The Top 10 Weight Training Myths You'll Hear At The Gym

Top 10 Weight Training Myths

I'm sure you hear all kinds of delusional stories at the gym about how someone's large, ripped chest turned into fat. Apparently they all call him "Mooby" now.

There're tons of these stories out there that are simply not true. No, muscle does not turn into fat. No, you probably don't need protein supplements. No, you probably don't need extra vitamins. It's time to put all those fallacies to rest - here's my top 10 list of the most common weight training myths!

10. Weight Training Myth: When women lift weights, they'll become stiff, bulky and inflexible

The fact is that the vast majority of women (and men for that matter) need to spend hours upon hours in the gym at least 5 days a week pumping some serious iron to get bulky. Even with this extreme training, most women simply don't have the testosterone to support significant muscular gains (unless, of course, they're taking steroids). Lifting weights has great benefits for women, from an increased metabolism, to a smaller, more feminine shape, to maintaining bone density and preventing other serious problems. Check out the benefits of strength training for more info.

9. Weight Training Myth: It's necessary to take protein and vitamin supplements if you want to build muscle

This is, in fact, completely false. You might cringe at this, alluding to the amount of money you might have spent on one of those giant tubs of protein powder or high-potency vitamin B12. Most people don't realize how much protein they get in their diet. It's a known fact that most of us actually get too much protein in our normal diet, aside from any sort of protein supplement. It's important to simply maintain a balanced diet providing enough energy to get you through the day.

When you start weight training, you'll need to increase your caloric intake, which naturally increases your protein intake (and other vital nutrients).

Don't worry about supplementing unless your doctor feels you may become deficient after you begin training. The only people I might suggest protein supplements to are vegans who eat very little protein throughout the day and bodybuilders trying to gain lots of weight. For more information on this topic, check out the page on daily vitamin supplements and high protein diets. It has been recently shown that everyone should take multivitamin supplements for the purposes of staying healthy. However, my point here is that we don't need to either start or increase our daily vitamin intake for the purpose of strength training.

8. Weight Training Myth: Your muscles turn to fat when you stop lifting

This is completely ridiculous. If anyone says this to you, then you need to stop asking them for advice (unless he can turn a quarter into a pot of gold). Muscle does not convert into fat. I repeat, muscle does not turn into fat. So what happens?

When you stop putting stress on your muscles through lifting weights, your muscles go through a process called atrophy. In other words, your muscles get smaller when you're not using them, especially after a prolonged period of inactivity like months or years. As the muscle shrinks, there's more space available for adipose tissue (a form of fat storage).

If inactivity continues, fat fills in the space that was once occupied by muscle. It may seem that muscle has magically converted into fat, but no, this does not happen. A lot of people tend to gain weight after they stop lifting because their caloric intake remains the same as when they were lifting. They're eating a bodybuilding diet for an inactive lifestyle.

For example, when they started lifting, they increased their intake from 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day. They stop lifting (for whatever reason) and continue to eat 2,500 calories. Result? Weight gain since they're not using all the extra energy they're taking in! So there you have it, they've gained fat since they've stopped lifting, but it's mainly because they're no longer taking in fewer calories than they're burning.

7. Doing crunches and sit-ups give you a six pack.

Wrong. This is probably the most popular of all the weight training myths. You already have abs, they're just covered by a layer of subcutaneous fat. As a matter of fact, any sort of muscular definition...shoulders, chest, arms, legs...depends on the amount of fat covering your muscles (along with a little bit of strength). Before seeing any sort of definition, it's necessary to get down to about 17 percent body fat. But remember, not all people have this trait in the cards, while others are ripped right out of the womb (not really, but you get the idea).

I'm not saying that you'll never be strong, look good with your shirt off or in a bikini - you will! But models are models for a reason - they have the traits to get that washboard six-pack. But, when all is said and done and you've put in your time, you'll look great and feel great. I guarantee it.

6. Weight Training Myth: Some people have the genes to be stronger.

This one is sort-of true, but it's not very clear. The capacity for muscular strength depends mainly on age, gender, body type and will-power to continue. But how can we really have any proof for the statement above? How can we figure out if someone has the "genes" to be stronger? Force them to workout their entire lives? Everyone has a different path of life - there's no telling what sort of changes that could've been made to increase muscular strength.

There's no known gene or group of genes that indicate how much muscle you can build - it depends on a huge number of other factors from hormones, diet, bone mass, and many others. The bottom line is that we're all different in different ways for different reasons. There're just too many factors that come into play to even start trying to answer the question of whether someone has the right "genes" to build muscle.

It's true to the extent to which if you're short and scrawny from birth, you won't magically become Mr. Strongman on ESPN - there's just not enough space to build muscle mass. Then again, if you-re already tall with a large build, you probably have more of a shot. I'm not a big guy myself, but I feel that I can still build a significant amount of muscle. Don't expect to see me in a strongman contest, however.

On the other hand, if you compare two individuals of the same gender, similar size, age, diet and upbringing, then you might have an experiment (e.g. fraternal twins). I highly doubt that you'll see one individual gain significantly more muscle than the other if they follow the same daily diets and workouts.

5. Weight Training Myth: The more you workout, the bigger you'll get

Wrong! Becoming a die-hard gym junkie overnight has the making for overtraining. This can actually make you smaller, weaker, fatigued and, basically, you'll hate it. This is not fitness. The key to getting bigger and stronger is to be strategic about it. Try a periodization program at first, starting easy and gaining intensity as you go. Furthmore, maxing out every day is definitely not the way to go. People seem to think the harder they lift, the more they'll gain and the bigger they'll get.

The fact is that your body needs time to recover. Rest is a good thing! In fact, it might be the most important aspect of strength training in general.

If you do decided to do a one rep max, give yourself at least 3 days to recover from it. If you come back the next day and max out on another body part, you'll create microtears in the muscle that you're body won't be able to repair quickly. Doing this over the period of a few weeks results in some serious overtraining along with a prolonged weight plateau. Avoid this!

4. Weight Training Myth: You won't get fat if you eat a low-fat diet.

Another no-no. Eating a super low-fat diet actually forces your body to store more of what you take in. In other words, because you're not getting any dietary fat, your body will take the carbs and proteins and convert them all into fat (yes, there are specific chemical reactions that occur both in liver and muscle tissue that converts proteins and carbs into fat tissue). It's a survival mechanism humans have used for 2 million years to survive long periods without food. For example, a tribe might get that buffalo once a week with nothing in between. They have to store everything they take in so that they can survive the next week without food. Bottom line? If we didn't have this trait, we wouldn't have survived this long on Earth.

If you don't eat any fat, your body stores everything you take in. You'll be less likely to use this energy (carbs) for your workout! As I've said again and again through this website, it's absolutely essential to eat a balanced diet. Learn how to eat healthy and you'll be well on your way to success!

**Remember that you do NOT burn fat during a workout. Fat-burning happens while you're resting! Your workout relies on carbohydrates and glycogen***

3. Weight Training Myth: Bodybuilders are always healthy

This is what they want you to think. Aside from having the body type for successful bodybuilding, the fact is that steroids are still unfortunately a part of many bodybuilding routines.

In fact, many bodybuilders don't understand much about fitness and go about weight-lifting in unhealthy ways (I didn't say all!). For example, I was watching TV about a bodybuilder who was trying to get his body fat down to less than 3%. This is completely unhealthy and unnatural. Is it really worth the risk to do this just so you can look good with your shirt off? It's possible to be a bodybuilder the natural way.

The problem is that most people don't want to put in the time to learn about how their bodies work. They just head to the gym, lift for hours and come home to take whatever muscle building supplements they're told to take. No, not all bodybuilders are this way, but it's something I think you should be aware of. Just because you see some ripped man or woman at the beach doesn't mean he or she is healthy (or fit for that matter).

2. Weight Training Myth: The longer you workout, the more muscle you'll build

This goes back to the overtraining idea. Working out too much wears out you, your muscles, and your mind. There's no reason to do 50 sets in each workout. If anything you're making yourself weaker (that is if you haven't fallen asleep yet doing your 30 reps of wrist curls).

1. Weight Training Myth: It's better for women to do high rep/low weight exercises to tone their muscles

This is true...sort of. But, if you don't challenge your muscles, you won't tone or make them any stronger than they were before. Just because you're "lifting weights" doesn't mean you're helping your body (yes, something is better than nothing, but why waste your time?). If you can sit there and do 20 reps of biceps curls, you need to add weight, no matter who you are. It's simply boring and a waste of time.

This kind of goes back to the bulkiness idea. Most women simply do not have the testosterone to build bulky muscle mass. If you challenge your muscles the smar way, as outlined in this website, you'll become as feminine as you want to be. It just takes a little time!

Take these weight training myths to the gym with you! Don't let the media craze, gym hype, or over-zealous weight lifter talk get you started down the wrong track. Make sure you're doing the right things for yourself, the way!

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