There are many common exercise myths that have remained with us through the years. These myths are perpetuated by virtually everybody.
Sometimes, it would seem like professional trainers perpetuate these common exercise myths because they are paid handsomely to do so.
No matter the gym you go to, there is always somebody who is always there to bawl these common exercise myths in your face. Though hogwash, the intention most of the time is to make you train more. And, more importantly, not to give up.
But these myths, like most myths, do more harm than good to you. They are mostly an avalanche of misinformation designed to make you behave in a particular way. Perhaps to spend money on supplements or accessories.
Let’s look at some of these common exercise myths. Some of them would surprise you.
Common exercise myths.
1. No pain, No Gain
Almost everybody is guilty of mouthing off this myth. I remember almost causing irreparable damage to my body as I tried to push myself in the gym when I started newly.
As words of encouragement, ‘No pain, No gain’ works very fine. But the truth is, the pains you might feel are caused by actual injuries to the muscles and ligaments.
The smart move is to stop when you feel pain. Get some treatment, and only continue when you feel better.
Never listen to the pros that your body would get used to the pain. In many cases, the harm you are doing to your body would begin to show years later in serious, permanent muscular pains to some parts of the body.
2. You must exercise for hours to get the benefit
You really don’t have to spend too much time every day to get into shape. Our bodies react differently to exercise.
For some people, they actually need several hours over a long period to begin to see results. With others, just a few hours weekly are enough for them to see results.
To be clear, even 30 minutes of exercise per day can be enough for some people.
So whether you are planning to lose weight or bulk up, your progress isn’t wholly dependent on the number of hours you exercise in the gym.
3. You need to do stretching before starting.
The theory is, without adequate stretch exercises, you would injure yourself when you get into your routine proper.
There is no doubt there are benefits to stretching. But it should not be confused with warm-ups. That is what you must do before you get down to it. Warm-ups are good as they:
- Crank up your body
- Gets the blood flowing nice and easy
- Prevent injuries
So forget stretching, do warm-ups instead
4. Working out is only for muscle building, not weight loss
You would hear this several times, especially from the ladies. Though a myth, it is understandable why people believe it.
Losing weight is generally hard. So when people don’t see any noticeable difference in weight after a few weeks, the conclusion is that works out are ineffective.
With a diet change, consistency and regular gyming, you would most certainly lose weight if that is your goal.
One advantage of working with weights with the intentions of losing weights is this: you don’t lose muscle mass in addition to losing weight.
5. To build muscles, you need supplements
This is one of the common exercise myths pharmaceutical companies would pay to perpetuate. The driving force of this myth is simply to make money from people. Even the ads can be convincing.
Supplements are good. But the benefits are not so awesome you can’t do without them. If you are not a professional bodybuilder, you definitely don’t need supplements.
Your balanced diet contains all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Combine that with adequate exercise, you would get all the muscles you need.
6. It is dangerous to be a first-timer when you are already old
This could be one of the common exercise myths that account for so few senior citizens hitting the gym.
Even though old people are not very strong, there are exercises and weights that would be okay for them. With caution and proper schedule, old people can do as much training as anybody else without any adverse effect on their health.
Point is, it is never ever too late to start working out in the gym.
7. Working out at the gym is better than at home
While the myth about supplements is encouraged by drug makers, this particular myth is surely perpetuated by gym owners.
Fact is, both give the same benefits. Though one could argue that you could easily get bored doing it at home alone. And without trainers, you could do a few things wrong.
But if you know what you are doing and are consistent, you don’t need to be in a crowd to get the best from your exercise.
So these are the common exercise myths that are endemic in the society. What are your personal experiences with these myths? Which other ‘facts’ have you discovered later to be just myths?
Share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter and let’s see what other common exercise myths they have come up against.
Cheers.
