Common Strength Training Myths

Spot Reduction: (Fat Loss Can Be Isolated To A Particular Area Of The Body)

The reality is that if you have fat on your tummy, for example, doing sit ups is not going to give you a six pack. While doing hundreds of sit ups a day will indeed build strong abs, it will do nothing to reduce the fat in that area alone. Fat loss can only be achieved in all areas of your body at once, and it can only be achieved by burning more calories than you ingest, and you burn calories most effectively by building muscle. In fact, working your thighs or shoulders will do as much, probably more, than sit ups to make you lose fat on your belly (and everywhere else), since they are bigger muscle groups.

Muscles Can Turn Into Fat:

Fat cells and muscles perform completely different and separate functions, and one will never transform into the other. When someone becomes “soft” and overweight after being “hard” and muscular, it is because the calorie output no longer exceeds the calorie intake. Largely, this is due to a decreased metabolic rate from the loss of muscle. The loss of muscle is caused by the lack of necessary stimulus. There is no magical transformation of muscle into fat, just a loss of muscle mass and an increase in body fat.

Your Muscles Will Get Too Big If You Do Strength Training:

For men and women, the initial gains in muscularity that are common within the first couple of weeks of strength training are largely due to an increase in circulation within the muscles. Similarly, the jumps in strength are mostly due to the body’s neurological adaptation to new movements rather than added muscle mass. The fear that you will accidentally become more muscular than you intended or that you will start growing uncontrollably is unfounded. For women, consistently gaining a half pound of muscle a month is outstanding. For men, a pound and a half is comparable. A muscular body is built through dedication to strength training and proper nutrition. It won’t happen overnight or accidentally.

Women Should Train Differently Than Men:

There is no reason to train differently based purely on your sex. Both sexes gain and lose muscle and fat the same way. It’s true that men and women often have different goals, but surprisingly these goals can be achieved with the same strength training program. Men and women’s muscles are identical, the only difference in being men’s are typically larger in size.

More Is Better:

Overtraining and poor nutrition are easily the most common pitfalls that beginners and experienced fitness enthusiasts alike fall into. It’s not possible to say exactly how much is too much, since many factors such as genetics, diet, sleep, training intensity, frequency, and duration all play a role. It’s best to watch for the following signs of overtraining: A halt in progress, chronic fatigue, decreased motivation, frequent injuries, and an increased resting heart rate.

You Can Reshape A Muscle By Doing Isolation Exercises:

Your muscles can only get bigger or smaller. The shape your muscles take, as they change in size, is determined not by the specific exercises you do, but by genetics. Although, some muscle groups that we often think of as single muscles, such as the shoulders, thighs, or back, can be changed by emphasizing a certain muscle within that muscle group.

You Need High Reps For Definition And Low Reps For Mass:

Neither your body nor a particular muscle will become more defined by doing a high amount of repetitions of any exercise as opposed to doing low repetitions. How defined a muscle is will be determined by its size and the amount of fat around it. A consistent variety of high-intensity training along with proper nutrition is the way to get defined muscles. If too much size is an issue, simply cut back on the calories, because the major factor affecting mass is nutrition.

Strength Training Makes You Big And Cardiovascular Training Makes You Lean:

Dietary intake is the major factor that regulates body composition. While prolonged moderate pace exercise, such as aerobics will help slightly increase your caloric expenditure, it will do little to build muscle. Without strength training, you are neglecting the best fat burning tool in your arsenal: more muscle. To gain weight, increase your caloric intake and build muscle through strength training. To get lean, decrease your caloric intake and increase your resting metabolic rate by building muscle.

You Can’t Build Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time:

If you’re just beginning a strength training program after a long period without much exercise, with proper nutrition, you’ll experience gains in strength while losing fat at the same time. For those more advanced athletes, it’s tough, but not impossible. With a balance of complex carbs, good fats, and enough protein, your body can achieve these seemingly separate goals.

Restrictive Diets:

Don’t starve yourself. The body is very resourceful, and it will slow down its metabolic rate in order to compensate for lack of calories. It tried to hold on to every calorie you consume, since it is unsure when it will be fed again. Then, once you resume your normal caloric intake, your metabolic rate remains slowed down. This is why those who try to restrictive diets usually gain their original weight back and often some more too. A well-balanced diet consisting of small, frequent meals is the key to long term success.

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