5 false myths about exercise and strength training

Today, there are many false myths in the world of fitness and strength training that can confuse people and discourage them in their quest to achieve their health and wellness goals.

These myths can lead to a distorted belief in what being fit really means and how to achieve it.

In this blog, we are going to bust the five most common myths about exercise and strength training. This information will help you make better decisions in your life to achieve your health goals and be more FIT .

Let's go with the 5 false myths about exercise and strength training

Myth 1: Exercise and strength training will make you bulky.

This is the most common myth among women . Getting muscle volume is not easy . In addition, people who seek it perform exercises with a lot of weight and isolating certain muscles. So this myth is false.

The reality is that strength training will help you build more muscle mass, but the amount you can build depends on genetic and hormonal factors (the level of testosterone that men have gives them an advantage in this regard). Additionally, muscle is denser and takes up less space than fat. So your volume will be less with muscle than with fat.

The goal is to be FIT, and you are more likely to look slimmer by being strong, and not bulkier .

Myth 2: You don't need to exercise if you are thin.

Exercise is not only recommended to improve body composition (be thinner or fitter), but to regulate and improve many factors that influence general health.

Being thin does not necessarily mean that you are FIT or in shape, much less healthy.

Regular exercise , including strength training, is essential for maintaining a healthy heart, strong bones, and a robust immune system.

Myth 3: Doing "cardio" is the best to lose fat and be FIT.

This false myth is based exclusively on the amount of calories burned by exercising. When you do cardio, you burn more calories at the time, but that is not an indication that you will lose more fat. Cardio (like running at a good pace) does not promote muscle growth and usually uses glucose as an energy source, and not fat.

Cardio is not the best way to lose fat.

On the other hand, strength exercise is ideal for losing fat for several reasons: It helps increase muscle mass, uses metabolic circuits that promote fat burning, and increases metabolism. Muscle is the organ that consumes the most energy, so the greater the volume, the greater the energy expenditure, and the easier it is to lose weight.

Myth 4: The more time you spend in the gym, the better the results will be.

That to be more FIT you have to spend more hours in the gym is totally false . Physical exercise generates positive stress on health and regulates hormones and your circadian rhythm, but too much physical exercise can generate negative stress.

It is important to understand that it does not affect a beginner in the same way as an athlete or professional athlete. Constant training will give you more capacity , but it is not necessary to abuse it to achieve good results.

The quality of training is more important than the quantity. It is better to do a short, intense workout than to spend hours in the gym doing low-intensity exercises .

Myth 5: If you stop exercising, your muscles will turn to fat.

Fake. Although this does not mean that you stop exercising. Consistency is very important to achieve results.

Muscle and fat are two completely different types of tissue and one cannot become the other . But, if you stop exercising, you will lose muscle mass and accumulate fat. Due to changes in your metabolism and activity level.

Lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle, along with diet, are the biggest culprits of fat accumulation. Therefore, it is very important to maintain a daily exercise routine and reduce a sedentary lifestyle.

Exercise and strength training are necessary for optimal health.

Exercising regularly and having a balanced diet is very important for optimal health.

If you want to be FIT, it is important to combine strength exercises with other types of exercise to increase muscle mass and improve general health.

Don't be fooled by these common false myths about exercise and strength training.

Keep going and achieve your goal of being FIT!

References:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jun/06/just-dont-do-it-10-exercise-myths

2. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/top-10-workout-myths