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Remember life before google?
Where Aaron from Algebra class would tell you about Marilyn Manson removing a rib, and we would all just believe him for 15 years?
Been there.
But it's almost worse now because Aaron has 50k followers on TikTok and and believes that the earth is flat.
I've been seeing a few people talking about different fitness ideas on social media and just wanted to clear the air.
I'm not better than anyone though - I once believed that "toning" was all about high reps with light weights.
Then I learned that wasn't true and it was all about the heavy weights.
But as I dug deeper, I discovered it's the intensity of the effort, not the weight category, that defines our gains.
So you can make gains as long as are pushing yourself right to the edge of failure, regardless of the size of the dumbbells.
Let me break down some other fitness myths I've unraveled on my fitness journey.
The age-old advice of stretching before workouts? I learned the hard way that static stretching cold muscles isn't the way to go. Incorporating dynamic movements pre-workout significantly improved my performance, echoing findings that emphasize preparation over simple stretching.
Think - doing some bird dogs and hitting the assault bike or my favorite - starting off with a similar movement and doing 2-3 warm up sets.
Avoiding weights for fear of bulking was another myth that holds a lot of people back.
Most people who have "bulky" physiques spend their whole lives training and eating, as well as having a generous serving of some Performance Enhancing Compounds at all times.
Weight training will most often help you look leaner, and is one of the best ways to ensure you're metabolically healthy for decades to come.
The myth of muscle turning into fat once you stop working out also had me fooled. Understanding that muscle and fat are different entities entirely, and that lifestyle changes affect their presence in our bodies, was a game-changer.
Believing you didn't work out hard enough if you weren't sore the next day was another fallacy.
It's easy to make someone sore. Just go do 500 lunges.
It's not that it's a "great workout".
It's that you weren't ready to take do it.
So often times a better workout is one that you got a few more reps in rather than one where you had to get scraped off the floor of the gym.
Lastly, the concept that "cardio kills gains" led me astray for about 8 years....
However, many studies have shown that when balanced correctly, cardio can actually complement strength training, enhancing overall fitness without sacrificing muscle growth.
Plus it's important for heart health...
(...and I found out day 1 of jiu jitsu that my cardio was trash, so I've put a bit more focus there.)
What other myths did you believe that you now don't?
I'm super curious if you've had any big AHA moments like this
Hit me up here and let me know
Talk soon,
Nate
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