In the world of health and fitness, there is A LOT of bullsh*t information. Some are simple misunderstandings, others are lies produced by companies or individuals trying to sell you something that will at best not work, at worst is dangerous.
For this week's blog, I'm going to dispel a few of the more common myths I have come across over the years. This is not an exhaustive list, and there may well be other editions of this in the future! And please let me know if you have any other questions regarding any of these, or if you would like to add something to a future list.
1) Weight training makes women bulky and masculine
No. No it does not.
To be honest, I could leave it at that, but I will expand a bit!
Women will not bulk up like men, because they have a different hormone profile. Men have more testosterone, which promotes muscle growth. Women produce less testosterone, allowing them to 'tone' without getting bigger.
So ladies, if you're afraid of bulking up if you lift weights, don't be! You will get stronger, tone your muscles and help improve your bone health while you're at it.
2) Your muscle turns to fat if you stop training
Fear not! Your muscles will NEVER turn to fat! This is something which simply is not possible. However...
Fat and muscle are both sources of fuel for your body (alongside carbohydrates - that's right, your body needs carbs!). When you exercise, your body does not create new muscles, rather builds on what you already have. With repeated stimulus, they grow larger and stronger.
So, what happens if you stop training? Basically, your muscles will no longer be receiving the stimulus they had previously, and will reduce in size. Excess fat will appear if you are eating in a calorie surplus. A surplus is more calories than your body requires to maintain its current form. So if you continue to eat in a surplus without training, your body will gain fat while also losing the muscle mass you had previously built.
Maintain a healthy diet with regular exercise, and you'll have the best of both worlds!
3) You can't build muscle without eating meat
To build muscle, you need protein. Lean cuts of meat (chicken breast, steak etc.) contain a good amount of protein, which is why they are synonymous with muscle building diets.
But they aren't NEEDED. As long as you are getting enough protein in your diet, meat eater or not, you will be on the right path for muscle building. Getting enough protein in your diet without meat is harder, but not impossible by any means. There's a lot of really good vegetarian alternatives around now, such as Quorn, that pack a decent portion of protein in their foods. Beans, peas, nuts, eggs, grains and seeds are all good sources too.
And don't be afraid of protein shakes. They are a supplement to aid you in reaching your protein target. It can sometimes be hard to hit the target every day through food alone, so having a convenient drink on hand can help a lot.
4) f you're heavy, you're fat
Whether you're heavy, or overweight, is largely down to the individual. Personally, I don't put too much stock in BMI measurements. According to mine, I am overweight. But I know this due to having more muscle mass, not too much body fat, for my size.
If you're someone who doesn't exercise regularly and think you're gaining weight, then the BMI scale does have a place. It can give you an indication of whether you're in the correct range for your height and age. However, there are other, better ways to check.
Physical measurements and how your clothes fit are great personal indicators of weight gain. Look out for other signs, such as shortness of breath after climbing a flight of stairs, or joint pain. These are signs of your body struggling with excess weight.
Some health risks that come from carrying too much bodyfat are heart disease, cardiovascular illnesses, and increased resistance to insulin, leading to diabetes. A few extra pounds isn't going to cause these issues. But be careful not to let it slip too far.
And please don't panic and go on a silly, quick fix diet to drop weight fast. They're not sustainable long term, and most people end up gaining more weight once they go back to regularly eating (yo-yo dieting).
5) You have to eat fruit to be healthy
We all know we should be eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. But can you get all the nutrients your body needs just from vegetables?
If you're eating plenty of different vegetables, potentially you wouldn't need to be adding any fruit into your daily intake. However, this simply is not the case for a lot of people. As a society, we don't eat enough nutritious food (the lack of people successfully getting their 5 a day backs this up). Plus, fruit is a convenient snack. Hungry? Have an apple or a banana. Easy. And they taste good too!
So my advice is get plenty of vegetables AND fruit in your diet.
6) You can eat as much as you want if you train hard enough
The old saying goes: ' you can't out-train a bad diet'. Working out actually burns a pretty small number of calories each day (200-500 on average). In the grand scheme of things, that isn't very much.
If you're trying to lose weight/fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit. Exercise will help you to burn more calories, and should be taken into account when you're working out your calorie target. Killing yourself in the gym doesn't mean you can eat as much as you like. Moreover, training that hard consistently isn't sustainable over a long period of time.
Moderation and consistency.
Keep your training hard, but don't push yourself to your limit every session. Keep your food nutritious and in line with your goals.
7) Cardio burns more fat than weight training
Cardio is often seen as the thing you should do if you want to lose weight. Great, go for it if that's what you want to do and you enjoy it. It's movement after all, and will help you to burn more calories (remember your calorie surplus/deficit though!)
But does cardio burn more calories than lifting weights?
During an hour of exercise, cardio will burn more than weightlifting. But your metabolism stays elevated after weight training for much longer, meaning you could burn just as much long-term.
The best advice is to have a balance of both. Both forms of exercise hold many benefits. So as with most things, balance (and consistency) is key!
8) Sit ups and crunches are the best way to get a 6 pack
To end up with a visible six pack, very low bodyfat is a necessity. This comes through eating 'clean', and in a calorie deficit. Will working out your core help? Possibly, as you will be building the muscles up, which means they may become visible sooner due to them being bigger. Also, you will be burning calories while exercising.
But purely working on your abs without doing the work in the kitchen, will not result in a six pack.
I've written a more detailed blog about this subject HERE
9) If you're not sore after a workout, you didn't work hard enough
We've all heard the phrase 'No pain, no gain'. But how true is this?
When you start training, after your first few workouts you will likely feel as if you can barely move your arms/legs for a few days afterwards. This is called DOMS, or Delayed Onset of Muscular Soreness. Over time, with regular sessions, this feeling will become less frequent due to your body adapting to the stresses of intense exercise. But does that mean that you haven't worked hard enough?
When you train, your muscle fibres become damaged. Post workout, they are repairing themselves and becoming stronger. All perfectly normal and nothing to worry about! But the level of soreness doesn't necessarily indicate the success level of your workout. Much better ways to measure effectiveness of your workouts are by tracking measurements based on your goals. For getting stronger, gradually and progressively increase the weights you are lifting. For weight loss, use body measurements (e.g. waist circumference) to record your progress.
Your body will adapt to regular exercise, so DOMS will probably become less frequent. And if you do get a bit sore after a workout? Stretch afterwards, and do some gentle movement (such as a walk) to help 'flush out' the muscles and make them feel better.
10) If I want to lose weight, I need to cut out carbs
To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. That is consuming fewer calories per day than your body uses. Cutting carbs is one way to do this. Cutting fats is another way. Cutting protein is yet another.
Is cutting an entire macronutrient from your diet a good idea?
In short, no.
Your body needs all three macronutrients to function effectively. Cutting carbs out entirely from your diet will give you a large calorie deficit, but also may cause you to feel irritable and lethargic due to carbs being a key energy source for your body. Some people prefer higher fat, lower carb diets, and that's fine. If that works for you with no ill-effects, go for it.
Cutting them out entirely is not a good idea.
Do some people over eat carbs? Definitely. So tracking calories can be a very useful tool to combat this. A good macro percentage split for most people is 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat. These can all be played around with (my current one is C45/P30/F25) but that is down to you to figure out through trial and error. Experiment with your diet. Find what works for you as an individual.
Keep all macronutrients in your diet. Focus on overall calorie reduction, rather than eliminating carbs entirely!
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