Fitness Myths
Dana Brown

With the abundance of available information sources, it is easy to pick up erroneous fitness advice.  Unfortunately, many people are misinformed and misled by the many promises of the weight loss and fitness industry.  Below are some common misconceptions among people with regard to exercise and nutrition.  Most of them arise from a lack of knowledge about how exercise affects the body.  Understanding the myths and truths of fitness will help you to train efficiently, set reasonable goals and, most importantly, prevent you from overtraining and injuring yourself. 

Myth- Specific exercises will cause spot reduction 
Truth – It is impossible to spot reduce.  Study after study has shown that regardless of how many “butt” exercises you perform, you cannot control/affect fat loss in specific areas.  The rate and location of fat loss is determined by a number of factors, including age, sex, genetics, training program, and more.  The best way to lose body fat is to incorporate full-body strength training exercises, cardio training, and a healthy diet.  Crash diets DO NOT reduce body fat, and often result in a reduction of metabolic rate (the speed at which you burn calories).

Myth- If I eat a lot of protein, I can build big muscles 
Truth – Carbohydrate, as opposed to protein, is more important in terms of building muscle.  The reason; carbohydrate is a “protein sparing macronutrient,” meaning that the ability of the body to use carb for fuel allows the body to use protein for building and repairing muscles.  

There is no scientific evidence supporting the popular belief that developing muscle mass requires massive amounts of protein.  In fact, most of the excess protein that is taken in to your body is often flushed out.  Too much protein has been implicated in chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, kidney stones and kidney disease, some cancers, heart disease and obesity.  Protein is recommended at a range from 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight (1 lb = 2.2 kilograms) for sedentary individuals up to a max of about 1.5-1.8 g/kg.  
 
To gain muscle, follow a well-designed weight training program and eat a healthy diet.  Develop a method to deal with stress, reduce alcohol consumption, and get a full night of sleep.    Too much protein has been implicated in chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, kidney stones and kidney disease, some cancers, heart disease and obesity.

Myth - Carbohydrates are bad 
Truth - High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets cannot support optimal health for long.  First of all the quality of the diet suffers when carbohydrates are restricted.  Without fruits, vegetables, and whole grains there is a lack of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals – all dietary factors protective against disease.  Low carbohydrate diets include extreme amounts of saturated fat that usually accompany high-protein foods.  Excluding carbohydrates can lead to nausea, fatigue, constipation, low blood pressure, and fetal harm or stillbirth babies in a pregnant woman.  

Myth - You must stretch before a workout to prevent injuries
Truth - The typical warm up of stretching does not prepare muscles for the active contraction-relaxation process that occurs during most sports and activities.  It also decreases the tension in the muscles which decreases force production.  Dynamic warm-ups better prepare the body by increasing core temperature, heart rate and blood flow and they activate the nervous system.  This type of warm-up takes about 10-15 minutes and incorporates alternating running forwards, backwards and sideways, jumps, sprints and some stretching. 
Myth - Women who strength training will bulk up                                              Truth - The average woman who strength trains two to three times a week will gain around 2 pounds of lean muscle and lose 3.5 pounds of fat.  Women typically don't gain size from strength training because they have 1/10th the amount of testosterone levels that males have.  They also do not typically perform hypertrophy training programs.
Myth – Low intensity exercise burns more fat (The Fat Burning Zone)
Truth – While you do burn a higher percentage of fat as a fuel source when working at lower intensities, the most important factor to losing weight is the number of calories that you burn.  Exercising at higher intensities allows you to burn more calories during each given session and thus a higher caloric expenditure at the end of the day.  Higher intensity exercise also increases your metabolism for a longer period after the cessation a workout.   

Myth - Running is the best way to lose fat 
Truth – While cardiovascular training is important to overall health and weight loss, the most productive way to lose body fat is through strength training.  Strength training increases lean muscle, which increases overall metabolism.  Do not forget about nutrition – it is just as important as exercising.  

Myth - There’s a magic bullet out there 
Truth - Some dieters peg their hopes on pills and capsules that promise to "burn," "block," "flush," or otherwise eliminate fat from the system.  But science has yet to come up with a low-risk "magic bullet" for weight loss.  Some pills may help control the appetite, but they can have serious side effects.  Many of them are highly addictive and can have an adverse impact on the heart and central nervous system.

Myth - No pain, no gain 
Truth – While it takes serious effort and determination to increase muscle strength and size, it should not be crippling.  The best programs are progressive in nature and allow for periods of increased intensity followed by recovery weeks.  Lifters who perform the same routine and exercises are likely to suffer from overuse injuries and a lack of gains, even though they are working hard. 
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Myth - Bodybuilding will make me stronger than anyone else
Truth - Bodybuilding programs, characterized by a high number of repetitions (6-12) and a short rest period.  The adaptation to this type of training is increased muscle size.  This type of program contributes little to maximum strength.    In an actual strength training program, low repetitions with a long rest in between, the body adapts by increasing the ability of the nervous system to coordinate muscle fibers. 

For more information regarding the above myths contact the personal training office through http://www.recsports.ufl.edu/personaltraining.aspx