Let's burstout some gym myths
When it’s about health and fitness, there is a heck of a lot of advice, and advice comes with myths and facts. Due to social media, myths spread at a faster rate. Before making a change in your lifestyle, having complete information about that change is very important. Following a false belief for a longer period of time can cause a loss not only from a health perspective but financially too. Let’s burst out a few most-followed gym myths and understand the truth hidden behind them.
Myth 1: Consume only protein excluding fats and carbs
Truth: No doubt protein helps in muscle building and fat loss, but excluding fats and carbs can hamper overall health. Fats are vital for brain functioning and absorbing various nutrients. Healthy fats, majorly found in avocados, nuts, and seeds, help in maintaining good heart health. On the other side, carbs are also vital as they are the body’s main energy source and also help to maintain digestive health. Vegetables, fruits, and grains are good sources of carbohydrates.
Myth 2: More Sweat Equals a Better Workout
Truth: Sorry to say, but sweating has nothing to do with your workout. The process of regulating the body’s temperature is called sweating. It doesn’t mean that your workout is intense or you are burning more calories. It’s a misconception, and people are getting falsely motivated by it. There are several factors that determine why you sweat, but keeping those aside, let’s understand the basic logic behind it.
When you run or perform any intense workout, your muscles generate heat, which increases your core temperature. Then your body sweats, and it evaporates into air, taking away heat with it, which lowers the temperature. Similarly, people also misunderstand that sweating is a sign of fat burn, which is a myth too. Such gym myths should be kicked out of the mind else they will keep hampering growth
Myth 3: Lifting Weights Makes You Bulky
Truth: No! It’s a myth. Hitting the gym and lifting weights can never make a man or woman bulky. The gym helps to gain muscle mass and gives a good tone to the body. Nutrition is the major factor in that typical “bulky” look. Consuming more calories than required will definitely store more fat and give that bulkier look.
Moreover we have seen this mindset in most women that once they start lifting weights in the gym, they will look muscular and lose their feminine look. No, even if they want, this can’t happen naturally. The testosterone hormone is responsible for muscle hypertrophy i.e. growth. Females produce significantly less testosterone compared to men.
Myth 4: You can Target Areas to Burn Fat
Truth: Many of us still believe that we can target areas to lose fat. But fat loss never happens as we think. When we burn calories, we lose overall body fat and not any specific area. For effective fat loss, one should always follow 3 things: cardio, weight training, and a healthy diet. Spot reduction is one of the gym myths
Myth 5: We can have a bad diet but with consistent exercise
Truth: Consistent exercise does not mean you can consume whatever you want. Most people have this mindset and suggest to others that you can eat whatever you want but do not forget to exercise because if you gain a few calories you need to burn them too. That’s right, you can burn calories in the gym but NOT the impurities gained through junk food. Consuming more processed, sugary foods, and unhealthy fats will lead to serious health issues no matter how much you exercise.
Moreover, post-exercise, your body needs proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients for muscle recovery. Any aesthetic or healthy body can be achieved only through a proper balance between nutrition and exercise.
Myth 6: When we stop going to the gym, we bulk and gain fat
Truth: If we take a long break from the gym, definitely we will see some changes within our body. A major change like muscle loss will happen if we do not hit the gym for a month or two. This change might not be noticeable at first, but as you keep on skipping your workouts, you will feel that deteriorating strength within you. If you continue with your healthy diet with a few exercises at home, you will lose your muscle mass at a much lesser rate.
It’s a false belief when people say once we quit the gym we just gain fat. Gaining fat is directly proportional to calorie intake. If you uncontrollably consume calories without moving your body, you will definitely bulk, not because you quit the gym but because of a bad diet.
Myth 7: The more you train, the better you grow
Truth: This myth is true only from an education point of view, but when it comes to fitness, it’s completely rubbish. It’s not about how hard or how long you train, it’s about how effectively you train. A well-trained human muscle at least needs 72 hours of rest to recover. Overtraining affects physical and mental health severely. If muscles are not recovered fully, it hinders growth and performance. Even a machine needs rest to function effectively. Again this is one of the gym myths that people believe is true.
Myth 8: Fasted cardio is an effective method to burn fat
Truth: This is one of the most controversial statements around the fitness industry, yet we do not have any proven facts. The science behind it is when you fast overnight and in the morning you perform cardiovascular exercises, glycogen i.e. stored carbohydrate levels are significantly lowered, and your body is forced to use stored fat for energy. But various studies stated that whether it is fasted or non-fasted cardio, the difference in weight loss or body composition is negligible.
Fasted cardio is completely safe for a healthy body but there are also reports that say prolonged fasted cardio in some cases can lead to muscle loss because the body might break down muscle tissues to complete its energy requirement. It’s fine if you want to do fasted cardio but start slowly, begin with less intense workouts like walking or cycling and most importantly note any unfavorable changes in your health that you face during fasted cardio.
Myth 9: Cardio is best for fat loss
Truth: It’s a common misconception. It’s not like cardio exercises like running, swimming etc. do not burn calories but it is not an effective approach to fat loss. If a person with a high body fat percentage performs only cardio exercises to lose fat, they will definitely lose it but they will face the consequences like loose or saggy skin appearance and muscle loss. Human skin has a certain level of elasticity, and constantly performing only cardio exercises, skin finds it difficult to retract or adjust with the body’s smaller size.
Along with that, only cardio leads to muscle loss and the absence of muscle under the skin will result in a loose or saggy skin appearance. Cardio, resistance training, and a healthy diet are the best strategy for effective fat loss.
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In conclusion, understanding the truth behind gym myths is essential and is key to build a proper health. Misconceptions will definitely mislead and hinder progress, but having a proper understanding of gym myths and facts guides you to reach your goals in time in a healthy way.
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