Dispelling the Myths: Common Fitness Fallacies

OK, I have wanted to write a column like this for some time now- a chance to voice my opinion on some very common situations that take place in the gym as well as in the minds of certain exercisers. Hopefully it will answer some questions that many of you may have. Over the years I have witnessed some very common behaviors that have caused me to shake my head in disbelief. Some of these behaviors are detrimental to the physical and psychological well being of the exerciser. Throughout this article I will be discussing the following topics:

Scales- why I believe they are over-hyped.
The importance of lower body training.
The truth behind high intensity training.
Why low carb diets don't work.
Gym fashion- the dos and the don'ts.

Scales- why I believe they are over-hyped. In the gym, I have never seen anything cause more stress and anxiety than the scale. I can't tell you how many people I have witnessed over the years getting on the scale and then letting out an audible sigh of disappointment. Since they were first created, people have put an enormous amount of importance on scales. It's as if they have taken on the role of a coach or teacher and people who use them feel like they need to answer to them and make them proud. It's crazy. The thought with most people is that if they weigh themselves and see that they are not losing weight, they get disappointed. Weight gain =bad, weight loss =good, right? Not necessarily! I have answered several emails lately about this very topic. The simple truth is that muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore, if someone is working out consistently, both aerobically and with resistance, they will lose fat and gain muscle (provided they are following proper nutrition). When this happens, weight can actually increase due to the gain in lean mass. It doesn't mean you're getting fatter. The questions to ask yourself would be "How do I feel in my clothes?" or "How do I look when I look in the mirror?" The answers to those questions are far more reliable than a scale.

If you want to buy a worthwhile tool for monitoring your fitness success, go buy a heart rate monitor. They are far more useful and can measure your progress reliably.

The importance of lower body training. After all these years, I still see people in the gym who just refuse to train their lower body. Sometimes I get the question "Come on Michael, do I really need to train my lower body?" My response to them is always the same: "It's half of your body, of course you have to train it!" A typical response is "Oh, but I do tons of cardio. Isn't that enough to take care of my lower body?" The answer is no. Cardiovascular training is very different from resistance training, and although there are several benefits that come with it, aerobic training will not give you the results that resistance training will. You cannot gain lean mass with cardio, nor can you increase strength. In fact, people who do too much cardio and not enough resistance training run the risk of losing muscle tissue. And let's not forget that resistance training also has a great many health benefits that are derived from it and can play a key role in fat loss. It's not just about having a hot pair of legs and ass to look at, although that's certainly part of it!

The truth behind high intensity training. I was talking to a friend lately and he was asking me for some advice on how to put on some extra muscle. I asked him what his current workout routine was like and he proceeded to tell me that he only used free weights and he always fatigued between eight and four reps, even on the first set of every exercise. Here's the deal: If you are going to be doing heavy lifting, that's fine, but make sure you do a warm up set first of about fifteen reps to fatigue. Lifting extremely heavy weight without doing a warm up set first is a sure fire way to get injured. As far as free weights are concerned, I think they are great. But that doesn't mean you have to always use free weights. Machines can and should be used as well. I have talked before about the importance of variety in the workout program. How much variety can you get by using all free weights all of the time? I would say not enough. There are also certain high intensity training techniques that can only be done on machines, not free weights.

In the same respect, there should also be variety with rep ranges. I am a proponent of heavy lifting and I incorporate it myself all the time. But if I do all heavy lifting all of the time, am I getting enough variety? Probably not. The common thought process is that free weights and heavy lifting equal muscle gain and hypertrophy. While I do agree with this to a certain degree, I also think it's important to supplement that high intensity training with some lighter lifting on a periodic basis.

Why low carb diets don't work. I can remember the Atkins craze like it was yesterday. If there is one behavior that drives me crazy more than anything else, it's this. The simple truth is that exercise and low carb diets don't mesh. They never did. Why? Because we need carbs to fuel our workouts. Without substantial carbs in the diet, our bodies would need to turn to another fuel source in order to even get through the workout. Any guesses on what that fuel source might be? You guessed it- muscle tissue! This means that we would actually be breaking down muscle tissue for energy in an effort to build muscle tissue. It just doesn't work. In the past I have trained a couple of clients who absolutely refused to stop following the Atkins diet while they were exercising, no matter how much I protested. What I noticed is that they were always very sluggish and they needed far more recovery time than my other clients. This makes sense because they stopped eating the body's primary source of fuel- carbohydrates! No fuel=no energy. Did they lose weight? Yes. Did they gain lean mass? Absolutely not. They had started to develop what is known as the "fat skinny" look. They lost weight, but they still looked flabby and had no muscular definition. I mean come on, what's the appeal? Eat healthy sources of starchy and fibrous carbohydrates and your body will thank you!

Gym fashion- the dos and the don'ts. When I first moved to Chicago sixteen years ago, I couldn't believe some of the fashion trends I saw in the gym. It seemed to be more about fashion and less about working out. The spandex shorts and the square cut tank tops were enough to stop anyone in their tracks. But then again, maybe that was the idea. And some of those bright colors I still can't get out of my head! The gym almost seemed to be a pre bar hang out where there was just as much socializing as there was exercise, sometimes more. These days I am happy to say that things have changed. What I see for the most part is people wearing clothes that they can move in, go figure. And personally, I think it's sexier too.

OK, I'm finished ranting and raving. I hope these tips were helpful. Thanks for reading and be healthy!

Michael Elder has been working as a fitness professional in Chicago for the last fifteen years. He comes from a background in gymnastics and is certified as a personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). He can be contacted directly through his website, www.MichaelElder.com.