Hello all, I thought that you (all of you) and myself could take some time out and add some weight lifting myths to this thread so that new members will be able to go here to get some questions answered. Many of these will be obvious to some, but maybe not to some others. Hopefully this will reduce a number of threads that ask questions we've all answered that are about certain myths.
Here, I'll start
Myth #1
When you work out fat turns into muscle, and if you stop for a long time that muscle turns back into fat.
This is a false statement. Fat and muscle are two different entities. Fat turning into muscle and vice versa would be like, I dunno, bread turning into gold and gold turning into bread. Working out can give the illusion of fat turning into muscle because fat may be burned and the muscle underneath will look more defined, also muscle may be built and shows through the fat. Also, after not working out for a long time, fat is likely to build up because of lack of exercise to get rid of extra calories and muscle can deteriorate from lack of use.
Myth #2
You can train certain parts of your body to spot reduce fat.
This is proven to be a myth. You cannot do crunches and expect to lose fat only in the stomach area.
Myth #3 submitted by: buzz
no pain no gain or you must train to faliure untrue.
as long as all fibres are engaged hypertrophy will occur,you dont need to go to faliure to engage all fibres.
Myth #4 submitted by: adler1983
Muscle weights more than fat.
A pound is a pound. One pound of muscle is denser, taking up less volume than fat. Look at it like a pound of iron compared to a pound of feathers. If you stuff your shirt with a pound of feathers, you'll look huge. If you stuff you shirt with a pound of iron, you'll hardly see it.
Myth #5 submitted by: woodt
Light weight low reps = toning.
You can't tone. You can lower your body fat % to make the muscles more visable.
Myth #6 submitted by: Mike79
I need to be sweating a lot to know that I am working hard and losing weight.
Myth-buster: Sweating is your body's cooling mechanism, and it just means that you are really hot and your body needs to cool off. The weight you lose from sweating is just water weight. You can lose more than 5 pounds of water weight if you are exercising in extremely hot conditions. Excess heat and water loss leaves you feeling exhausted and sluggish -- and at risk for heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Water is needed to burn fat, so if you are exercising in very hot conditions, make sure you hydrate yourself and replenish your body. Don't be fooled! You are not burning extra fat. You are just losing precious water
Myth #7 submitted by: dougp25
You need to do a ton of ab isolation exercises to get a six pack.
Abs are best brought out by reducing your bodyfat.
Myth #8 submitted by: jmanjman47
Skipping breakfast will help me lose weight.
Buster: Wrong, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it boosts your metabolism which in turn will burn more calories throughout the day. To lose weight you need to burn more calories then you consume.
Myth #9 submitted by: buzz
you can shape your muscles (untrue)
you can make them larger or smaller you cant shape them.
Myth #10 submitted by: stingo
Some people seem to operate under the impression that just doing a few days worth of strength training will cause them to grow muscles like the incredible Hulk.
One which I had fallen prey to was that bicep curls were actually effective - I struggled for quite a while with them but when I moved to NROL, life got much better. I'm stronger in my arms now than I've ever been, without having done a single curl.
Myth #11 submitted by: karky
The traditional bulk, go for a weight gain of x lbs a week.
Usually, the recommendation is way too high and you end up getting fat, because contrary to popular belief, the body cant pack on 2 lbs of muscle a week, you'll be lucky to get that in a month. And just because you gained 10 lbs over a few weeks and your still "about as defined as before" doesnt mean you gained 10 lbs of muscle. When you go from for example 12-15 BF% there usually isent that much of a difference in definition. Besides some of the fat will get stores under your muscles.
Myth #12 submitted by: matt182
You can isolate a single muscle (false)
Muscles are enveloped undr a fascia and are strictly interconnected to eachother.
Myth #13 submitted by: buzz
i want to gain muscle and lose fat.
almost impossible unless your a newbie.
to lose fat you need a defecit of cals,so all the nutrients you need will be used up and that means there is nothing left to build muscle with.
Myth # 14 15 16 submitted by: bipennate
-"Clean" food = diet/weight loss ("clean" simply means healthy, non-processed, fruits, veggies, etc. It in no way implies that you will lose fat, i.e. "I don't get it: I'm eating clean but I'm not losing any weight." It's more difficult to overeat fruits, veggies and lean proteins, but that doesn't mean that you can't gain weight from healthy foods. You still must account for calories and output)
-Their is a "best" way to workout (as in "what is the best way to lose fat," or "what is the best workout to gain strength?" There is no "best way," just some ways that are more effective than others for a number of reasons. If there was a "best way," there wouldn't be fitness boards, personal trainers, or a billion dollar fitness industry: everyone would just do the "best workout" and get great results)
-Running/cardio causes you to lose muscle (While this is true for heavy endurance running-think marathon training, your 20 minutes/day 3x each week won't impact your muscle growth unless you are severely undereating...in which case you have a lot more to worry about than simply losing a little muscle)
Here, I'll start
Myth #1
When you work out fat turns into muscle, and if you stop for a long time that muscle turns back into fat.
This is a false statement. Fat and muscle are two different entities. Fat turning into muscle and vice versa would be like, I dunno, bread turning into gold and gold turning into bread. Working out can give the illusion of fat turning into muscle because fat may be burned and the muscle underneath will look more defined, also muscle may be built and shows through the fat. Also, after not working out for a long time, fat is likely to build up because of lack of exercise to get rid of extra calories and muscle can deteriorate from lack of use.
Myth #2
You can train certain parts of your body to spot reduce fat.
This is proven to be a myth. You cannot do crunches and expect to lose fat only in the stomach area.
Myth #3 submitted by: buzz
no pain no gain or you must train to faliure untrue.
as long as all fibres are engaged hypertrophy will occur,you dont need to go to faliure to engage all fibres.
Myth #4 submitted by: adler1983
Muscle weights more than fat.
A pound is a pound. One pound of muscle is denser, taking up less volume than fat. Look at it like a pound of iron compared to a pound of feathers. If you stuff your shirt with a pound of feathers, you'll look huge. If you stuff you shirt with a pound of iron, you'll hardly see it.
Myth #5 submitted by: woodt
Light weight low reps = toning.
You can't tone. You can lower your body fat % to make the muscles more visable.
Myth #6 submitted by: Mike79
I need to be sweating a lot to know that I am working hard and losing weight.
Myth-buster: Sweating is your body's cooling mechanism, and it just means that you are really hot and your body needs to cool off. The weight you lose from sweating is just water weight. You can lose more than 5 pounds of water weight if you are exercising in extremely hot conditions. Excess heat and water loss leaves you feeling exhausted and sluggish -- and at risk for heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Water is needed to burn fat, so if you are exercising in very hot conditions, make sure you hydrate yourself and replenish your body. Don't be fooled! You are not burning extra fat. You are just losing precious water
Myth #7 submitted by: dougp25
You need to do a ton of ab isolation exercises to get a six pack.
Abs are best brought out by reducing your bodyfat.
Myth #8 submitted by: jmanjman47
Skipping breakfast will help me lose weight.
Buster: Wrong, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it boosts your metabolism which in turn will burn more calories throughout the day. To lose weight you need to burn more calories then you consume.
Myth #9 submitted by: buzz
you can shape your muscles (untrue)
you can make them larger or smaller you cant shape them.
Myth #10 submitted by: stingo
Some people seem to operate under the impression that just doing a few days worth of strength training will cause them to grow muscles like the incredible Hulk.
One which I had fallen prey to was that bicep curls were actually effective - I struggled for quite a while with them but when I moved to NROL, life got much better. I'm stronger in my arms now than I've ever been, without having done a single curl.
Myth #11 submitted by: karky
The traditional bulk, go for a weight gain of x lbs a week.
Usually, the recommendation is way too high and you end up getting fat, because contrary to popular belief, the body cant pack on 2 lbs of muscle a week, you'll be lucky to get that in a month. And just because you gained 10 lbs over a few weeks and your still "about as defined as before" doesnt mean you gained 10 lbs of muscle. When you go from for example 12-15 BF% there usually isent that much of a difference in definition. Besides some of the fat will get stores under your muscles.
Myth #12 submitted by: matt182
You can isolate a single muscle (false)
Muscles are enveloped undr a fascia and are strictly interconnected to eachother.
Myth #13 submitted by: buzz
i want to gain muscle and lose fat.
almost impossible unless your a newbie.
to lose fat you need a defecit of cals,so all the nutrients you need will be used up and that means there is nothing left to build muscle with.
Myth # 14 15 16 submitted by: bipennate
-"Clean" food = diet/weight loss ("clean" simply means healthy, non-processed, fruits, veggies, etc. It in no way implies that you will lose fat, i.e. "I don't get it: I'm eating clean but I'm not losing any weight." It's more difficult to overeat fruits, veggies and lean proteins, but that doesn't mean that you can't gain weight from healthy foods. You still must account for calories and output)
-Their is a "best" way to workout (as in "what is the best way to lose fat," or "what is the best workout to gain strength?" There is no "best way," just some ways that are more effective than others for a number of reasons. If there was a "best way," there wouldn't be fitness boards, personal trainers, or a billion dollar fitness industry: everyone would just do the "best workout" and get great results)
-Running/cardio causes you to lose muscle (While this is true for heavy endurance running-think marathon training, your 20 minutes/day 3x each week won't impact your muscle growth unless you are severely undereating...in which case you have a lot more to worry about than simply losing a little muscle)
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