Work out smarter - four training myths debunked!

There are lots of views and opinions out there about working out; what is right, what is wrong; and plenty of mis-information to scare anyone away from training, keeping fit, exercising and getting on the road to getting back in shape. Recognising this I went back to my trusted source and found several articles which I'll happily share with you - there may be some repetition in these, but no matter as long as you can be best informed and it helps you in some small way then the advice and guidance will have been worth it. From 'ezine articles' (http://EzineArticles.com/3000557) and written by Sophie Armstrong (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophie_Armstrong) - a writer for 'Working Out Smarter' and therefore worthy of note. Always remember too that there are plenty of personal trainers, fitness instructors and exercise coaches out there who will gladly give you some free advice and show you where you are going wrong, so there should be no excuse for not doing the right thing and gaining the maximum benefit from it.


If you spend any amount of time working out in a gym, you've probably heard one or more of the following fitness myths. To make sure your workouts haven't been affected by misinformation, read on for corrections of these four common misconceptions.

Myth #1: You shouldn't work out with weights if you're trying to lose weight, because lifting weights will just cause you to bulk up.
This is unfortunately a very widespread misconception. In reality, working out with weights is one of the best things you can do if your goal is to lose fat. This is because only by building lean muscle mass by weight lifting can you raise your baseline metabolic rate (the amount of calories you're burning while you're at rest). It's far easier to lose weight if you incorporate both strength and aerobic exercise into your fitness regimen, because the aerobic exercise will cause your body to burn extra calories during the period of time your heart rate is elevated, and the strength exercises will cause your body to burn extra calories for the whole 36 hours after you've lifted weights.

Myth #2: If you're not sore afterwards, you didn't have a good workout.
While it's true that muscle soreness after a workout indicates that you had a challenging workout (which is good), it's untrue that the absence of muscle soreness indicates you had a bad workout. What's important is whether you worked out with high intensity and productivity, and how you feel during the workout. If you felt challenged during the workout and energised afterwards, it was a good workout!

Myth #3: If you're an athlete, you shouldn't lift weights because that will make you slow and tight.
A well-designed, progressive strength training program that uses functional free weights exercises (i.e. exercises that mimic the motions an athlete performs on the field, track, or court) is actually one of the best things an athlete can do to improve performance. This myth comes from the fact that weight training using non-functional exercises (like resistance machines that limit the exercise to a single plane of motion) can build muscle mass without producing any strength gain that translates to real-life athletic performance.

Myth #4: You need a fancy machine to get well-defined abs.
Many basic floor and standing exercises can be used to strengthen the abdominal muscles, and one of the most effective pieces of fitness equipment for targeting the abs is a basic exercise ball, which you can use to provide back support while you perform crunches and other reclining abdominal exercises. You don't need any fancy machines to target the abs. Indeed, the biggest factor affecting the appearance of your abdominal muscles is how thick the layer of fat is covering those muscles. No matter how many crunches you do, if you don't lose belly fat by doing the hard work of losing weight, you'll never have well-defined abs.

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-Steve, at WhyWeight-