MYTH 1 >>Weight Training Turns Women Into Men.
TRUTH: This myth is particularly common because women worry that lifting weights will bulk them up If you were to look at 1 pound of fat, and 1 pound of muscle side by side, you would notice how much smaller the muscle is even though it's the same weight.
Which blows another myth out of the water, muscle is heavier than fat 1lb of muscle will always weigh the same as 1lb of fat.
Meaning, the more muscle you have on your body, the less space you will take up.
Women can not bulk up using heavy weights. Ladies have too much estrogen in their hormone makeup. Yes, heavier weights build muscle and strength, but most women aren't lifting anything so heavy that we are at risk of looking like the Incredible Hulk. Plus, muscle is the secret to a revved up metabolism, as it burns more calories than more fat, even when you're sitting on the sofa or at your desk.
So the trend for women to lift lower weights and do higher reps then men is irresponsible information. Without chemical assistance, women cannot achieve extraordinary muscle growth. Because women's testosterone is lower, they likely won't be able to lift as much weight as men, but the typical three-pound lady dumbbells won't work because the resistance is too low to create change in the muscle.
If women aren't supposed to have muscles, why have them? The definition of "manly" differs from one individual to another, but we all have a different body structure. Some women have more feminine lines, others more androgynous. Wide hip bones and narrow shoulders are typical female shapes, but that doesn't mean an athletic woman is less feminine. Our society forms our ideals; you choose what you find attractive.
What makes athletic women bulky is more-than-average muscle mass combined with "excess" body fat. If you couple weight training with a smart diet, you'll be much smaller than you'd expect.
Bottom line, strength training will help you lose weight faster and keep it off in the long run. If you also do cardio, it'll help you retain muscle as you drop fat, as well as prevent your metabolism from slowing.
MYTH 2>>I can spot-reduce my problem areas
TRUTH: Spot-reduction is not possible unless you go for surgery. Without it, your body will draw fat from different regions at different rates depending on your genetic makeup. Instead of focusing on one area, spend your time doing full-body workouts that blast calories.
This is the same for six packs or flat belly.
You can do crunches till you pass out, and you still might not get a six-pack. Save yourself the wasted time and probable back pain -- the best way to get a six-pack involves making better dietary choices and doing high-intensity interval training.
Everybody is born with abdominal muscles. You just need to lose fat to make them stand out.
MYTH 3>>Carbs are the Enemy
TRUTH: The only way to lose the right amount of weight is by adopting a balanced diet that supports your goal, training with weights, and doing some cardio. Your program should include all of these aspects long enough to see a difference.
Diet, weights, and cardio-the holy trinity of fitness!
If you want to gain muscle, you're going to need carbs. If you take them out completely, you'll burn more body fat during training perhaps, but you can't keep it up for long. Carbs are fuel for intense workouts, fats are not.
The macronutrients needed for a well rounded nutritional program are carbs, protein and fat. All three of these are necessary and have important functions within the body. I am not going to go into complete detail here as a complete breakdown of macronutrients and their function is extremely lengthy and would be better suited in an article on nutrition which I will write at another time.
The best way to phrase this myth would be - Which carbs are you eating and when?" Whole grains, legumes, vegetables and minimally processed grains are all good examples of the carbs that you can eat frequently
MYTH 4>>Running Is the Only Way to Lose Weight
TRUTH: Your fitness success depends upon your goal. If you want to be able to run 10 miles without breaking a sweat, then yes, you'll have to run.
If your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, the most effective way to lose weight is to include both cardio and weights in your routine.
Weight training is what keeps us upright, aligned and strong. Raising the arches of our feet, strengthening our pelvic floor, and keeping our head from falling forward are the ultimate goals in preventing our bodies from collapsing as we age. Weight training strengthens tendons and ligaments as well as creates good bone density. While cardio can help with bone density and is an essential part of keeping your heart strong, it doesn't keep your body in alignment and strengthen your key postural muscles. Keep the balance and be sure weight training and cardio are in your repertoire.
MYTH 5>>The best time to exercise is early in the morning.
TRUTH: Unless you are a professional athlete training two to three times a day, then there is no one best time to exercise.
The best time is the time that appeals to you and fits into your schedule.
Listening to your body and knowing when you perform the best will help you decide if, in fact, mornings, afternoons or evening workouts are your time of power. Energy and attitude are keys in having great workouts. So learn your body clock, and try to hit the gym when you feel the strongest.
MYTH 6>>No pain, no gain.
TRUTH: A sign of a good workout is results, not soreness. Some localized muscular soreness that dissipates over a couple days can indicate that you worked hard. To increase muscle and develop endurance you may need to experience a slight level
of discomfort, but that's not pain. "No pain, no gain" is no good when it comes to developing a lifelong fitness plan.
Soreness is inflammation and the chemical response to inflammation. The only yardstick by which you need to measure progress is that of your goal. Judge your workout by what happens during that workout.
MYTH 7>>The best way to lose weight is to drastically cut calories
TRUTH: Our bodies are smarter than we think,When we eat too little, our body believes that it's starving so our metabolism slows down and holds onto fat as a potential energy source.
When some people try diets more than 90 percent of all people who lose weight by dieting gain it back.
Dieting for a quick fix is different from changing your eating habits
Eating healthy means developing a new mind set. The real trick to losing weight is a lifelong pattern of moderate exercise.
MYTH 8>>If you want to lose fat, avoid fat
TRUTH: Fats are necessary to maintain healthy hormone levels and make use of vitamins. Without it, you'll create a terrible environment for muscle growth. Fats also help you regulate your appetite. A carb-and-protein-only diet can make any fat-loss or muscle-build goal almost impossible to reach.
Healthy fats, such as Avocados, nuts, peanut butter, olive oil are "clean" and can help you lose weight are an important part of your diet, but having even a 100 percent clean diet doesn't mean you'll lose weight. You can be overweight and eat nothing but "clean" food.
MYTH 9>>You Can Eat What You Want If You Train Hard
TRUTH:You can't out train a bad diet.To burn fat, you need to expend more calories than your body uses. You can't hope to sit around and eat hamburgers all day and expect a few sessions a week to make you thinner. That's just silly.
MYTH 10>>The more you sweat, the more fat you lose
TRUTH: Sweat has nothing to do with intensity; it's your body's way of getting rid of heat. Fat is oxidized inside your body, and it is not going to vaporize because you're sweating!
MYTH 11>> Fruit is a healthy snack that can't make you fat
TRUTH: We eat food because it gives us nutrients and fuel, but any kind of food, no matter how healthy, can make you gain weight. Fruit has a lot of easily accessible carbs. When you provide your body with easily accessible carbs, you're basically telling it to stop burning body fat for fuel. Also, fruit's sugar is mainly fructose, which is stored in the liver instead of in the muscles. It's also true that filling yourself with high-calorie fruit means you won't achieve your fat-loss goal.
Vegetables have more minerals, vitamins, and even more anti-cancer properties than fruit. The difference between the two food groups is the calorie content. In general, vegetables have fewer calories than fruit.
MYTH 12>> You can't gain muscle after 40
TRUTH: Age does bring wear and tear, but at 40 you're still a training baby unless you've been a competitive professional athlete since you were a teenager. The reason metabolism slows down as we get older is a combination of lower hormone levels and less athletic activity. You can build muscle at any age. As long as you're challenging your muscles and feeding them the proper nutrients, your body will respond. As you age, building muscle gets more challenging.
But like anything else, if you do your best, you'll get good results.
Jonathan Nardinochi is the founder of JWN Personal Training based in South London. A former international Athlete, he has brought vast knowledge to his clients as a fat loss and body composition expert from experiences training with Olympic Athletes and coaches.
Level 3 Personal Trainer and Level 4 Obesity and Diabetes.
http://www.jwnpersonaltraining.co.uk
Level 3 Personal Trainer and Level 4 Obesity and Diabetes.
http://www.jwnpersonaltraining.co.uk
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