Weight Lifting Myths – Your Questions Answered

I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve heard women in the locker room or at work telling each other completely crazy things they have heard about working out and how the body works.  Most of this is completely wrong and these myths need to be addressed!  The folks at the Daily Burn have helped us to explain the truth behind some of these common weight room myths.

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1. Myth: Lifting weights will make you bulk up
This is one of the biggest concerns for women considering starting a weightlifting program, says Rachel Cosgrove, CSCS, author of The Female Body Breakthrough. But unless you’re also consuming a ton more calories, your muscles will only grow to a healthy, normal level that promotes an increased metabolism. “You have to really work for every ounce of muscle that you gain, and it’s not as easy as most women think to sprout big muscles,” she says.

Truth: With proper nutrition, lifting weights will create a leaner physique — not a bulkier one.

 

2. Myth: Muscle turns to fat if you stop lifting
Some serious magic would have to happen for muscle to turn into fat, as they’re two completely different things, says Cosgrove. “Muscle never turns into fat, and fat never turns into muscle,” she says. Muscle will, on the other hand, help you burn fat. Research has found that an intense bought of strength training results in more calories burned in the 16 to 24 hours after your training session ends.

Truth: Your muscle won’t turn into flab if you take some time off, and having muscle will actually help you burn fat.

 

3. Myth: It’s best to work one muscle group a day
You’ve probably overheard locker room chatter about it being “back day” or “leg day,” but unless you’re a bodybuilder (or dedicated lifter) it’s not always beneficial to adopt this schedule. Michael Carozza, owner of Carozza Fitness in Connecticut, suggests high-intensity interval training and circuit training, which are designed to help build muscle, increase aerobic capacity, burn calories and improve recovery time. Whatever program you choose, just keep in mind that muscles typically need about a day to recover, says Kelvin Gary, owner of Body Space Fitness in New York City, so it’s important to vary workouts so you aren’t doing the same full-body workout each day.

Truth: Choose compound exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time (like squats, pull-ups and deadlifts) for a more effective workout in a shorter period of time.

 

4. Myth: Lifting heavy weights is the only way to see results
Researchers have found that lifting light weights for more reps is just as effective for building muscle as lifting heavy weights for fewer reps. The key is lifting to the point of fatigue. In fact, body-weight exercises can often be just as effective — or more effective — than committing solely to iron, Cosgrove says. “There are so many ways you can put a demand on your body,” she says. “Heavy weights aren’t always the answer.”

Truth: Vary your workout by mixing in heavy weights, light weights and bodyweight exercises.

 

5. Myth: Machines are more effective than free weights
Au contraire. Weight machines isolate muscles and force your body to move in a single plane of motion, both of which can limit your range of motion — and your results. Lifting free weights, on the other hand, has been shown to recruit more muscles and can result in greater strength gains. In one study, results showed that traditional weighted squats produced 43 percent more muscle activity in the quads than squats using a Smith machine. Gary adds that many body-weight exercises, such as squats, push-ups and lunges, are just as effective as their weighted counterparts.

Truth: Lifting free weights mimics natural movement and creates greater muscle activity than machines.

So next time you’re in the locker room and you hear someone tell you that they don’t want to lift because they will get bulky, you can tell them the truth!

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3 thoughts on “Weight Lifting Myths – Your Questions Answered”

  1. Great blog and website. There is a good variety of information. I also noticed the Isagenix and the Jacked in a Box supplements. I actually take Isagenix and have recently started the Jacked in a box also. That was definitely a creative idea. Good luck!

    Charles

    Reply
  2. You are therefore right! Everyday i add the gymnasium i hear nearly all of those myths. One more: Your striated muscle changes into a horseshoe if you switch your lower arms whereas coaching pn the cable pull.

    Reply
  3. Weight training helps you to tone up your body, build more muscle, and burn off fat.
    Each time you eat, the metabolism increases, and over a 6-10 week period, that increase
    can parlay into another 2-3 pounds of fat loss.
    So burn calories and invigorate muscles by beachcombing, riding bikes,
    grass skiing, making snow angels, hiking,
    washing the car, playing Frisbee, chasing the dog around the
    yard, or even enjoying great sex.

    Reply

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