Workout Mythology

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Workout Mythology

By Dan Wirth

In the world of strength training, it is hard to tell what is real and what is fiction. What will really work, and what is just hype. Dan Wirth, Asimba's Director of Strength and Conditioning, and the creator of our strength training programs, has the knowledge and experience to cut through the speculation and get down to cases. Read on, and see if you really know what you thought you knew.

Myth #1: Doing an hour's worth of sit-ups everyday will take away that fat around your midsection, make you lose weight and give you that "6 pack" you always wanted.

An hour of sit-ups a day will give me that six-pack Ive always wanted.

It doesn't matter how many sit-ups you do every day if you are not eating properly and doing a full-body exercise program that involves weight lifting and aerobic training. This is the old "spot-reducing" theory that says you can target fat loss for certain areas of the body. We all know what areas these are: abs, hips, buttocks, thighs, back of the arms, etc. But it always comes down to consistent exercise and diet that will make the biggest difference.

Myth #2: Women will look masculine and become overly muscular if they train with weights. Weight training makes women to muscular and masculine looking.

I had hoped this type of thinking was slowly going away over the years, but I was wrong! Many women are very concerned that training with weights will make them too large. Obviously, I understand this thought process. Weight training is supposed to make you bigger, right? Well, yes, but it's not that simple. Think about this. How many men do you know who spend hours and hours in a gym lifting weights for years on end trying to develop bigger muscles? I'm amazed at how many women believe they will grow too much in the first few weeks of their program. If I could only learn their secrets! My point here is that it just doesnt happen this way. No one is going to wake up one morning and have dramatically grown in size. Developing muscles is a very slow process. The average person would be doing great to develop even one pound of muscle every month. And ultimately, we want muscle development. Muscles are what give shape and tone to our bodies. They are also almost completely responsible for our metabolism speeds. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn, even if you are just sitting on the couch watching TV.

Myth #3: The best way to raise my metabolism is to do more cardiovascular work.

As great as cardio exercise is, its still only half the picture for long-term fat reduction. Research studies show that weight training is the best way to increase your metabolism simply because it develops muscle tissue. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

Myth #4: I won't start looking better until my bodyweight starts going down.

This is one area that many of our members feel strongly about. While a large number of them would like to lose weight, and rightfully so, there is still too much emphasis placed on what the scale says. It is just as important to focus on the reduction of body fat levels, improvement of flexibility ranges, positive blood pressure and cholesterol changes, increased bone density, better heart and lung conditioning, and the list goes on and on.

We all have to learn to be more patient and not expect everything to change overnight. This understanding allows us to develop a more positive long-term approach towards our own health and fitness. Wanting things to happen too quickly makes us do things in haste such as using dramatic caloric restriction techniques in hopes of losing 10 pounds of scale weight per week. No one can keep up severe diet restrictions for any length of time. This ultimately allows negative things such as yo-yo dieting to creep in and never enables one to truly learn how to exercise and diet correctly. Our goal at Asimba is to give our members the tools to become healthy and fit.

Myth #5: If I could just take the right supplements, I could lose the weight I need and be ripped!

This is another statement that many people would like to be true. It's just not quite this easy. Supplements are a huge help but without a good, consistent workout schedule they won't be as effective. Many supplements can help in the recovery process from training hard, but you have to have a broader approach that involves quality whole food intake. You must also have a strong focus on adequate rest and recovery phases

Myth #6: Training on consecutive days is bad.

You can train on consecutive days as long as you are using a split training program that does not train the same muscle groups two days in a row. On all of the 4, 5 and 6-day Asimba strength training programs, you can train on consecutive days because I have written these programs using a split routine. However, on the 2 and 3-day programs, things can be a little different.

The fundamental rule of weight training is to not train the same muscle groups on consecutive days. This can be a problem if you want to train on consecutive days and you are also on one of the 2 or 3 Day workout programs. In most 3 Day programs the exercise prescription will usually have some muscle group carry-over between the first, second, and third workouts. I have made one 3 Day program in the Women's Fitness area that is built so you can train on consecutive days.

Myth #7: Lifting weights will stunt a childs growth.

No studies have ever been shown that lifting weights will stunt or inhibit growth. Weight training has actually been proven to be safer than soccer! Not too many people know that, but it's true. However, as with any exercise program, if you do too much and you do it too soon, physical problems can occur no matter how young or old the person doing the exercise is. If you do an exercise like squatting incorrectly, you can pull or strain a muscle. If you tackle someone wrong or if you throw a baseball incorrectly you can pull or strain a muscle as well. Just like any other sport, if you learn how to perform something correctly, the physical danger is dramatically reduced.

The most important things to remember when training youngsters are supervision, exercise technique, lighter weights, and higher repetitions in the 12, 15, and even 20 rep range. Also, do not make your child lift weights if they don't want to. An 8-year-old should not be overly regimented from a physical standpoint. Encourage weight lifting as well as swimming, soccer, baseball, etc. If they don't want to do it, then that's fine. Keep things fun and the love of exercise and training will come naturally!

Myth #8: The best way to gain size and bulk up is to train with low reps and heavy weights.

Ah, the question of higher-volume training verses lower-volume training. I believe this topic of developing mass, size and strength will be debated literally as long as people lift weights because there is no definitive response. What works for one person may not work for another. So, you have one guy talking about how huge he got when he did one of the latest high-volume programs while another guy swears by the high-intensity, lower-rep workout he just finished. Both of these guys had success with their programs, but they will not continue to have success if they believe that their way is the only way. There is never just "one way" of training. Even "my way" is not the best way if you constantly do one of my programs over and over again. The keys are variation, periodization, and yearlong training organization.

Myth #9: The best way to slim down and get lean is to train with lighter weights and higher reps.

I put these two myths back to back here because for every question I get that asks, "Is training with heavy weights the best way to put on size?" I get an equal amount of questions that ask, "Is training with lighter weights the best way to slim down?" I just want everyone to understand that there is not one clear-cut way of achieving your exercise goals. Here's an example: If the typical person in a gym never did more than 6 reps in their program, but they were disciplined enough to stay on a strict diet, they would be very lean. On the other hand, if this same person always did 15 reps or more in their program, but they ate pizza and drank beer all the time they would be totally fat! So you see, it's not necessarily what kind of reps you are doing that will magically change your body. You always have to see the big picture!

I use higher reps in my Get Lean programs but not because this is the best way to make fat melt away! Again, the big picture here is that most people who are doing the Get Lean programs simply want to look better, be more healthy, have more energy, etc. and are not necessarily into lifting heavier weights to achieve this goal.

Higher reps are generally categorized as anything in the 12-rep range or higher. The only real magic with higher reps is that they generally create more of a caloric burning effect simply because of the sheer amount of work it takes to do all those reps. And, burning calories is what it's all about!

Myth #10: I can train for a 10K and have huge arms at the same time.

We have a lot of pretty enthusiastic members at Asimba. Many of them enjoy training for competitive runs like a 10K while maintaining an aggressive weight training routine. However, it is tough to maximize both cardiovascular performance and muscular size or power at the same time. It's called the Training Paradox and no amount of motivation can overcome this physical phenomenon (much to my disappointment!).

Most people want everything at the same time. This is normal! Everyone wants Size, Strength, Power, Muscular Endurance, Low Bodyfat, etc. However, each of these areas must be trained specifically to truly see results. It is difficult to develop size if you are also performing a large amount of cardiovascular exercise. It is good for anyone to maintain some level of cardiovascular fitness, however, there is a difference between cardiovascular training for performance vs. health.

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This article is brought to you by Asimba, Inc.

See this article at http://www.asimba.com/cgi/go.to?ac=951111&ed=134405

Visit Asimba at http://www.asimba.com/

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