll burn within a given period and thus the more fat you stand to lose. 

Myth 2// Muscle Definition Comes From Lifting Light Weight For Many Reps

TRUTH: Muscle definition comes from having muscle and low body fat. Truth is, doing high reps with a light weight is a waste of time, and won’t make your muscles more defined. Here are the facts. The main difference between a “lean and toned” physique and a “bulky” physique is the amount of body fat that surrounds your muscles. Basically, the “lean and toned” look that most people desire is a result of having muscle that isn’t hidden under layers of fat. If you want greater muscle definition then you need to lower your body fat.

Myth 3// I Can Spot-Reduce My Problem Areas

TRUTH: Spot-reduction is not possible unless you go for liposuction or CoolSculpting. Without such surgery, your body will draw fat from different regions at different rates depending on your genetics. When you start to lose weight, your body will lose the fat you currently have in a certain order. It might come off your arms first, then your legs, then your belly, then your chest, and THEN your booty. Generally, the first place you gain fat is the last place you will lose it. If spot reduction was possible, then you’d seldom see women with big butts or men with big guts. Want to make it disappear faster?  Eat in a calorie deficit.  Your diet will be responsible for 80-90% of that fat loss.

Myth 4// Cardio Is More Important For Fat Loss Than Weight Lifting.

Truth: Cardio is great for health reasons, and you will burn calories while doing it. However,  your biggest concern when you are trying to lose weight, should be losing muscle.

A study took two groups of obese people and put them on identical low calorie diets. One group was assigned to only cardio (walking, biking, or jogging 4 times per week). The other group was assigned to only weight training 3 times per week, with no cardio. 

After 12 weeks, both groups lost weight. The cardio group lost 37 pounds, 27 of which was fat and 10 of which was muscle. The resistance-training group lost 32 pounds. 32 pounds were fat, 0 was muscle. 

When they calculated their resting metabolic rate (total number of calories burned when your body is completely at rest), the cardio group burned 210 fewer calories daily (because they lost muscle). In contrast, the weight-training group had increased their metabolism by 63 calories per day (because they gained muscle).

Myth 5// Weight Training Will Make Women Bulky. 

Truth: Two things that make women bulky: 1. Steroids/growth hormones 2. Eating in a calorie surplus.

This myth just won’t go away. People associate females who strength-train with the female bodybuilders pictured in bodybuilding magazines. The average man produces ten times the amount of testosterone as the average woman. To “bulk up” you need a lot of testosterone and a lot of calories. So if you plan to pump yourself full of testosterone and continue to eat in a calorie surplus, you will get bigger!  

Do you feel like you “bulk up” when you lift heavy weights?  It’s because you’re carrying around excessive body fat and building muscle on top of that. If you want to avoid getting “bulky,” you have to lose the fat (meaning, eat in a calorie deficit while lifting weights). Eventually you will be able to see those lean defined muscles.

Fitness Myth 6// Get Results Fast!!! Easy! Effortless!!

Truth: What comes easy won’t last, and what lasts wont come easy.  And, those BowFlex commercials? I assure you that the models they use did not build their “BowFlex Body” with three simple workouts per week, 20 minutes per day, on a BowFlex.

Losing fat and keeping it off is hard. If it was easy, everyone would be walking around with bikini bodies.

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