Friday, October 29, 2010

Fitness Myths

I have provided here a list of common myths circulating the world of fitness.
 
Myth 1: Spot Reduction

If I crunch abdominal exorcises I'll be packing a six pack in no time! WRONG! No matter where you train specifically or intensely on your body the fat around that area may or may not be the first to go. Ultimately you have a body type, you were born with it the end. 

My advice if your wanting that six pack that's always only a couple mm of fat away or a tush like a ripe apple, the key to getting it is as follows...

Hard work, push your fitness to the limits
Cardio is key, do those crunches as much as you want they will do squat
Less calories in than out
Remove all sugar and saturated fats as possible from your diet
Don't give up!

Myth 2: Muscle turns to Fat
Unless you are a steroid junkie come coach potato then your muscles will not become fat if you suddenly stop gyming it up. Fat can be converted into muscle, muscle however will shed but will not become horrid rolls. Training your muscles causes Hypertrophy (Muscle gain), not training your muscles causes Atrophy (Lose muscle mass).

My advice if your worrying about your muscle turning to fat... don't stop training!

Myth 3: Low intensity = More fat loss

This is partly true, however deceiving. You burn roughly 60% fat when exorcising at a low intensity and in turn as the intensity rises your body slowly switches to carbohydrates. To put it in a clear perspective walking for 30 minutes may burn 150 calories (60% = 72 of fat), but a run for 30 minutes and burn up to and possibly more than 270 calories (50% =135 of fat).

My advice is that not only does running burn more calories but it makes you feel better about yourself, and also how others look at you. Running really isn't all that too difficult it really is about doing it right and you'll be surprised to know that it's not too uncommon to come across adults that do not know how to run properly. Here's a link for any one curious about the proper technique of running;
http://www.ehow.com/how_2311464_run-properly.html

Myth 4: More sweat = More fat loss
The more a person sweats definitely adds to the amount of weight one will lose during a session, however this will not be fat it will be water loss. Everyone sweats differently depending on their own body, the only light in this tunnel would be that once a person starts sweating it is a good indication that they are burning fat but not necessarily that they are burning more than usual.

Myth 5: Sports Drinks > Water
If you wish to pour sugar and sodium (Salt) into your body while you train go ahead, I myself would rather save the money and go with the free alternative water. If your disagreeing with me here because athletes are among the largest consumers of sports drinks, than yes you are right. Athletes train for hours at a time and require the sugars and sodium from the drinks as they would be constantly running out. It does however take 2 hours of running before the average person would require a top up on their sugar and sodium source.

My advice is that sporting drinks really are for your typical "Sports". A session at the gym cannot be considered the same as running on a field for an hour, all you really need to sustain yourself during a workout is water.

Myth 6: Longer the workout the more results

This has been majorly debated over the past but as many have concluded the best routine for you is yours to find. Some people find that working out hours a day multiple times a week is best, however many who attempt such harsh treatment of their bodies will find themselves reaped of energy to do anything else. Evidence out there shows that working out even only once a week can be effective.

My advice is to start off easy if your new, and if your novice to working out then give a tough routine a try, the results will tell all.

Myth 7: Starve yourself to get thin

This is a very important myth that many do not accept and appreciate. Cutting calories will cause weight loss but once you starve yourself your body freaks. Instead of your body normally assuming the fat you already have as substitute for less calorie intake, when you starve yourself those fat reserves become more important and your body no longer wants to waste it and begins to use muscle for energy instead. And here you will be achieving exactly the opposite to what you aim to achieve. 

My advice if you're looking to lose weight asap, remove all sugar, saturated fats and as much simple carbs as you can.

Myth 8: The all protein diet

If a person consumes above 50% of protein in their overall daily diet consumption the only thing they can gloat about is smelly farts. In fact eating too much protein can be bad for your body as it can cause dehydration. The optimal intake of protein is 20%-30% of your total daily diet, stick to this and your muscles will be growing in no time.

Myth 9: Carbs are the enemy!

Yes carbs can be the enemy but the label Carbohydrates forks into two sub categories, simple and complex carbs. Simple being your no no's such as sugar and corn syrup, and complex being your juice for daily energy such as broccoli and whole grains.

Myth 10: Fat makes you fat!

I find myself laughing inside whenever I hear an add promoting a food product with none or reduced fat as a healthy food. The truth is however the advertisement should be telling me that the product is sugar reduced or free not fat reduced or free. Sugar is the biggest culprit in today's fat boom, and along with it is saturated fats. These are what you should be looking to reduce from your food.

Myth 11: Doesn't matter what I eat if I train

Does it matter if you eat a lot of food good or bad when you've been training? It certainly matters, although to a degree you can get away with it. By this I mean if you can burn enough calories to use the food you ate!

My advice is only eat when you should be eating and only as much as you require, food is taken for granted much too much these days.

Myth 12: Training like a pro will make you one

First thing to remember here is that pro you are copying most likely took a long time to find that routine for themselves and to get to the physique itself. It is unlikely that many other people would also fit the same training routine. It's very important that you find your own routine working on what comes naturally and best to you.

My advice is do some research, look at what pros do to keep fit and use that as your goal routine and build yours around the improvement of yourself so you can perform the same routines as pros, and I guarantee you that by this time you will look like a pro.

Myth 13: Being ripped gets the chicks

Quite an arguably difficult statement to prove or disprove, however I will give you both sides of the argument. Go to the beach and there will be without doubt a group of ripped guys hanging with hot girls, is this really to do with them being buff? Girls like a strong fit male without question, so clearly it's reason ripped beach boys get the hot beach girls. Or is it? Think about this, a particular unfit gentleman lacks the confidence to ask a girl out. He seeks out professional training and becomes ripped then heads to the beach and begins picking up girls all the time. The fit body provided the confidence boost needed to approach girls, is it not actually his confidence attracting the girls?

My advice is not to worry too much around materialistic ideas such as being ripped gets girls, if you cannot be confident in yourself why should anyone else show any confidence in you?

Easy Muscle Building Tips by Phil.


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