5 Most Common Fitness Myths That Might Be Holding You Back

5 Most Common Fitness Myths That Might Be Holding You Back

Stop believing these five common fitness myths and start working out smarter, better and more efficiently.

Sometimes our perception of good is actually wrong. And the consequences can be even worse, especially when we’re talking about working out.

Do you ever look around at the gym and notice that someone else is doing things differently than you are? Chances are, one of you is doing it wrong.

But how do we know who’s right and who’s wasting time?

If you are killing it at the gym but not getting the results you want, then it could mean that these common fitness myths are holding you back from a promising session.

The information that is accessible to us is not always accurate, and can sometimes cause a disturbance in the workout, which can even lead to an injury.

So here is the truth about several common fitness myths, and why they need to be busted to ensure your workout is efficient and not misleading.

Stop Believing In These Common Fitness Myths

These are the most common fitness myths that might be holding you back from getting faster, better and safer results:

1. The More You Sweat, The More You Burn

Adriana Lima Sweaty After Workout

Some sweat more than others, but that’s not a determining factor as to who burned more.

If you are especially drenched after an exhausting session, then it’s not necessary that you burned more calories than usual.

In fact, sweat is a biological response that cools your skin and regulates internal body temperature.

The result may also be due to an overheated space, or whether or other factors like your physiology.

So don’t correlate over sweating to an efficient workout session, and keep going until you see satisfactory numbers.

2. Crunches Are Enough To Get Flat Abs

Common Fitness Myths - Crunches For Flat Abs

This is one of the most common fitness myths and more and more people believe in it: you can get flat abs by doing crunches. But it’s not the best way to slim your midsection.

To see your abs, you need first to lose that fat layer covering them up. But crunches don’t burn off a lot of calories, so you need other weight-loss strategies to burn fat. (1)

Once you drop that fat layer, then you can start doing ab exercises. So if you slim down this way you will see promising results in your abdominal area.

3. You Need To Be Sore The Next Day

Common Fitness Myths - Soreness Is Necessary

Here’s another common misconception we all have: we assume that if we are not sore the next day, then we didn’t work hard enough.

If you are sore, it only means that you did something that your body couldn’t handle good enough.

Unknowingly you might be overdoing your workout, to get sore. But that can only cause more harm than good. (2)

Your body will adapt to so much workload, and when you push it beyond a point, the soreness can become severe.

In that case, you might not be able to perform tasks efficiently, so avoid putting too much strain on your body.

4. Machines Are Better Than Free Weights

Common Fitness Myths - Free Weights Are Better Than Machines

It’s true that machines serve their purpose, but that does not mean that free weights will not give you good results. In fact, free weights might give you better results if your technique is on point.

It allows our bodies to move in the planes they wish to, whereas machines tend to hold the body in one plane. Personal trainers often prefer to work out using free weights.

So unless you have a lack of experience, free weights are your best option. As it can give you a better range of motion, as the body is not made to work in an isolated plane of movement.

5. You Need To Work Out For Long Hours

Common Fitness Myths - Long Workouts

Another myth most of them believe is that long hours at the gym means better muscle definition. But that’s not true; it might even push you to lose more than required calories.

Sometimes even a short workout is good enough to keep you going.

What matters is consistency. If you make it a habit to fit in some amount of workout every day, even if long hours then it’s still good enough to keep you fit.

There is no such thing as an ideal workout time; it depends on how much your body needs and how you can fit it into your schedule.

These are some common fitness myths that might be holding you back. Always get an expert’s opinion, and don’t do something that makes your body uncomfortable.

Fitness activity is not meant to be No pain No gain; if something hurts, then you should stop. So work out smartly and you will get better results.

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