Believing these myths can actually hinder your fitness progress. Learn what these myths are and how you can overcome them.
If you are wondering why you don’t appear to be progressing as well as you expected in your fitness goals, you should closely look into these fitness myths. Your slow progress may be due to one or several of these myths being applied in your diet and exercise plan.
#1 Say Goodbye to Your Social Life
In modern times, social gatherings revolve around the partaking of food and drinks, many of which are served in fattening portions and with fattening ingredients. This is true for both personal (e.g., with family and friends) and professional (e.g., with co-workers, bosses, and clients) settings, thus, people who are on a fitness route may shun social events for fear of straying off the path of their healthy eating plan.
But why would you do it when your fitness plan will be better when you can socialize with your family and friends? Think about it: You can go to Gold’s Gym with your family and friends on a regular basis, enjoy the exercise equipment, and follow your fitness plan with each other’s support. You will have more success when you have the right support in and out of the gym!
The trick in maintaining a balance between your social life and your fitness goals lies in self-discipline particularly in sticking to your dieting plan. You should not be afraid to indulge in a weekly treat, such as a slice of chocolate cake, and to bring your own snacks to the office so that you can still have a social life yet achieve your fitness goals. You have to look at the bigger picture such that when your nutritional plan is in place, you can trust it to deliver the desired results.
Besides, depriving your mind and body of a small guilty food pleasure will likely increase your hunger for it. You will probably indulge in it way more than the allowed “weekly treat” level.
#2 Perform as Many Crunches as Possible for Six-pack Abs
You can be performing a thousand crunches, as Britney Spears was said to have done daily, yet still have unwanted flab in and around your abdomen (i.e., no six-pack). You are doing it wrong – every single person has abdominal muscles regardless of their body-fat percentage with the six-pack abs becoming more visible when an overall approach to diet and exercise is adopted. Otherwise, all the crunches in the world will not result in the beach abs you want to flaunt.
Think of it this way: Start with the bigger picture of your body and then work your way to its smaller muscles, including the rectus abdominus. When you burn away the layers of fat over your entire body, your abs-focused exercise will make your abdominal muscles more defined and detailed.
Furthermore, crunches are not the only exercises that will result in a six-pack abs. You should also perform other exercises including strict hanging leg raise, mountain climber, front squat, plank with reach, abs roll-out, hollow-body hold, TRX fall-out, L-sit, and stability ball pike and roll-out.
#3 Squats Should Be Avoided Especially with Bad Knees
Many people are afraid to perform the numerous variations of squats because of their negative impact on the knees. But even with knees in a less-than-optimum condition, you can regain your squat ability and, in the process, enjoy the benefits that come with the exercise. Emphasis must be made that squats are considered as among the most effective weight training exercises known to man because of their multiple impact on the body – squats work several muscles including the hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps synergistically (i.e., simultaneously while also amplifying their overall impact).
You have to focus on gradually yet surely regaining mobility in your squats. You should learn the proper execution to a light full squat first and then progress to a weighted heavy quarter-squat. Your knees in particular and your body in general will gain more strength for the progressive and, thus, you can enjoy greater benefits from the exercise. You may also start with a goblet squat, which encourages excellent squat form and technique without the heavy load.
#4 Cardio Loading Is a Must for Lean and Mean Physique
Slow-and-low cardio training can be an excellent tool when used in the right amount, time and place. You will find that you can have a leaner and meaner physique with a sensible diet and weight training program under most circumstances. The exception is when you are preparing for a bodybuilding shoot or competing in a fitness competition, which means that a slow-and-low cardio training should be on the books.
Otherwise, you will likely have better results from a combination of cardio and weight training exercises. You should hit the treadmill when you begin to observe a fat-burning plateau as well, especially when your hips, butts and thighs for women or your lower abs, lower back, and love handles for men appear to have retained their fat.
Ultimately, the best way to not fall into the trap of fitness myths is to become an informed person by asking your personal trainer, reading up on informative articles, and learning from your mistakes.