Making the decision to work out to keep yourself fit and healthy is probably the best decision you will ever make in your life. However, how you choose to work out can be either be of great help to you or end up being unproductive. Securing the services of a professional fitness trainer can help you navigate the world of fitness without falling trap of myths and misconceptions. However, if you are going it alone, you need to do ample research and keep yourself on the right track. It starts small, a tip passed on from one person until it reaches a wide range of people. So when you hear it from a number of people, you suppose it may be true. So here are a couple of myths you should be aware of;
No pain, no gain
There is this widely spread misconception that if you do not experience pain during and after your workouts, you are not approaching your workout the right way. So you go hard on your gym workout to ensure that you feel the pain you think is required. That, however, is not the case. If you feel any kind of pain, especially during your workout, there is a chance your form is not right. Different exercises target different sections of your body and muscles.
The only thing you should feel during a workout is tension in the areas you are working out. As for the after-effects of a workout. It is normal to feel sore a couple of days after your workout. This soreness reduces when your body gets used to the workouts. If you feel any sharp or persistent pains, you should get checked or ask for help.
Ab-workouts burn belly fat
I must admit I fell victim to this myth. So you have noticed you are gaining some fat in your midsection. So you incorporate ab exercises in your day-to-day activities. Well here is the truth, you can kill yourself with all the ab exercises you want, and that belly fat is not going anywhere. Ab- exercises only work to strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture.
They are meant to make your abs become visible after the belly fat is burned but do not help in burning that fat. To lose belly fat and gain abs, you need to incorporate cardiovascular exercises into your workout. Strength training is also advised in case you want to go ham on those abs.
You can target the areas to burn fat
Speaking of burning fat, you do not have control over which fat on your body you want to lose. The thing about cardiovascular exercises and strength training is that it burns overall fat in your body. You cannot choose where to lose your fat. So you may be giving those workouts your all but your belly fat, leg fat or hand fat does not seem to be budging. Different bodies react differently to workouts. You may find that some fat in your body may be more stubborn than others.
Running on a treadmill is as effective as running outside
Treadmills are located indoors either in gyms or in our homes. Unfortunately running indoors is not as effective as running outside. When we run outside, we experience resistance from elements such as wind. We also run in different terrains e.g. running up a hill or on rocky terrain. All these outdoor features engage our muscles more as compared to running on a flat surface. However, this is not to undermine the effectiveness of treadmills. 5 Treadmill Walking Mistakes To Avoid
Swimming is a great way to burn fat
Swimming does to a certain extent help you burn fat. As a matter of fact, a terrible technique in the pool may help you burn more fat than using a good swimming technique. This is because swimming techniques are streamlined so you can glide through the water a little easier. Use of terrible technique means you are using more energy to get through the water which causes you to burn more calories.
However, swimming does not burn fat as much as you may think. The buoyancy of the water supports most of your body weight thus you are not working as hard as you normally would while doing something like running. It may feel exhausting but it might not be the most effective fat-burning exercise if you are in need of burning a lot of fat. Health And Fitness: Physical And Mental Benefits Of Swimming
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