What makes the fitness industry so unique and complicated at the same time is the fact that everyone has a different opinion on what works and what doesn’t. It’s always key to keep in mind that what works for someone, may not work for you. It is important to find out what your body reacts best to. This will make your fitness goals that much easier to attain.

Now with all this being said there are some long standing myths out there that simply are not true. These myths ultimately can restrain you from achieving your desired goals. This article will take a look at a number of myths in the fitness industry including the role of a scale in terms of judging progress, the significance of sweating and doing abs to burn fat.

We will start off with number 12, being the long standing debate between the difference in using a treadmill or jogging. Let’s bust this myth and others, here are 12 of the biggest fitness myths you need to know, enjoy!

12 Jogging and the Treadmill Are the Same

Although the treadmill is still a great cardio resource, I’m unfortunately here to tell you that it is not the same as jogging outside. Oxygen consumption is key when it comes to burning, you consume much more oxygen running on an actual surface than a machine. The outdoors isn’t flat like a treadmill, weather factors like wind also increase the intensity of an outdoor jog and when using a treadmill you are using an assisted motion by a machine as opposed to running outdoors which requires you to use your own unique strides. So essentially, the running surface and the environment play a key difference in the two.

11 Doing abs will help me burn fat

The truth is, in order for you to burn fat you must do it through cardio vascular activity. Doing abs with a high body fat will only strengthen your core while producing minimal results. In order to see some abs you must burn first. Once your body fat is at a low percentage then you will be able to see some ab development. Ideally, combine cardiovascular activity with strength training, this will aid in bringing your body fat down properly and effectively.

10 Machines over free weights

Many so called fitness professionals love to introduce women to fancy machinery as opposed to a classic dumbbell or barbell. The truth is many of the so called professionals usually do so because it is much more time efficient and easier to pick up for new clients. This method of training limits how great you truly can progress. Machines are meant for isolation exercises, they usually have a single motion which limits your results. While free weights on the other hand can recruit more muscle fibers and ultimately create greater results. A study proved that a traditional barbell squat produced 43% more muscle activity than a squat with a Smith-Machine. Don’t be fooled by fancy machinery, stick to the basics.

9 Rest times, sets and reps are not important

Women tend to forget that sets, reps and rest times are a huge component when it comes to your goals and workout structure. Rest times keep track of your metabolic rate, so if you want to lose weight the more metabolic action the better. With this being said ideally the shorter rest times you have the better it is. A good rest time for weight loss would be anywhere between 60 seconds to 75 seconds.

Reps and sets are also important to follow specifically in accordance to your needs. If you plan on doing a strength training program your rep count will be between 4 and 8 for 4-5 sets. As opposed to weight loss program which usually has 12-15 reps along with 3-4 sets. Don’t underestimate the importance of these elements!

8 Strength training won’t help me lose weight

Contrary to what many women believe, strength training can actually help your weight loss goals more than you think. Strength training can actually help to improve your running conditioning. Women are four to six times more likely than men to be at risk of a knee injury because of strength imbalances in their quadriceps and hamstrings. Improving your strength will help to avoid this problem and allow you to run problem free making weight loss that much easier down the road.

Strength training can also allow you to burn more. Activating your muscles causes your metabolic rate to increase significantly. Strength training not only causes you to burn more during your workouts but also keeps you in a burnings state throughout the day. It is important after you strength train to fuel your body appropriately causing the burning to take place all day long.

7 Using heavy weights will make my bulky

Women simply don’t have enough built up testosterone to significantly bulk up. Women have 15 to 20 times lower testosterone than men, so the odds of a manly bulk are quite low. The only way women can bulk up is with a high caloric diet. Ultimately, you are creating a lean look and not a bulky one, your body simply cannot produce a bulky look without a high caloric diet. You are what you eat, basically.

6 Training despite discomfort is ok

Injuries amongst women are very common because of numerous factors including increased joint fragility in comparison to men and bodily muscle imbalances. It is important to remember that when discomfort does occur that you address the problem. Usually just by simply resting the muscles for a couple of days can be the perfect remedy. Overworking it on the other hand can only further the problem making it gradually worse. Listen to your body, address any type of discomfort.

5 Sweat determines how hard you worked

Just because you don’t sweat does not mean you’re not burning. There are many different factors that determine how much someone sweats, there level of conditioning, genetics, clothing material and room temperature are all factors of sweating during a workout. The determining factor ultimately is the amount of work you put in, the more effort you give the more calories you will burn. Don’t focus on sweat as being the deciding factor.

4 The more times I do abs, the better

As we discussed earlier in this article, abs are very dependent on your body fat levels. So to start, focusing on burning fat and flattening out your stomach is the biggest key. In addition to this, overworking your abs will cause the muscle extreme amounts of exhaustion causing the muscles to grow at a much slower pace. Muscles need fuel and proper time to rest. Wait at least 2-3 days before hitting up the same body part again. Doing it to often will only leave your ab goals at a standstill.

3  The more you train the better

Over exercising can stress out your body causing more harm to it than actual good. As we just discussed in the previous entry your body needs time to properly fuel and rest itself. Those two factors are what causes the body to change and grow overtime. Not doing so can cause a variety of problems down the road including joint injuries, loss of lean mass, depression, sleep disorders, low self-esteem, weak immune system and heart failure. If you’re training 4-5 times a week make sure you’re fueling properly throughout the day and getting in the proper amounts of rest.

2 Cardio is the best fat burner

Some women believe that doing an excess amount of cardio can only be beneficial, this unfortunately is not the case. Doing too much cardio can increase cortisol in the body. This causes the tearing of your muscle tissues, leading to a slower metabolic rate. Keeping cardio to a 3-4 day a week schedule at 30-40 minutes is usually an ideal amount of time for cardio lovers (along with weight training). Doing too much cardio can have numerous negative effects, such as a burnout and a lack of eating, and it can also burn away the muscle you are developing. If your goal is to build lean muscle, doing too much cardio will not help you.

Ideally, intermixing cardiovascular activity with weight training is the ideal way to go. This will allow you to burn even more while strengthening your core and toning your body.

1 Scales track progress

Time and time again, so many people are discouraged because of a scale. Some fail to see any change because of a number. Now keep in mind, this doesn’t mean you are not progressing. You also have to remember that lean muscle weighs more. Just this past summer I only dropped 2 pounds but yet received incredible feedback on how much I had leaned out. People thought I dropped over 20 pounds. The big key was my body fat, which dropped down 5 percent. I encourage all trainees do get a body fat assessment; this will really help to show how well you’ve been progressing. Don’t let the scale ruin your progress!

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