Fitness Myths You Need to Stop Buying Into
It’s out there – tons and tons of advice on fitness and exercise. The internet is full of it and a lot of it is conflicting. Today we’re going to break down a few of the biggest fitness myths.
Muscle Weighs More Than Fat
Some people gain a little bit of weight, or maybe simply don’t lose weight, when they first start working out. This is not because muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound and that’s that. Fat is fluffier than muscle, and therefore takes up more space, but it simply doesn’t weigh less. Your body will see an increase in muscle as your fat levels decrease and yes, it does sometimes seem like the scale is slow to move. Stay committed to your workout and eating goals and you’ll begin to see changes in yourself, sometimes even before they’re reflected on the scale.
Running on a Treadmill is Less Stressful than Outdoors
This is more or less a half-truth. Running is a high-impact exercise whether you’re outside on the asphalt or inside on your treadmill. Sure, you can buy treadmills that claim to have better shock absorption abilities, but at the end of the day you are still putting a ton of pressure on your joints. If you really want to save your joints, vary your cardio workouts and use the bike or elliptical once in a while to take the pressure off.
Crunches will Give You Flat Abs
False. True and false, technically. True
because those crunches will strengthen your abdominal muscles; exercises like planks will also help with your core. False because those abdominal muscles are housed under your belly fat. The majority of what you see in your abdominal area will be a result of your time spent in the kitchen with healthy food choices; not the 100 crunches you do before bed each night. Oh – by the way? Please use proper form so you don’t strain your back.
Cardio Burns Fat
Cardio does burn fat. Strength training burns fat as well. Strength training also protects your muscles so that your body will turn to fat before muscle for fuel. Even better? Strength training boosts your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories between workouts. Both are very important, but the notion that cardio is for fat burning and strength training is for muscles is completely outdated.
Confused? Not sure what to do to start or change your own workout routine? Visit us at Push Pedal Pull and we’ll help you find new ways to get in both cardio and strength training. Talk to a personal trainer at your gym and ask for a little extra help. The internet is full of myths, half-truths, and really good information, but the best advice may just come from someone you can speak to face-to-face.