Debunking 7 myths about Exercise

1. Stretching before workout prevents injury

By stretching most of the people mean static stretching and the biggest issue with static stretching is that while performing it, you are making your joints and muscles loose. But when you work out, your muscles and joints are under tension hence they tighten up. So, stretching is in no way preparing you for your intense workout. It is rather loosening you up, which could even lead to injury if you're doing an explosive workout. The best way to warm-up before working out is to perform the same exercise with lower weights so that your muscles and joints tighten up a bit and are prepared for what is coming next.

2. A morning workout is better than evening workout

Morning routines are better for people who are trying to lose weight. The thing to focus on here is that losing weight is not the same as losing fat. The morning workout is better for losing weight because in the morning, your body is in a fasted state since you have not eaten anything for 7-8 hours straight so your body has nothing to fuel itself for the workout so it starts eating you(even muscle tissues). This doesn’t mean that people who are trying to bulk and gain weight shouldn’t work out in the morning. People looking to gain weight/muscle should consume a pre-workout meal in the morning before working out, so your body torches the meal you are consuming and not your body.

3. Spot reduction

I see a hell lot of Pseudo Gym instructors on YouTube claiming that by following their workout you could rapidly reduce your belly fat. The first thing to do when you see an advice like this is to run away from it as far as possible. Spot reduction is a myth and you could not lose fats of a part of the body. The reverse is also true that you cannot just gain fat over a part of the body, it grows evenly over your whole body.

4. Cardio burns fat

One of the biggest myths about exercising/ working out is that the cardio burns fat. People need to know that cardio doesn’t burn fats, it burns calories. No matter how much amount of cardio you do if you are consuming more calories than you burn, you would never get leaner. Also, cardio should not be done in excess, high amount of cardio could even start burning through your muscle tissues. So, if you’re not aiming to burn through muscle tissues optimum amount of cardio should be combined with weight training which is the ideal way to gain muscles and lose fats at the same time.

5. Crunches give you a six-pack

Crunch is an abdominal exercise that builds your core muscles but doing a shitload of crunches doesn’t mean you would have a six-pack. A visible six-pack is a result of a clean diet and exercises combined. Even if you do a lot of abdominal exercises without maintaining your diet, your abs would be built but they would not be visible (i.e. covered with a layer of fat).

6. No days off

When you hit the gym/workout, your muscles experience small tears in them. When you eat healthy food and rest, the muscles heal and get bigger and stronger. An ideal way is to at least wait for 48 hours before hitting/targeting the same muscle group again in the gym. Prolonged exercises with no rest could lead to serious issues like a tear in muscle and tendonitis.

7. No pain, No gain

Soreness happens when you workout but if soreness persists for more than 72 hours, it doesn’t mean that you’re gaining muscles. It could be an indication of the fact that you are not providing your body with proper nutrition or over-exercising.

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