5 Training Myths

Knowing what to do when it comes to your fitness journey can be overwhelming at times. Regardless if you’ve been doing this for a while or if you are just starting out, it can be tough to know what information out there is accurate and which is a load of crap. 

Today I wanted to take some time to go over 5 training myths. In hopes that this will help you make better decisions to optimize your results versus spinning your wheels because of false information that is often spread around in the fitness industry.

It’s important to understand that just because someone looks good and claims to be a coach on social media, it in no way validates the information they are sharing. Posting whatever the latest fad is on social media doesn’t make it true.

Often, we are fooled by a BS fat loss product or extreme fat loss fad because someone who looks amazing posted about it. Believe me, if there was an actual fat loss coffee that made you drop 10lbs in a week, I’d be all over that too. But the sad reality of the fitness industry is an influencer creates a problem that often doesn’t exit, they then sell you a solution to the problem and then they get a commission due to your purchase. We are all constantly being sold products based off our vulnerabilities and insecurities. Which makes us often forget that just because someone looks shredded DOESN’T mean it gives that product or method credibility. Quick fixes do nothing but yield short term results.

So, let’s get into some of these myths. The 5 training myths we are going to discuss today are:

1.    Lighter weight and higher reps make you toned

2.    You can spot reduce fat

3.    I have to do hours of cardio to lose weight

4.    I need to be sore after my workout

5.    Waist trainers flatten your tummy

Now I am not afraid to admit that I too fell for these myths. What do you mean I can’t spot reduce fat? What’s the point of doing all of these crunches if they aren’t burning belly fat? Wait? I don’t need hours of cardio to lose weight? Yea right! And what’s the point of a workout if I am not crawling out of the gym in pain?

Some of these myths debunked was a little bit shocking for me to hear at first too. But once I was able to take a step back and see things more objectively and stop being so emotionally attached to the myths, my relationship with my fitness journey completely changed. 

There’s nothing better than having zero attachments to the principles of strength training. Today I understand that squatting is great for bone mineral density and for strengthening my knees. But if research tomorrow suggests that squats are the worst exercise in the world to do, I will stop doing them. Evidence doesn’t show this at all by the way, but you get my point, I think. So, until then, please keep squatting!

Being objective and making evidence-based decisions can really help you stay focused with what you need to do and drown out the noise of the nonsense with some of these myths. 

So, let’s dive a little bit deeper and break down these myths one by one.

Myth#1: Lighter weight and higher reps make you toned

It’s often believed that higher reps burn more fat so you can create a toned look. But the fact of the matter is if you haven’t built muscle, losing fat won’t create a toned look. In addition, losing fat occurs from being in a calorie deficit, not by the number of reps performed during an exercise.

There's a lot of confusing information out there when it comes to optimal intensity in the weight room.

I’m sure you have heard:

“Only lift low reps because that is where strength gains are made”

“Anything under 10 reps isn't doing anything”

“If you want to be toned or lose weight, you should ONLY be doing high reps.”

Well, it's not so black and white. It obviously depends on your goals. So out of convenience, let's assume we are bodybuilders and are wanting to lose weight or cut for a show. I know what some people are thinking, "only high reps because that's how you tone up and get lean." Not necessarily. Let's break it down.

Low reps - These range from 1-5 reps

These aren't just for powerlifters. A lot of bodybuilders don't think you should utilize low reps because they believe that only high reps activate the slow twitch fibers. This isn't necessarily true. If you are lifting a heavy load, your muscles will recruit the slow fibers. As a result, lifting in a low rep range will yield strength gains, which will result in an increase in the hypertrophic response.

Medium reps - These range from about 6-12 reps

This rep range has actually been shown to consistently cause the most overall hypertrophy.

High reps - This is anything over 12 reps

High repetitions cause glycogen depletion during the workout, which aids in muscle cellular stretching, which leads to cellular growth. While high reps have their place, that doesn't mean you want to completely eliminate low and medium reps from your program.

I honestly would recommend using a combination of low, medium AND high reps. Using a combination of the different rep schemes yields different responses and positive training adaptations for optimal muscle growth, regardless of your goals. 

Myth #2: You can spot reduce fat

“What exercises can I do to burn belly fat” is one of the most common questions I receive. This myth is so common due to the influx of infomercials and influencers promising flat abs for very little work. And as amazing as it would be, unfortunately doing 1,000 crunches each day isn’t going to allow you to burn belly fat.

There was actually a study done at the University of Massachusetts, where 13 males did ab exercises for over 20 days, and fat biopsies were taken both before and after the exercise. The results showed that the subjects decreased fat from different areas of the body, not just from their mid-section.

As I previously mentioned, driving a calorie deficit is how we lose fat. Where that fat lose originates is 100% outside of our control. What often happens is wherever you store excess fat the most is typically the last place you'll lose it. For women, that's often the hips, thighs and lower belly. For men, it's often the belly and waist.

So, focus on sticking with your fat loss program. You may need to get a bit leaner to really shed those last few pounds in those more stubborn areas if that’s your main goal.

Myth #3: I have to do hours of cardio to lose weight

Ok, hopefully this is starting to become engrained in your head. The only way to lose weight is by driving a calorie deficit. So how do we do that? We can drive our calorie deficit by eating less or exercising more. So, this is not to say that cardio doesn’t help with fat loss, because it does drive a calorie deficit. But it is not the only way. 

Quite often when I work with a new athlete, we don’t even add cardio into their program. We have been so wired to believe that we HAVE to be a slave to the treadmill, or we are going to blow up like a balloon. So, I always receive some confusion and pushback. And while some of my athletes are looking to lose weight, I like breaking that unhealthy need of having to do hours of cardio a day. It’s an amazing thing when my athletes can see results in the first few weeks without having to do a minute of cardio. It allows them to see that it’s one of many tools that we can utilize for optimizing our results.

Myth #4: I need to be sore after my workout

So many mistake muscle soreness as an indicator of progress in the gym. This actually is an invalid indicator of progress. Yes, if you are on a new program or are new to the gym, it’s normal to feel sore for the first few weeks — these are movements your body has never done before.

But as your body adapts to these movement patterns, soreness becomes almost nonexistent. Now some may still experience regular soreness – this is simply genetic. Some recover quicker than others. But reduced soreness over time actually is a good indicator that you are on an optimal training program.

So how do you know you are working hard enough in the gym? What should you be chasing?

And the answer is progressive overload. This is the process of gradually increasing the stress placed upon the musculoskeletal and nervous system. In simpler turns, it’s the process of doing more overtime.

Are you lifting more over time?

Are you getting stronger?

Doing more sets?

Doing more reps?

That’s how you know you are making gains! So, make sure you are resting in between sets as long as you need to to lift heavier and heavier from week to week.

If you aren’t feeling sore and are lifting more over time, that’s a good thing! Keep doing what you are doing and chasing strength over soreness.

Myth #5: Waist trainers flatten your tummy

This myth has been popularized by lots of celebrities and now lots of fitness influencers. It’s unfortunate and I hate to break it to you, but no, waist trainers do not flatten your tummy. If you lose any weight while wearing a waist trainer it's likely you're losing water weight from sweating. Once you drink some water and rehydrate, it will come back.

Now you might be thinking, what’s the harm? Even if it doesn’t flatten my tummy, it can’t hurt right?

Wrong.

They actually can cause dehydration and acid reflux because of the pressure on the abdomen. The pressure often pushes stomach acid into areas where it shouldn't be. As well they can actually decrease core strength and can cause muscle loss to your abdominals. It’s often portrayed that they help act as a reminder to keep your core tight, when in actuality, you often don’t keep your muscles tight. Instead, you relax your stomach because the belt is doing the work for you of holding everything in. Waist trainers can also damage and shift things around inside the body such as the diaphragm, liver, colon, and intestines.

These are just a few of many reasons why the idea of a waist trainer should be a big no no.

At the end of the day, we are trying to live an active and healthy lifestyle. I would argue that bunching your organs together to try to get a tiny waist is anything but healthy.

I hope that by breaking down some of these myths it will encourage you to question things a little bit more. Don’t be afraid to ask more questions versus just believing what you hear or read on social media. 

Heck! I encourage you to question the things I say. Not that I am trying to sell you anything at all.

But please, question things more. Be ok with taking a step back and trying to understand things better. Like I mentioned earlier, it will really help you tune out some of the nonsense. Because it’s not going anywhere. There’s always going to be new myths to debunk. There’s always going to be someone trying to sell you something or sell you on a mythical belief. So, don’t be afraid to take a step back and question things more.

Hope this was helpful!

Coach Krysten