Myths about training

Author: Najid Sheikh

When you're looking for advice on fitness, it can be tough to know what to believe and what to ignore. A lot of the information out there is contradictory, and that can make it difficult to tell what actually works.

Here are some of the popular training myths and why they're wrong:

Myth 1: Lifting weights will make you bulky.

Truth: The only way you'll get bulky is if you're trying to get bulky. Weight training helps you build strength and lean muscle mass. When you combine it with good nutrition you will get the desired results as you wish. To become bulky you will have to consume surplus calories for a very long period of time(multiple years) along with consistent resistance training. If you like to give your body a toned look then you will have to bring down the fat% while maintaining muscle mass and this can be done with caloric deficit along with resistance training.

Myth 2: If you don't feel sore after a workout, it wasn't effective.

Truth: Soreness isn't a determinant of muscle growth or increased strength, rather it's just a body's response to a new or stronger stimulus. One can get sore by doing any kind of new movement against resistance. He/she shouldn't plan a workout with the sole purpose of getting more muscle soreness as sometimes it can have a negative impact on your performance. After a while soreness may subside but the same movement can still give good results without soreness.

Myth 3: Sweating is important for fat loss.

Truth: Sweating is a body's mechanism to cool down the body's temperature to maintain homeostasis so that it can function properly. When your body temperature increases for whatsoever reason, it starts to sweat. This sweat is composed of water, minerals, lactate, and urea. When water starts to evaporate it cools down the skin temperature as it is an endothermic reaction(Absorbs heat). So this is how sweating helps to maintain the body temperature. It is in no way a determinant for fat loss.

For fat loss, you need to be on a calorie deficit diet.

Myth 4: Training abs can help shed fat from abdominal muscles.

Truth: Resistance training helps to train the muscle of the human body. Training those muscles is not gonna burn fat from that area. The fat can be used for energy expenditure anywhere from the body regardless of the muscle one trains. To shed the fat from abdominal muscles, one needs to be on a caloric deficit diet. Although training abs doesn’t help to burn fat from abdominal muscles, it may help to develop the abs muscles, and once the fat percentage drop to 12% or lesser with a caloric deficit diet, the abs will look prominent.

Myth 5: You get bulky after you stop working out.

Truth: When one stops working out, it is usually accompanied with uncared food consumption where one starts to eat a lot of food with minimal physical activity. The gaining that happens post that is because of overconsumption of food not because the body magically gains fat because of not working out. One must keep an eye on food consumption to maintain weight. Although it is possible to maintain weight without a workout it is highly recommended to stay physically active even if it is for 15-20 mins in a day as it has numerous benefits.