FITNESS MYTHS BUSTED

Written by guest author Talar Demirdjian

We’ve all heard too many quick fixes to getting fit, or we believe spending hours at the gym are going to make us look like Victoria’s Secret Models, or cutting out certain things from our diet will finally be the way of losing our love handles, but the truth is you’ve probably been fed a load of lies, and fitness isn’t as simple as that.

So, I’m about to bust some fitness myths you’ve probably heard over the years!

Myth: Crunches are the key to flat abs

Crunches are probably the most well-known abdominal exercise around, but doing crunches is not actually the best way to slim your tummy area, since they don't actually burn off a lot of calories, and thus will not really help in losing fat. Moves involving your shoulders and butt more effectively engage your entire core, so next time you want to work on your “Abs” do some planks and bridges.

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Myth: If you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard

Did you sweat more than usual during your regular afternoon run? Well, I’m sorry to say that it doesn't mean you necessarily burnt any more calories than usual. In actually depends on the focus of your workout, you may bench press a ton ( figure of speech) while taking a lot of breaks in between, and not seat a lot, but you sure as well would be working hard. So, before your start agonizing about your sweating, focus on whether endurance or strength is the focus of your training.

Myth: Cardio till you’re skinny

People think that running and cardio are the end all be all of losing weight and fitness. However, if you want a svelter physique, focused weight training is a more effective way to lose weight than investing hours on the treadmill. Also, interval and weight training is a better way to reduce fat (try our “Start Tabata” and “ Start Pumping” classes”.

Myth: Lift weights? No, I’ll get bulky!

Ladies, this one is particularly for you. No, lifting weight will NOT suddenly make you look like the hulk. Women typically have less muscle tissue and produce lower levels of testosterone than men, meaning we're less physiologically prone to becoming super muscular.

Myth: I need my Gatorade!

While sports drink commercials will have you believe that you absolutely need them after a workout, old school water, and a high-protein snack will do the trick. Electrolyte-pumped sports drinks are really only necessary (and not even always) for gym sessions or intense cardio workouts that last more than an hour. The extra sugar in sports drinks can hinder the fat-burning process, so they should be reserved for those times when they're truly necessary.

We’ll be busting some more fitness myths in another article, so stay tuned!