Well Known Fitness Myths Debunked and Explained

They’re everywhere: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and even on the illegal websites you use to watch pirated movies for free. Welcome to the age of misinformation, where miracle cures and immediate fat loss recipes are peddled like dried goods on the street! These unbelievable as having led to many people internalizing part, if not all of these myths, and driven many people to consume these “miraculous” recipes, which more often than not, do not work and sometimes even lead to acute health conditions such as diarrhoea, while others may have experienced more adverse reactions to these recipes and “health hacks”.

Lactic Acid Build Up Makes Your Muscles Ache

This myth couldn’t be further from the truth, as the familiar ache you feel in your muscles is due to microscopic tears in your muscles after engaging in abnormally strenuous activities. Instead, lactic acid is a source of energy that is used by the heart, brain, muscles and even your kidneys. Lactic acid is not the cause of muscle soreness after an intensive session at the gym, and is instead a fuel source for your body to run on.

Eating Healthier Will Make You Lose Weight

No! Eating healthier will only make you lose weight with exercise and an appropriate quantity of food. Eating healthier does help to facilitate weight loss, but healthy eating habits matter too. It doesn’t matter if you’re earning 1600 calories of all fruits, vegetables or multigrain food, because ultimately the calories still count. If you don’t reduce your calorie consumption or burn more calories you still don’t lose any weight!

The Best Diet for Burning Fat

You’ve seen the YouTube, and Facebook ads that tell you to eat certain foods which claim to burn fat, or certain recipes which claim to help you burn three times more fat than usual without having to diet or exercise. Truth be told, there is no one diet to help you burn fat and lose weight without having to put in the effort to exercise. Sure, there may have been anecdotes on low carb diets helping to lose weight, but it’s probably because there's a lower net intake of calories.

Muscles Are Heavier Than Fat

No! This is absolutely false. Muscles and fat differ in density -- muscle is more dense than fat. While the weighing scale may tell you otherwise when you go to weigh yourself after embarking on a weight loss journey, you're actually putting on muscle and building a stronger physique, so the weighing scale is not the most accurate measurement of your progress. While you build your physique, it is also worth noting that you are increasing your body’s metabolic rate, which in the long run, helps you to lose weight more healthily and sustainably.

The Fastest Way To Lose Fat Is Cardio

Cardio burns calories but not fat, this is a mantra we should all abide by. Part of the reason that many people may say this and this myth is one that has been around as long as it has is that you need to be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. Cardio is a period of intense exercise which burns a large number of calories, and therefore is one of the many ways to achieve a calorie deficit. However, your diet plays an important part as well. No progress will be made if you are not in a calorie deficit, so make sure to monitor your calories closely as well if you want to lose weight successfully. Excessive cardio can also burn through your muscle tissue, which could impede your progress and even decrease your bone density.

Ab Exercises Will Give You A Six Pack

The straightforward answer is no. The most important thing to note is that no one can spot reduce, and that includes the abdominal area. A six pack is a result of careful dieting and intense training. The abs are essentially a muscle, so doing core exercises such as crunches, Russian twists, situps or leg lifts will only help to build the size of the muscle, not reduce the amount of body fat, which is what is obscuring your sick pack from seeing the light.