Popular to the fitness industry are the number of myths shared around among fitness enthusiasts, the question how can we determine the authenticity of what we hear? Some theories have become so commonly known, people have begun accepting them as truths, just out of ease. But to avoid this indoctrination, Focus Fitness UK have compiled a list of “7 myths debunked” to expose their truths to you. Let’s get into it:
7. The more you sweat, the more fat you are burning
Wrong. Although sweat is good indicator for an intense workout, it is not a synonymous indicator of how much fat you burn. This is because the function that causes the body to sweat works completely independently from the body’s release of fat cells to provide energy. The reality is, the body is perspirating sweat to cool the skin and thus you really losing water weight, not fat.
6. You need to do hours of cardio to lose weight
Low intensity cardio does have a positive effect on burning subcutaneous fat cells in the body, but it not necessarily the most effective way of burning fat, research shows a significant impact on the burning of fat cells through HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) training or HIIE. HIIT training generally falls on the shorter side of the duration spectrum, and last anywhere between 4-30 minutes long, it is a recent discovery but has been widely accepted by many fitness professionals, the rest comes down to preference.
5. “Not everyone can get abs”
I hate this one. “Not everyone can get abs”. Absolute bogus talk, as if some do not possess the most important part of the human musculature. The function of the core is to keep the body upright and stablise the spine, exposure of the core muslces requires one to burn excess subscutaneous fat cells stored around the belly. Yes some possess the genetics for a 4-pack, 6-pack or 8-pack but either way, we all have abs, showing them just requires effective training.
4. Stop eating and you will lose weight
Now although being in a caloric deficit acompanied with intense training will help you lose fat, this does not mean starving your self will help you drop weight, it actually does the opposite. When the body is not recieving enough food, it goes into preservation mode, where the body aims to store fat and metabolism drops. Being in safe caloric deficit with high quality food will help you lose weight at a safe pace, it is best to have a personal trainer/nutritionist aid you in this process.
3. You’ll lose all of your gains if you miss a training session
Another commonly misunderstood concept, taking time off from training, whether optionally or not, can serve very beneficial for you. It allows you to recover from intense sessions and come in fresh upon your next one, however some believe you will “lose all of your fitness gains” by taking time off, this is absolutely false. It would take a significant amount of time before you start losing muscular gains, not one session, moreover the human body is rich in muscle memory.
2. To lose weight, cut out all carbs
Wrong. By adopting a clean diet that compliments your goals, consuming quality food and throwing in some cardio, you will lose weight. The body needs carbohydrates as fuel for energy, cutting them out entirely will not necessarily mean you lose fat. Being in a safe caloric deficit will help you lose weight, not cutting out carbs.
1. Doing cardio before weights will get you lean
If you run on a treadmill before weight training, you run the risk of becoming too fatigued and thus not being able to train as intense as you can. It is best to do your cardio in the morning fasted and train later in the evening when your testoterone and energy levels are higher. But of course this method varies between people.
We hope you found this information useful, please be sure to check our previous posts and to check our main page if you are interested in becoming a certified personal trainer.
Written by Daniyal Siddiqui.