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 levels. You do that by cutting calories and adding a consistent cardio regimen to your regular weight-training regimen.
Myth 3// I Can Spot-Reduce My Problem Areas
TRUTH: Spot-reduction is not possible unless you go for liposuction. Without such surgery, your body will draw fat from different regions at different rates depending on your genetic makeup. 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 better. Your diet will be responsible for 80-90% of that fat loss.
Myth 4// Cardio Is More Important For Fat Loss Than Weight Lifting.
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 is losing muscle! Long cardio sessions = Muscle Loss which = Lower Metabolism. Some people think the longer the cardio session the more calories they will burn….WRONG! This strategy is completely ineffective to lose fat and not to mention a waste of time! Study after study has been done to prove that high-intensity exercise trumps duration for losing fat. If you want to lose fat efficiently through cardio, do shorter more intense (20-45 minute) cardio sessions. You will burn more overall calories and preserve muscle, which will make you look tight and lean. In addition you will burn calories up to 24 hours after completing your shorter/intense session.
Myth 5// My favorite myth of all time!!!!! Weight Training Will Make Women Bulky.
Hahaha!!! I laugh every time I hear a lady say, “I bulk up when I lift heavy weights.” Truth: Two things that make women bulky: #1. Growth Hormones/Steroids and #2. Overeating/ Junk Food (cookies, fried food, chips, candy, beer, etc.) This myth just won’t go away, mainly because of bodybuilding magazines. 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 be a member of the clean plate club, you will get bigger…..end of story!
If 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’re concerned about your arms or legs getting “bulky,” lose more fat (meaning put the fork down, eat clean, lift weights and do some high intensity cardio intervals). Eventually you will be able to see those lean defined muscles.
Fitness Myth 6// Get Results Fast!!! Easy! Effortless!!
Truth: This is the biggest lie in the fitness business. Everywhere I look I see ads for diet and fitness with words like “RESULTS FAST!”, “EASY!”, and “EFFORTLESS!” You know those BowFlex commercials? I assure you the BowFlex models did not build their “BowFlex Body” with three simple workouts per week, 20 minutes per day, on a BowFlex. Losing fat is hard! Gaining muscle is hard! Getting faster is hard!! Saying “NO” to all the junk food is hard!! Remember, if you want to look or perform at an extraordinary levels, then you’ve got to do extraordinary things!!!
