There are a lot of myths regarding training and nutrition, that despite being false are commonly believed to be true. These can have people waste their time and cause frustration when they do not work. Below I will outline the 5 most common myths I see so you don’t get caught by these too.
Myth 1 = You can choose to get rid of fat from specific areas of the body
This is False. Doing a 1000 crunches a day wont get rid of belly fat, the same way using body wraps while training wont help you lose more fat either. Unfortunately we cannot choose where we lose fat from and how much you sweat is not an indicator of how much fat you lose. The best way to lose stubborn fat is to maintain a slight calorie deficit and weight train 2-4 times a week, and be patient.
Myth 2 = You need to be sore for it to be working
You do not have to be barely able to walk after training for it to be working. DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is caused by a new stimulus to a muscle, so someone new to training or starting training after a long lay off will experience this for a while. Similarly if you try a new exercise you may experience DOMS also. However soreness is not an effective indicator of how well you are progressing, experienced trainees will progress without ever being too sore.
Myth 3 = You can’t eat carbs if you want to lose weight
You can 100% eat carbs and lose weight. Weight loss/gain is all about energy(calorie) balance, see below. As long as you maintain a calorie deficit you will lose weight whether you eat carbs or not. So if you enjoy carbs (who doesn’t?) then eat them and still get the results you want.
Myth 4 = If you eat only healthy foods you wont gain weight
As you can see above weight change happens through changes in energy balance. It does not matter where you get the extra calories from, you will still gain weight if you eat more than you need. So even if you only eat healthy food you can still gain weight. Some healthy food that are high in calories include avocado, oils, nuts, dried fruits, and granola. The moral of the story is eat these in moderation and use correct portion control like the example below. It is based on 3-4 meals per day.
Myth 5 = I need to train more because I am not gaining muscle
If you are not getting results then training more may not be the answer. Recovery is a major part of gaining muscle and one that is least utilised. You need to give your muscle time to recover and grow between sessions and give them plenty of fuel (food) also. If you are hammering away in the gym and not prioritising recovery then your results will suffer. A good rule is to allow at least 48 hours between training the same muscle group, aim for 7-8 hours sleep a night and maintain a calorie surplus with between 1-1.8 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight.
note: if you are only training 1-3 times a week then training more may well be the answer for you:)
Any questions on any of the above fill in below and ill be in touch.
Shane