10 Exercise Myths Busted

I work with a lot of people and one thing many of them share in common is not knowing what to believe. With all the information circling the internet, it is hard to know which way is the "right way", especially when several of those things contracdict one another. One article says you need to eat carbohydrates but then your favorite fitness influencer said you should avoid them. The interesting part is, both of those things can be true! Low carb can work for a lot of people, just like moderate carbs can work for others. These things are a matter of opinion, but what I wanted to address in this article today are the myths many people believe about fitness and health. It's one thing to have an opinion and it's another to be completely wrong. Achieving fitness goals are already hard enough sometimes. Let's not make it harder by believeing and acting upon the wrong information.

1. Muscle Weighs More Than Fat

A pound is a pound. If you were to put a pound of cauliflower on one side of the scale and a pound of raisins on the other side, the scales would be balanced. However, if you look at the cauliflower side, it will look MUCH bigger than the side with raisins. This is how fat and muscle work. Body fat takes up more space than muscle because muscle is lean. This is why as you are losing body fat and gaining lean muscle, you can weigh the EXACT same but look incredibly different. It's not that muscle weighs more, it's just smaller. Imagine two women both weighing 160lbs. They are the same height as well. Woman A has 45% body fat, Woman B has 30% body fat. Woman B is going to LOOK like she weighs less. She is going to be slimmer because she has more muscle mass than Woman A despite the fact that they weigh exactly the same.

2. Doing Ab Routines Is How I will Get A 2,4, or 6 pack.

Lowering your body fat percentage is how you will produce visible abs. We all have a rectus abdominis, however, for many people it is covered by a layer of fat. No matter how much you strengthen your core you will not see those defined abs if you do not lose body fat. Women can usually see their abs at about 22-24% body fat (and lower of course) and men begin to see theirs around 12-14%. This can be achieved by proper nutrition and maintaining a proper level of energy balance to slowly decrease your body fat over time. Now, the rectus abdominis IS a muscle, so of course you can do exercises to grow them and make them more defined just like you would with your quads, glutes, back, or arms. The issue with visibility is until you decrease your body fat you just won't see them, and that goes for all muscle groups.

3. Cardio Is The Only Way For Weight Loss

Cardio is a great way to lose weight. It burns a lot of calories per session and when paired with a proper calorie deficit meal plan, it can work wonders. They key to weight loss is diet. When you can finally control your eating, whether you walk, run, do yoga, cycle, or lift weights, you will lose weight. With that being said, cardio is NOT the only way one can decrease their body fat. For someone severely overweight, many types of cardio can actually cause joint pain. The other thing with cardio is that it does not build much muscle mass unless you are doing your running/biking uphill. Well why do I need to build muscle mass? Great question. THAT is how you build that "toned" look. Someone that had a lot of weight to lose and did so by running, may have very saggy skin once the weight has been loss. Building muscle can prevent that from happening. In addition to that, building muscle helps keep the fat off. You have now replaced your body fat with muscle. This means your body will naturally burn more calories at rest. They key to weight loss is strength training, cardio, and a calorie defecit with an emphasis on protein.

4. I Must Restrict Carbs In Order To Lose Weight

You need to be in a calorie defecit to lose weight. The best way to do this is to first meet your protein goals everyday and then allow your fats and carbs to take up the rest of the calories. The reason carbs are deemed "evil" is because the TYPE of carbs you consume. Fruit, vegetables, and whole grains? Carbs. Filling carbs. Carbs that are low in calories and high in nutrients. Pastries, pasta, crackers, and refined grains? Also carbs. Carbs that are higher in calories and usually leave you hungry again in the next hour or so. If restricting calories means to eat less donuts, then yes. A crown of broccoli has less than 50 calories. One single donut has about 250-300. You can eat several donuts but you may not eat several crowns of broccoli. Do you see where I am going with this? The key isn't to restrict your carbs. The key is to eat less of the calorie dense ones and eat more of the nutrient dense ones. Once you reach your goals and learn to exhibit some kind of control, you can be more intuitive about how you handle those high calorie carbs. Another thing to mention, is many people have no self-control. They can't eat just one cookie or one tortilla and BECAUSE they know this about themselves, they choose to not indulge at all. This isn't because that is a requirement for weight loss, it is a requirement for them. In summary, to lower your body fat eat more whole foods... consistently.

5. Weight-lifting Makes Me Bulky.

Body fat makes you bulky. Going back to our first myth, muscle is LEAN. Increasing your muscle mass by weight lifting is not going to make you bulky. Having a high level of body fat will. Regarding those people that are bulky in the way you are thinking about it, those super huge men (and occassional women) you see on social media followed an intense workout plan, a VERY detailed and precise meal prep, a certain level of testosterone, and the willpower/desire to achieve that look. There are so many people actively trying to achieve this and are struggling to do so, you will not get there by accident.

6. No Pain No Gain

While it is okay to be sore or "feel the burn", experiencing pain on a daily basis is not. This could mean you are overtraining, under-recovering, or improperly training. You can have a VERY successful workout without an ounce of pain (and btw, there is a difference between feeling your muscles engage via a slight burn and actual pain.

7. I Can Manage A Bad Diet By Working Out More

I hate to break it to you, but you can't. For one, you burn significantly less calories than you think you do while working out (even if it's an intense one) and for two, the foods you eat have significantly more calories than you think they do. Even the "calorie label" that restaurants provide are tremendously underreported. Many meals at restaurants are over 2,000 calories and that's for ONE meal. Yes, fast food chains are high in calories, but restaurants are just as bad. The only way to combat a bad diet is to change your eating habits. That's it.

8. My Genetics Prevent Me From Reaching My Physique Goals

Genetics are what we come into this life with, but it doesn't mean we have to leave with it. Genetics DOES play a factor in many physique abilities, but its not the hinderance we all think it is. Sure, you may have to work harder or differently than some people, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Theres also this beautiful thing called epigenetics which states that our lifestyle and environment play a huge role in our “genetic makeup”. Stated plainly, just because your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were “heavier” and seemed to store fat, doesn’t mean that has to be true for you. While you may start out that way as a child, once you are an adult with your own ability to design your life, you can change how you appear as well as future generations. Talk about breaking a generational curse.

9. I Can Spot Train Fat

Unfortunately, that’s not how burning fat works. It doesn’t matter how many leg exercises you do, it’s to going to remove fat from your legs. When your body needs energy, it is going to get it from wherever it can. So while you are doing squats, your body could be pulling fat from your back. On the bright side, if you only have fat in one area (aka a bigger belly), then your body has no choice but to pull fat from there. In that scenario, ANY exercises you do will reduce your belly fat. If you want to lose body fat in a particular area, focus on your energy balance (calories in vs calories out).

10. I'll Reach My Goals Faster By Working Out More

Muscle growth, stamina, endurance, performance, etc... all of these things grow and improve in the REST phase. That’s right. When you are zipping through those glute bridges, your butt is not growing in that moment. It’s the next day when you are resting your glutes, that your glutes grow. If you want to reach your goals faster, make sure you properly rest and recover.