Dispelled Fitness Myths

If you're confused about fitness facts the continue reading below as we dispel popular fitness myths and tell you the facts.

Exercise is if of no use if your muscles aren't feeling sore at the end of it.

Many people use muscle soreness as a sign of how effective their workout is. Some soreness is expected if you regularly change your program. If you're sore after every workout, you're not allowing your body time to recover, which is when you experience the most muscle growth. To prevent soreness, you should warm up before your workout and stretch before and after. If you experience soreness, rest for a day or so and then do the same exercises that caused you to be sore in the first place, but lower the intensity.

If you're not working out hard and as often, exercise is a waste of time.

This kind of thinking keeps a lot of people from maintaining or even starting an exercise program. Any exercise is better than none. For example, regular walking for an hour helps to maintain physical fitness. If you don't able to workout for a week, consider it as a break and restart it again.

If you exercise long and hard enough, you will always get the results you want.

In reality, genetics plays an important role in how people respond to exercise. Studies have shown a wide variation in how different exercisers respond to the same training program. Your development of strength, speed and endurance may be very different from that of other people you know.

If you want to lose weight, stay away from strength training because it will make you bulk up.

Strength training boosts your metabolism by almost 20 percent and continue to burn more calories for up to 12 hours after your exercise. Hence it is valuable for maintaining a healthy weight. Strength training helps maintain muscle mass and decrease body fat percentage.

You can take weight off specific body parts by doing exercises specific to those areas.

This concept is called "spot training" and unfortunately, it doesn't burn fat. When you lose weight, you are unable to choose the area in which the reduction will occur. Your body predetermines which fat stores it will use. For example, doing sit ups will strengthen your abs but will not take the fat off of your stomach… similarly an activity like running burns fat all over your body, not just your legs. You can, however compliment a balanced exercise program. With a selection of weight training exercises to gradually lose weight and tone the body.

Women who lift weights will bulk up.

While on a weight lifting program, the right hormones (testosterone) are necessary in order to bulk up. Women's testosterone levels are much lower than men's, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train. So in addition to the physical benefits (increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis, increased strength), strength training will help you slim down too!

Slim people should not exercise.

Slim does not mean fit. Slim people will also have health problems because of lack of exercise and strenuous life style. It is important for everyone to exercise, whether slim or obese. Exercise is important for strengthening our muscle, joints, heart and other organs. Most of us have a sedentary lifestyle and suffer from back to neck problems due to lack of exercise and poor postures. However, workouts will vary from individual to individual, but exercise is a necessity for all.