There are also those who, while doing a series of biceps bends, passing by, willspontaneously add, “better reduce that weight and do 20-30 reps to improvedefinition.” What’s even worse, these people know nothing about it. They heard it somewhere, read it, and then they go around the gym, trolling beginners. Remember, there is no hing worse for a beginner than being misinformed. Just imagine hours and hours of exercising the wrong way. First, you risk the injury and do not get the expected results. Secondly, you convince yourself that it should be done that way, so when someone comes to you and says, “try it this way, you are not doing it right”, you will ignore him. That is why I decided to write new texts dedicated to fitness myths. I won’t be able to include them all in one post because there are probably hundreds of them, but I’ll start with the most common ones.
1️. Low weight, lots of repetition for definition – high weight, less repetition for mass
Let’s explain this further. It depends solely on kcal surplus or deficit. Do you really think that muscle can grow if you lift a lot of weight, do a little repetition, and eat like a canary? Of course not. I, in the first place, when working on definition, have days or parts of training when my focus is solely on more weight and low reps. And I can tell you that the definition works much better for me than when I do only 10-20 reps with “light weight”. While, let’s say, in the period of hypertrophy, my legs on the leg extension respond much better to less weight with 20+ reps. So, opposite to what know-it-alls talk about. The reason is that complex exercises, such as squatting, are much larger consumers than isolation exercises, such as biceps flexion, because they also involve extra muscles for the purpose of stabilization. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, skip training with 20+ reps, super sets, drops and similar. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be done but make sure you focus on complex exercises with as much weight as possible, leading the performance to perfection.
2️. Eat as much protein as possible for bigger muscles
Any nutrient that is not used properly will make us fat. Excessive protein intake is unnecessary. I watch people taking 3-4 portions of whey protein a day, having no idea how much food they eat during the day. Generally, daily protein requirements are very easy to meet from food. Do not overdo the shakes as they also have calories. I understand exercisers who have a daily calorie intake of 3500+ kcal, so they .
3.Running in the gym is the same as running outside
Not really. Here’s why. As we run outside, the resistance of the air and the variety of terrain we run on differently affect our body from running in the gym. The gym helps us in that last phase of pushing away from it, that is, just “flying” under us. However, due to the diversity of terrain, we use the stabilizer muscles much more when running outside. That’s why when you feel like running, go out into the fresh air.
4️. If you want great abs, do full crunches as much as possible
I do not know how many of you will believe me if I say that you can have visible abs without doing a single “crunch”. It depends solely on your body fat percentage. Doing 1000 abs a day is unnecessary if your BF is over 12%. In doing so, many studies have proven that crunch over-exercising such as “lying down, hooking legs on the bed, and doing crunches like crazy” can lead to severe back pain. If you already want to satisfy your psyche with your daily dose of crunches, then opt for planks.
5️.After strength training, the body needs food, so I can eat everything.
If this was the case, I would train 2x every day. It is true that a post-workout meal may be the most important meal of the day. Glycogen reserves are empty, muscles are damaged. You need food. But not any food! Remember that glycogen reserves are like one tank in the body that can hold a certain amount of fuel. Around it is a larger reservoir we call “fat”. Everything that does not fit in the first one is overflowing and ending in the second. So, no matter how hungry you are, a protein with some simple carbohydrate after your workout will meet your needs. Forget about hunger, it’s all in your head.