Since I began working out, I have learned many misconceptions about weight-lifting and the fitness industry as a whole. Most, though, aren't true. I have compiled a list of misconceptions that are far off the scale of being truthful.
1. "The only way to lose weight is doing long-endurance cardio."
False!
It has been proven by certified personal trainers that long-endurance cardio isn't as beneficial as HIIT (high-interval intensity training). During HIIT, your heart rate will rise to 80% of its maximum capacity for one to five minutes, claims Todd Astorino, a professor in the department of kinesiology at California State University-San Marcos.
HIIT burns the most calories in the shortest amount of time. After all, most people do cardio in hopes to lose weight. The more calories burned, the more weight you will lose over a period of time.
Remember that consistency is key, though, and many other factors come into play when trying to lose weight!
2. "You can target specific muscles while working on your abs."
Wrong!
You physically cannot target a specific area such as obliques because your abdominal region is ONE muscle.
Do not believe the workout plans you see that claim they will target upper, middle, and lower abs. It's impossible! Your entire abdominal region is one muscle that engages when you work out.
You also work your abs without knowing! Compound workouts, such as deadlifting and squatting, require core contraction and ultimately works out your abdominal region just as much!
3. "Pre-workout is necessary."
Pre-workout is 100% optional and you should never feel obligated to take it because someone told you to. Although it does help some people, it may not be the best thing for you!
If you are someone who is sensitive to stimulants, you should not be intaking any type of pre-workout that contains beta-alanine. Beta-alanine is what gives you the jittery and itchy feeling after taking pre-workout.
Do not rely on supplements to complete your workout. Your body will soon become accustomed to it and rely on it to get through the struggle of your workout.
4. "You can target fat loss in one area."
If only that's how it worked!
Fat loss cannot be targeted. If your ultimate goal is to shed fat mass off your body, it will happen in phases.
In other words, your not-so-dense areas will shed first, and the densest will take much longer.
Even though you may believe doing ab workouts will shed fat off of your stomach, that is false. It will build muscle and you may see minimal fat loss, but it will not transform your body if you were to do full-body, compound workouts.
Overall, do not believe everything you read online. Do your research before believing the trends that people follow. Misconceptions are hard to spot unless you research first. If it sounds too good to be true, look it up!
