Separating fact from fiction - dispelling fitness myths

Myths and misconceptions abound in the fitness industry. Ultimately, results depend upon sifting through the myths and developing a sound training philosophy. In my experience as a personal trainer, the following six myths are the most common.

1. Performing abdominal exercises will give you a flat stomach.

Many people believe if they perform exercises for their abdominals, they will get a flat stomach. The only way to attain a smooth stomach is to eat properly and perform cardiovascular exercise. Abdominal training will help build muscle in this area and is beneficial to overall muscular health. However, you will never see muscles in this region unless abdominal fat is stripped away.

2. You should train your abdominals every day for best results.

This belief goes hand-in-hand with the first myth. People believe abdominal exercises can and should be performed daily to achieve maximum effect. Abdominals can be overtrained just like any other body part. Moreover, your abdominals are worked indirectly when you perform many exercises such as tricep press-downs, let pull-downs or squats. The goal should be to train your abdominals no more than twice a week. If you do not see proper results, train more intensely or utilize weighted abdominal exercises. Don't forget, if you have excess body fat in this area, you will never see the muscle you have worked so hard to build.

3. You must train for many hours to achieve a great physique.

People look at body builders and fitness competitors and believe they spend several hours a day in the gym. It is not the quantity of training that matters, but the quality of it. Short, intense training sessions are the way people achieve well-defined muscles. Overtraining can be detrimental. Three to four days a week of training (60-90 minutes per session) is recommended. Keeping a strict nutritional regimen is paramount to supplementing this training style. Without proper nutrition, no level of training will make you look and feel great.

4. Women should train with light weights so they won't bulk up.

Many women feel the way to a sleek physique is to lift light weights that do not strain the muscles. If you want to add tone, but not bulk up, you have to use a high-repetition scheme. By performing 15 to 20 repetitions per set, you target the endurance muscle fibers and tend to get a leaner, harder physique without muscular bulk. However, the weight used must be heavy enough so that the last few repetitions are difficult to complete. If the weight is too light, you will not tax the muscles sufficiently to achieve adequate muscle tone.

5. You shouldn't weight train until you get down to your ideal body weight.

Many people feel adding muscle to an overweight physique will make them look even heavier. They mistakenly try to diet their way to fat loss while avoiding weight lifting. However, training helps promote weight loss. Muscle mass increases metabolic rate which directly aids in fat loss. Studies show that for each pound of muscle you add, you can burn 30 to 50 more calories a day at rest. Moreover, the calories burned are more apt to come from fat rather than glycogen stores. Thus, weight training is one of the most important activities that you can do to lose body fat. Arguably, it's even more important than cardiovascular exercise.

6. If you stop training with weights, the muscle you have will turn to fat.

Muscle and fat are separate and distinct properties. Muscle cannot turn into fat, and fat cannot be converted into muscle. When a person stops weight training, the muscle they have developed will gradually atrophy (get smaller) until it ultimately returns to its previous size. Generally, the more a person trains, the longer it will take to lose muscle tissue. Often, people do not adjust their caloric intake when they cease weight training. Since muscle increases metabolism and allows the body to burn more calories, a person can consume more when they have more muscle. When a person stops training, they must take in fewer calories to account for a slower metabolism. If calories are not reduced, the person will ultimately gain weight and give the illusion of their muscle having turned into fat.

Brad Schoenfeld owns and operates the Personal Training Center for Women in Scarsdale, New York. He has been a personal trainer for more than 10 years. heel resting on the floor. Place your hands on the thigh of the other leg, bend the knee slightly and lean forward keeping your back rounded. Lift the toes of the extended leg and lean over until you feel a good stretch. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat with opposite leg.

Standing Hamstring Curl

Stand on one leg with the knee slightly bent. Hold on to a wall or the back of a chair for balance. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in, and be sure to stand up straight.

Slowly bend the free leg up toward your buttocks, keeping your foot flexed, then slowly straighten your leg.

Beginners: two sets of 10 on each leg. Intermediates: two sets of 20 on each leg. Advanced: two sets of 30 on each leg.

QUADRICEPS

If the hamstring muscle is stronger and contracts more easily than the quadriceps can relax, the knee remains slightly flexed all the time and these muscles must then work harder, delivering that familiar thigh burn that soon demands rest.

Standing Quad Stretch

Stand on one foot, keeping the knee of the leg you're standing on slightly bent. Grab the foot of the free leg and slowly pull it back toward your buttocks. Be sure to keep your abdominals Dulled in, and avoid twisting the knee or leaning. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat with opposite leg.

Sitting Leg Lifts

Sit on the floor with both legs straight out in front of you and your hands flat on the floor at your sides. Don't let your shoulders sag, and be sure to hold your abdominals in tight.

Lift one leg off the floor (about three inches) and move it out and away from your body, back to the center, then back down to the floor.

Beginners: two sets of 10 on each leg. Intermediates: two sets of 20 on each leg. Advanced: two sets of 30 on each leg.

LOWER LEG

The lower leg muscle pairing is the anterior tibialis (the muscle on top of your shin) and the gastrocnemius (or Achilles). Unlike the upper leg, the front muscle tends to be weaker than its backside counterpart on the calf. To restore balance to this pair, you must work to strengthen the anterior tibialis.

Toe Pulls

Sit on the floor with. your legs extended. If you are flexible enough, grab your toes.

Otherwise, loop a towel around your feet and pull your toes toward you. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, relax and repeat.

Toe Lifts

This exercise strengthens your anterior tibialis muscles. Stand on a step with your arches resting on the edge and toes hanging over it. Slowly lower your toes down toward the floor as far as they will go.

Then, raise your toes as high as you can. Beginners: two sets of 10 on each leg. Intermediates: two sets of 20 on each leg. Advanced: two sets of 30 on each leg.

Calf Stretch

Take one big step forward, and bend the knee of the front leg while keeping the rear foot flat on the floor and pressing the heel down. Clasp your hands together, and stretch your arms out straight overhead, covering your ears with your arms. Slowly lean forward making sure to pull in your abdominals, until you feel a stretch in the Achilles of the straight leg. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then switch legs and repeat.

Heal Raisers

Stand on a step with your heels hanging over the edge. Hold on to a railing for balance. Slowly lower your heels all the way down.

Then, rise up on your toes as high as you can. This exercise can also be done one leg at a time.

Beginners: two sets of 15. Intermediates: two sets of 20. Advanced: two sets of 30 on each leg.

COPYRIGHT 1997 Aerobics and Fitness Association of America
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group