Common Fitness Misconceptions

There is a plethora of fitness information floating around on the internet and in magazines and it's easy to get lost trying to sort through all of the B.S. that's mixed in with quality information. While this list is nowhere close to comprehensive, I thought I'd start by clearing up my top 5 most frequently heard fitness myths.

1. The best cardio to lose weight is ______.

There is no specific method of cardio that is guaranteed to make you lose weight. Hell, cardio itself isn’t even necessary to lose weight. Gaining and losing mass is mainly dependent on calories in vs. calories out. Your body requires a certain amount of calories to maintain balance which varies by individual. If you consume more calories than this number, your mass will increase as your body stores these extra calories for future energy (mainly body fat). If you consume less, your mass will decrease as your body doesn’t have the energy it needs to maintain balance and begins to feed off stored energy (again, usually body fat).

2. I not trying to lose weight or build muscle. I'm just toning.

I usually hear this one from female clients. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as just “toning.” Your muscles are already toned, or you wouldn’t be able to move around. They’re just not visible because of the layer of fat covering them. If you want more definition to your muscles, I’d recommend losing some of that fat through diet and exercise and/or building up those muscles to make them more visible.

3. Crunches are the best way to get a shredded six pack.

This one is pretty similar to #2 but I hear this one more from male clients. A lot of people either assume you can get a nice set of abs by just doing ab exercises or greatly overestimate the amount of leanness you need to achieve a six pack. The truth is, the only way to get visible abs is to lose the body fat that’s hiding them. For men, a body fat percentage of around 10-12% will achieve some level of visible abs, but not enough to get “shredded.” For that, you’ll need a body fat percentage around 6-7% which isn’t very sustainable for most men.

For women, you’ll need a bodyfat percentage around 20-22% for abs to be visible and around 15-17% for some serious definition.

These numbers, of course, are dependent on a where you primarily store body fat. Speaking of which….

4. I just want to concentrate on fat loss in my ______. (love handles, butt, stomach, thighs, etc.)

Regardless of what the advertisements, diet pill bottles, or random gymgoers tell you, there is one thing that determines where your body’s fat stores will be located: GENETICS. You don’t get to choose where your fat is stored, nor do you get to choose where you lose it from. If you don’t like this fact, blame your parents.

5. (From female clients) I don't want to lift weights because it will make me to bulky.

This is a fairly common misconception I hear frequently. Honestly, it just isn't possible for women to put on a lot of muscle mass compared to a man due to hormones. Now there are genetic anomalies, but the majority of women just don't produce enough testosterone to even come close to looking manly or overly bulky by lifting. In fact, weight training usually does quite the opposite: It'll tighten muscles, burn fat, and shape your curves exactly how you want them. Don't fear the weights!