Exercise Myths Busted – Part 3 There are dozens of exercise myths. And some myths go on forever without being challenged. In my first article and my second article I covered 6 common exercise myths. In this final installment of this 3 part series, I will address 3 more popular myths. Exercise Myth #7 - Machines Force You To Do The Exercise Correctly What machines do is to get you into the proper position before the exercise begins. Once you start pushing some heavy weight around, most machines do not force you to maintain the correct posture. For example, if you use a smith machine for bench presses, it's a great safety feature that you can not drop the weights and crush your chest or esophagus. But, if you are arching your back while straining to knock out those last few reps, you stand a chance of injuring your back. Another example is if you are using the "pec deck" to do flys. If you are leaning forward during the last hard reps, you are using your body weight to cheat a little. Keep your back straight and isolate your pecs. These are just a few examples. The point is that if you are using machines in your workout, you still have to be conscious of maintaining good form. Not only will this improve your workout, it prevents injury. Don't count on the machine alone to guarantee good form. Exercise Myth #8 - Spot Reduction; Crunches Get Rid Of Belly Fat I'm not sure what to say about this one except that we need to cover a little biology. When you exercise, your body initially burns glycogen for fuel. This is a form of stored sugar that your body prefers. If you exercise enough, your reserves of glycogen are depleted and you begin to burn fat. However, where the fat comes from is not determined by the exercise being done. Your body takes fat from many places at the same time. A little from your belly, a little from your legs and a little from your back, etc. If you are losing fat, you will lose it proportionally across your whole body. It's an absolute fact that spot reduction is not possible. Now, it is possible to lose more weight in one area than another. That might sound like a contradiction but consider that some people store fat in their belly and some store it in their hips. Where ever you store the most fat, that's where you will see the greatest reduction. Is this spot reduction? No! It's just your body taking fat proportionally from where it is most available. Repeat after me - spot reduction is a myth... spot reduction is a myth... spot reduction.... Exercise Myth #9 – Exercise Will Convert Fat Into Muscle This one picks up on the biology of the last myth. When your body burns fat, it does not change it into muscle. It burns it for fuel. You might grow some muscle at the same time but the process of burning fat is very different from the process of growing new muscle. This one might seem like splitting hairs because if you are exercising diligently, you will lose fat and you will grow some muscle. The fact that fat does not turn directly into muscle may not be too important to you. Just know that it's not a direct switch from one type of tissue to the other. Exercise Myths Busted So, a few more myths put to rest. This is the last in our series of exercise myths. If you missed any of the first installments, check out the links below. If you are curious about any myths circulating around your gym, drop us a note and we will do a little investigative work for you and report the results. Keep exercising and all of our best wishes for great results! Related Articles Exercise Myths - Part 1 What is sometimes accepted on blind faith is really a myth. Exercise Myths - Part 2 More exercise myths circulating through the gym. Whey Protein Powder Do you need whey protein powder for optimum health? Absolutely! Egg White Protein Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly about egg white protein. Six Tricks To Double Your Calorie Burn A plateau is a lovely thing when you get to it after hiking all day. It's not when describing your fitness efforts! |
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