One of my favorite things about running this blog is being able to interview fitness professionals and learning about their tips for staying fit. When I conduct these interviews, I always ask the question, "Is there a fitness myth you would like to debunk?" Their replies are really interesting and I thought I'd highlight all of the fitness myths from past interviews below:
Taimak (Martial Artist): Yes, don’t workout every day is a myth. If you’re getting your rest and you feel great, that’s your measure right there!
Stew Smith (Former Navy SEAL): SWEATING WATER IN SAUNA, SWEAT SUITS IS GOING TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. WRONG – IF YOU ARE RETAINING WATER THE BEST WAY TO GET RID OF IT IS TO DRINK MORE WATER SO YOUR BODY WILL NATURALLY EXCRETE IT THROUGH THE KIDNEYS. I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE LOSE 20 LBS OF WEIGHT IN ONE WEEK BY ONLY ADDING WATER TO THEIR DIET. NOW THEY WERE EXTREMELY DEHYDRATED / BLOATED FROM NOT DRINKING WATER / HIGH SODIUM DIET. JUST ADD WATER IS THE ANSWER.
Melissa Allen (BS, CPT): Yes–more is better. More is not always better. Progression is the key to a safe and effective workout program. If you overdo it & you’re out for 3 months with a hamstring injury, then what have you accomplished?
Rick Seedman (PT): Yes, everybody is capable of being in great shape. No excuses. Stop finding reasons not to do it. Look up Kyle Maynard for inspiration and motivation if you think you have a good reason.
Mehdi of Stronglifts.com: There are too many myths to list. But those I hear the most are probably:
- trength training is dangerous & unhealthy.
- Squatting deep is bad for the knees.
- Muscles will become fat when you stop.
- Lifting fast is cheating & dangerous.
- Strength training makes women bulky.
Justin Seedman (CPT): Don’t wait until everything in your life is perfect to start a workout routine because that day will never come. Today is the day! Remember at the end of the day your health should be your number one priority.
Son Trinh (Doctor of Physical Therapy): “Jocks are dumb.” While I can’t speak for everyone, I do know this: IF jocks are dumb, they would be even dumber if they stopped exercising. Physical activity doesn’t just help your muscles. It makes your bones stronger, your heart healthier and your brain better at processing information. Braun and brain can definitely go together.
Aaron Harris (CPT): The myth that conventional strength training shortens muscles and that Pilates lengthens muscles. First of all, exercise itself is the best thing to counter “muscle binding.” Individuals become “muscle bound”, inflexible through inactivity, not exercise. I have nothing against Pilates, just its proponents that try to hype it by making it sound superior to other forms of exercise such as resistance training or weight lifting by making false claims. It is impossible to lengthen your muscles through exercise.
They are attached at their origins and insertions, and you should want them to always stay there! They can experience hypertrophy or atrophy, their tone can improve or decline, but to say you can change the length is just false.
HIT of Calisthenics Kingz: Yes. the fact that calisthenics doesn’t build muscle. There are an abundance of calisthenics exercises, and there are enough for a complete body workout. For example Push ups can be performed in different ways to hit different muscles. For instance, a wide hand placement would hit the chest more, whereas a narrow hand placement would hit the triceps more. Just because you are doing calisthenics, it doesn’t mean you can’t add some weight into the mix in the form of something. If you want to continue gaining size, I recommend using a weight vest for added resistance and you can increase the number of repetitions and sets, and decreasing your rest period in between sets with each exercise and it’s have the muscle building effect that free weights have.
What are some myths you want to debunk?
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Good post…
I’ve also come across such myths from gyming people and men’s health magazine…
One needs to go thru all the myths by asking some professionals like you do.