Myths about fitness. Women's Myths About Gyms Fat can be burned in a specific area

Despite the availability of information, a huge number of sports clubs and an increased interest in fitness, which more and more people are interested in, funny and not so funny myths about training continue to exist. We decided to debunk a damn dozen of these fitness prejudices.

Many people are afraid to go to the gym because of many prejudices, most of which are far-fetched.

Popular fitness myths

1) If you exercise, fat will be pumped into muscles.

This strange thesis has been refuted so many times that it is almost indecent to talk about it. But it has to be: despite everything, many people firmly believe in the idea of ​​​​such a magical transformation. In reality, this is, of course, impossible, since fat and muscle are completely different tissues, like teeth and hair. the fat layer into muscle fibers is something out of science fiction.

2) I'm starting to pump up my abs!

This is where the journey to losing weight often begins – and quickly ends. There are four reasons for this. Firstly, it is impossible to lose weight only at the waist: the fat layer decreases more or less proportionally throughout the body.

Secondly, you can get rid of folds on the stomach only by adjusting your diet, because if excess has accumulated on this part of the body, most likely, it is fat reserves that accumulate here.

Only changing eating habits can “disperse” them. Thirdly, they work while performing any exercises, so you should not pay much attention exclusively to this part of the body. Unless, of course, the notorious cubes are your main goal.

Fourthly, the concept of whether a particular body is beautiful or not is made up of the general appearance of the figure, and these are the shoulders, chest, waist, hips, and legs. To look fit, a flat stomach is not enough.

3) I'll have legs like a skier!

The relief on the hips really scares girls and often even makes them give up exercising. In fact, it is not so easy to seriously pump up your leg muscles, and in a month or two it is completely impossible. What you thought was a “grown” quadriceps was actually... always there! It was simply hiding under a layer of fat, which has now become thinner (for which you tried) and released the muscle.

Of course, if you continue exercising, the relief of the upper thigh will become more pronounced. But it is thanks to your strong legs that you can perform energy-intensive squats, lunges and deadlifts and lose weight in all other problem areas. In addition, sculpted (albeit voluminous) legs still look more attractive than simply covered with fat.

And also - paradoxically, but true - “ski” legs are actually thinner than untrained ones with a layer of fat. If in doubt, you can start a tradition of regularly measuring volumes. Suddenly, “stretched” jeans will finally convince you of the absurdity of this myth.

4) To lose weight, you need to run a lot.

Confidence in this daily lines up in the cardio zones of every gym in the world. The only people missing from the queues are those who remember the main postulate of the theory of weight loss: you can get rid of excess weight only by creating an energy deficit. At this time, they do strength exercises, successfully burn calories, form relief and build muscle mass.

And they come to the cardio zone at the end of the lesson in order to consolidate the results within 10–20 minutes and increase endurance - for such purposes this time is quite enough. Long-term aerobic exercise is certainly good for the heart and will help you become more resilient, but it doesn’t use up as much energy, so it will take a very long time to lose weight by jogging.

5) I will practice every day!

Such attitudes usually accompany the decision to start a new life, say, on Monday, on the first of the month, or after payday. “Finally, I’ll put everything aside, focus on myself and start changing my body!”- you think.

But in reality you end up extremely tired and unable to get to the phone on your own and warn your colleagues not to wait for you at work, because today you can only lie down.

Your task is not to train a lot, but to train well. To do this, your body needs rest. How often to exercise is a question that requires a separate discussion. But on average, three to four workouts per week are enough.

6) I don’t have a sore throat, which means I’m not working well.

Suffering is a poor measure of athletic achievement. Too much load does not allow you to recover properly, which means that in the next lesson you will be able to work at half strength. The absence of soreness or slight discomfort in the muscles that worked the most in the previous workout indicates that you are on the right track: the load was chosen correctly and there is enough time for rest.

7) To lose weight, you need to sweat a lot.

This is a half-truth: if you sweat a lot and for a long time, the scale will show a minus of some grams or even kilograms. Such a simple trick makes people wear weight loss belts during workouts, lubricate their skin with warming creams and wrap themselves in cling film, refuse water during exercise, etc. For the same reason, everyone who loses weight loves the bathhouse and sauna. In fact, such loss has nothing to do with weight loss itself.

Weight loss occurs due to the fact that the body loses water, but within a few hours the reserves will be replenished and the scales will return to their place. There is more harm from such manipulations than good: in addition to the fact that dehydration leads to blood thickening and increases the risk of blood clots, it also slows down metabolism. And this, as you know, is a direct path to excess weight.

8) The barbell is for men. I’d rather work out at the gym!

The “on duty” female argument against training with iron. It comes down to the fear of turning into a person within a couple of weeks after starting training. An analysis of this concern is worthy of a separate article. But for now, let’s answer briefly: due to hormonal levels, a woman will not be able to achieve such an effect.

Even for men, gaining weight is very difficult and requires great effort and intense training over a long period of time. To achieve similar results, a woman would have to work many times more and artificially change her hormonal levels. In other words, start using steroids. If you are not going to do this, you can safely build a figure with the help of barbells and strength training - the prospect of becoming a pile of muscles does not threaten you.

9) Minus 5 kg per week.

Quick results are another popular misconception. Many people come to the gym with the confidence that in a couple of weeks they will turn into athletes with impeccable forms or nymphs with a seductive hip line and without a drop of fat. But they will be disappointed: super-fast weight loss is only possible in conjunction with health problems. Normal, physiological weight loss is 1–1.5 kg per week. But at this pace it will be easier to maintain the new weight.

10) I don't eat before training.

This principle is actually a half-truth, but it works with several caveats, which many people tend to ignore in pursuit of the coveted number on the scale. You can and should eat before training - but no later than two hours before it starts (meals should be protein-carbohydrate, fats should be excluded).

If the pause is shorter, you will experience stomach discomfort or even nausea. If you don’t eat at all, your body will have nowhere to get energy, and you won’t be able to exercise effectively. Be sure to have a snack for those who exercise in the morning. Fish or lean meat are best suited for this.

11) I won’t lose weight – I’m too overweight.

In fact, obese people can be called the happiest losers: they get results very quickly. The greater the weight, the easier it is to stress the body, and, therefore, the faster it will get rid of reserves. Therefore, losing 5 kg out of 20 extra is much easier than losing 5 out of 7.

Anyone who has ever had to lose weight knows that the closer to the goal, the more difficult it is to get rid of reserves, and sometimes the last kilogram or two takes longer to come off than the previous ten. So overweight people should not be afraid to start the journey to losing weight - success awaits them already in the first steps, and this is very motivating.

12) A friend told me everything and showed me.

This is very similar to treatment based on the advice of an Internet search engine. Each body is individual, and someone’s program will not suit you, just as the treatment prescribed for someone will not suit you. Past illnesses, physiological characteristics, rhythm of life, favorite and unloved activities, in the end, all this directly affects the program you should follow. Pay attention to technique too.

If you don't know how to squat or bench press, how can you tell if your buddy is doing it correctly? Trust only the coach. Like a good doctor, he will select exactly the program and the rhythm of classes that suits you personally and will help you achieve your goal. The exception is a trained friend whose results impress you and whose knowledge is beyond doubt. But in this case, you, of course, take full responsibility for the results and your health.

13) Either training or sex. All the “jocks” are impotent!

There is an opinion that men who exercise have a decrease in libido because all the testosterone goes into work. This is nothing more than a horror story for people far from anatomy and physiology. In exercising men, the average level of testosterone is higher than in non-athletes, because our body is like a well - the more you draw, the more it is added.

Many people who are just starting out in fitness decide to learn more about it and end up being influenced by myths that have become entrenched in the public consciousness. It happens that not only beginners, but even regular guests of gyms are caught in the web of these misconceptions.

What myths exist about fitness and how to avoid making mistakes by following false statements?

Many people believe that the training was effective if the muscles hurt after it. In fact, pain indicates microtrauma of muscle fibers resulting from:

• excessive load;
• incorrectly performed exercises, that is, if the correct technique was not followed;
• insufficient warm-up before training.

It is important to remember that if the muscles do not hurt after training, this does not mean that there will be no results from working in the gym. “It hurts, it means it grows” is a wrong opinion!

Myth #2: Stretching reduces muscle pain

Stretching exercises are performed at the end of each workout. But this is not done at all in order to reduce muscle pain (if they have received microtraumas, stretching them cannot eliminate them). Stretching after the main block in fitness is needed to relax the muscles and give them elasticity.

Myth #3: The longer the workout, the more effective it is.

The duration of the workout certainly affects the effect obtained from it. However, there are conditional limits - fitness should not exceed 1.5 hours (this includes warm-up and stretching).

There is no need to overload yourself with an exhausting amount of exercise - it is better to try to get the maximum benefit from the workout. People who believe in this myth spend 3-4 hours in the gym, thereby overloading their body beyond normal limits. As a result, a state of overtraining may occur.

Myth #4: You need to exercise as often as possible

There is a misconception that a busy fitness schedule will provide the best results. In fact, it has been proven that it takes 2-3 days for muscles to recover after intense exercise. Otherwise, if the body is given little time to rest, it may become overloaded and react negatively. This is especially true for beginners who are just starting classes - it is recommended to adapt to the new regime gradually. There are cases when a person gives up fitness only because he trained too often.

Myth #5: Strength training will turn a woman into a bodybuilder.

Believing in this myth, girls are afraid of strength training like fire and prefer aerobic and cardio exercises to them. The main fear is to acquire large embossed body parts.

However, it is worth considering that strength training affects men and women differently due to the different amounts of the hormone produced that is responsible for muscle growth. In the female body it is produced in very small quantities. Therefore, the body of a girl doing strength exercises looks simply toned and aesthetically beautiful, but not pumped up to large sizes. Of course, if the woman does not use special steroid drugs.

In addition, side by side with this myth goes the misconception that a woman rarely needs to train her upper body, focusing on her lower body. But what will the figure be then? Unevenly trained. Therefore, you need to find a middle ground in creating your fitness program.

Myth No. 6: local weight loss is possible

When starting fitness classes with the goal of losing weight, many beginners mistakenly believe that it is enough to perform exercises only for “problem” areas. In fact, during training, fats are burned from everywhere, and first those areas of the body that a person was not in the mood to lose weight lose weight (face, neck, arms, décolleté). But problem areas are usually the last to lose weight, so you need to be patient.

Another important point - you should lose weight gradually! Otherwise, the body will begin to accumulate fat even more intensely, and precisely in those places where it is most undesirable.

From the same series of myths, there is a misconception that in order to get a six-pack, you just need to pump up your abs. It is important to remember that as long as there is a layer of fat in the abdominal area, the “cubes” will not become visible.

Myth No. 7: If you exercise, then your diet doesn’t matter.

The misconception about the insignificant role of nutrition prevents many from achieving their exercise goals. They think that if a large amount of energy is spent, then they can eat everything and lose weight. But you can’t rely only on training! Proper and balanced nutrition must be observed, otherwise the desired result may not be achieved.

Secondly, the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates plays an important role (it is calculated individually based on personal parameters and goals).

In addition, it is unlikely that eating high-calorie and unhealthy foods after exercise (such as fast food and alcohol) will improve your health.

Myth No. 8: Thanks to the “greenhouse effect”, classes will be more fruitful

There are misconceptions that neoprene suits, thermal underwear and even polyethylene help burn fat during exercise.

When using such things, only moisture evaporates due to profuse sweating. And this, in turn, can lead to dehydration, the results of which can be disastrous (including loss of consciousness). Therefore, the “greenhouse effect” not only will not help achieve results, but can also harm your health.

Myth No. 9: you need to evaluate the result based on the readings of the scales

A mistake people make when trying to lose weight or, conversely, gain weight, is to evaluate the results of weighing.

However, these indicators do not reflect the true picture: it is better to use measurements of body parts with a regular measuring tape. Another way is to calculate muscle and fat mass using certain developed methods.

Why shouldn't you trust the scale? For example, a person who wants to lose extra pounds exercised regularly and ate right, but the number on the device did not budge (or even increased). This does not mean that the process of losing weight has not begun. The fact is that muscles are much heavier than fat, so when burning the second and increasing the first, weight gain may occur.

The considered myths about fitness will most likely not completely disappear from people’s consciousness for a long time and will remain widespread. But preliminary study of the correct information and a deliberate approach to training is the key to success!

Many girls are afraid to go to the gym for fear of “pumping up muscles” and becoming masculine - this is a myth. In fact, it is almost impossible for a woman to build tolerable biceps or abs due to the special hormonal background. An abundance of estrogen with almost no testosterone equals “no muscle growth.”
So don't think that three sessions a week will give you muscle mass worthy of a bodybuilder.
Girls often mistake banal swelling due to the accumulation of lactic acid for muscle growth.
in muscle tissue after exercise. During training, you get microtraumas, and lactic acid accumulates in large quantities. It causes fluid retention and a temporary increase in volume. Temporary, I emphasize. It’s worse if you mistake muscle growth for increased body fat.
After all, after visiting the gym, your metabolism increases and you will eat more often and more - and that’s right. Follow a protein diet. And remember - we eat short but often 6-8 times a day, in small portions.

Myth 2
“By visiting gyms, I will lose my femininity and plasticity.”
It’s easy to dispel such a myth - just take a look at the trainers and those who regularly work out in the gym. Do they remind you of wooden men? On the contrary, unlike you, they most likely have something to boast about, for example, a toned stomach, beautiful posture, and an elastic gait.
Are you as capable as they are of performing a stretching routine? That's it.
Hyperextension (eng. hyperextension - hyperextension, hyperextension) is an exercise for developing the rectus dorsi muscles, gluteal muscles and hip flexors. As a result of training these muscles, the risk of injury to the spine and tendons is reduced, and overall performance is increased.
Myth 3
“Lifting weights like dumbbells is very harmful.”
Of course, a barbell weighing 80 kg will be too heavy and dangerous for any woman (and probably a man too). But do gyms exist for people to get injured?
Don’t think that if you come to training and around professional bodybuilders are lifting heavy barbells, then someone will laugh at you with a 2-3 kg weight. Firstly, those who visit gyms know that each beginner has an individual training program with its own degree and intensity of load. Secondly, not everyone comes to the gym to lift weights. For example, gyms and fitness clubs, in addition to serious strength training equipment, offer equipment for abdominal training, as well as fitness equipment: treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical and rowing machines, etc. And by the way, an injury can happen anywhere, which is why you should always remember about caution.
Myth 4
To find an ideal figure, all you need to do is run outside and do aerobics at home while watching TV.
It's definitely worth running. It is advisable to go to the fitness club more often, which will allow you to harmoniously and comprehensively “sculpt” your figure. After all, it’s no longer a secret, and it’s known not only to professional trainers, that only by combining several types of training can you get an ideal result.

It is believed that gyms are usually visited by men. Moreover, the appearance of a girl in the gym may cause confusion, but the women themselves contributed to this.

The thing is that ridiculous myths pop up here and there. Under the influence of stereotypes, many girls are afraid of exercise machines, and only a few do strength gymnastics in fitness clubs. What keeps the fair half of humanity from these sports?

Myth 1

Working out in the “gym”, I will acquire the muscles of a bodybuilder and very soon I will look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It’s somewhat exaggerated, it’s true, but this is approximately what the first myth sounds like to justify the fear of a fitness club.

Of course, you can achieve certain results by regularly visiting the gym and doing intensive exercises. But you will have to study for a long time, for years! Moreover, building muscle requires a special protein diet and a very strong desire.

Considering the fact that you do not have such a desire, and you also do not want to subordinate your diet to such a diet, and everyday intensive and targeted training is not at all about you, you should not worry about the relief. Because they simply won’t exist. Remember how difficult it is to achieve strong abs without a single grain of fat. And to build up the muscles of the arms and legs - so that they frighten you with their appearance - is many times more difficult.

Believe me, coming to the gym only 2-3 times a week and lifting light dumbbells for a few minutes, not a single woman has ever been able to pump up her muscles properly. And for men too, given that their bodies have a fairly strong “helper” for muscle building - the hormone testosterone.

In addition, an experienced trainer will monitor your sports achievements (and these are the people who work in gyms), and with joint efforts you will be able to correct your figure in those places where it is necessary, and exactly as much as you need it. By the way, you can only get a good chest shape with the help of strength training and special simulators for working the pectoral muscles.

Myth 2

By visiting gyms, I will lose my femininity and plasticity.

It’s easy to dispel such a myth - just take a look at the trainers and those who regularly work out in the gym. Do they remind you of wooden men? On the contrary, unlike you, they most likely have something to boast about, for example, a toned stomach, beautiful posture, and an elastic gait.

Are you as capable as they are of performing a stretching routine? That's it.

Myth 3

Lifting weights like dumbbells is very harmful.

Of course, a barbell weighing 80 kg will be too heavy and dangerous for any woman (and probably a man too). But do gyms exist for people to get injured?

Don’t think that if you come to training and around professional bodybuilders are lifting heavy barbells, then someone will laugh at you with a 2-3 kg weight. Firstly, those who visit gyms know that each beginner has an individual training program with its own degree and intensity of load.

Secondly, not everyone comes to the gym to lift weights. For example, gyms and fitness clubs, in addition to serious strength training equipment, offer equipment for abdominal training, as well as fitness equipment: treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical and rowing machines, etc. And by the way, an injury can happen anywhere, which is why you should always remember about caution.

Myth 4

To find an ideal figure, all you need to do is run outside and do aerobics at home while watching TV..

It's definitely worth running. It is advisable to go to the fitness club more often, which will allow you to harmoniously and comprehensively “sculpt” your figure. After all, it’s no longer a secret, and it’s known not only to professional trainers, that only by combining several types of training can you get an ideal result.

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