Are your clients held back by their belief in fitness fictions? Here, Brent Brookbush, DPT, PT, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, CSCS, ACSM-H/FS, NASM Master Instructor, and author of Fitness or Fiction: The Truth About Diet and Exercise, gets to the bottom of five common misconceptions.
Be sure to also check out: 10 Nutrition Myths to Ignore for more info on the nutritional side of fitness.
5 Exercise Myths
#1 You aren’t losing weight because you’re putting on muscle
Truth: “If you’ve started strength training, you won’t put on enough muscle mass to significantly offset weight loss,” Brookbush says. One study found that those who performed resistance-training three times a week for 16 weeks gained about two pounds of lean body mass, which won’t offset the one to two pounds per week connected to healthy weight loss.
#2 Women will bulk up if they strength-train
Truth: Women don’t have the testosterone or growth hormone levels that men do, so bulking up is very difficult. Instead, they’ll look more toned and be stronger.
And no, you can't boost testosterone with certain foods!
3# You can “spot tone"
Truth: Where the fat comes off first is genetically determined and happens everywhere—did you ever notice how even your fingers get thinner when you lose weight?
#4 Machines are safer than free weights
Truth: Lifting free weights with proper form gives you better coordination and connects more to real-world activities.
5 No next-day muscle pain, no gain
Truth: “If you’re sore a lot, you may be overtraining and getting worse results,” Brookbush says. One 2012 study found that overtraining can boost inflammation, interfering with muscle growth.
Check out this video for more information on common fitness myths:
