Myth 3: You should always stretch before you work out.
Fact: Static stretches — the kind that joggers do when they touch their toes before they start out — may actually reduce performance and contribute to a higher incidence of muscle injuries and strains, says Brian Schiff, a licensed physical therapist and personal trainer in
Dublin,
Ohio. Experts now advise people to do active or dynamic warm-ups before they work out and traditional static stretches after they work out. “If you’re going to go out and run five miles, your warm-up should be an easy jog the first mile or so as you’re warming up to your target pace,” Schiff says. “That’s a better warm-up than static stretching.”
Myth 4: Running on a treadmill is better for your body than running outside.
Fact: “Running on a quality treadmill may provide less of a pounding on the body — primarily the ankles, shins, knees, and lower back — than outdoor running,” Calkins says. “However, running outside is preferable for a person training for a running event, as a treadmill takes the natural ground-reaction forces away from running.” And you’ll burn about the same number of calories whether you’re inside or out, as long as you keep your heart rate consistent.
Myth 5: Longer workouts are better.
Fact: Assuming you already exercise some, you can become more fit by adding intensity rather than time, says Gregory Florez, a personal trainer in
Salt Lake City. Runners, for instance, can increase their speed for part of their run. Gym rats can lift heavier weights or shorten their rest between sets. Boosting intensity for as little as three minutes of a 20-minute run can produce sizable gains in fitness and weight loss. “For most people who are already established on a reasonable program,” Florez says, “the best thing is to add intensity, not time.”
Myth 6: You have to break a sweat in order to know you’ve had a good workout.
Fact: Sweating is the body’s attempt to cool itself; it’s not an indicator of the intensity or quality of a workout. “Some people don’t perspire much, regardless of how hard they exercise, while others can sweat while they are sedentary,” Calkins says. So rather than checking your armpits, check your heart rate if you’re seeking cardiovascular improvement, and rate your level of muscle fatigue if you’re exercising to build strength.
Myth 7: Holding hand weights while you do aerobics or other cardiovascular exercise will help significantly with weight loss and other fitness goals.
Fact: “A 100 percent myth,” says Jonathan Ross, Discovery Health’s National Body Challenge fitness expert. “But even worse, it’s potentially dangerous. We’re not meant to do repetitive cardio motions with weights in our hands. Doing so adds little to the workout, and it increases the risk of injury to the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.”
Myth 8: Women should avoid strength training because it will give them big, bulky muscles.
Fact: Women typically lack the high levels of testosterone and other male hormones necessary for building massive guns, Schiff says. That means it’s unlikely that the average woman will bulk up unattractively if she participates in a reasonable weightlifting program. “Strength training is going to make women leaner and improve their strength rather than turn them into Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he says. It’s also important to remember that lifting weights plays an important role in weight loss. “Strength training is at least as important as cardiovascular training,” Florez says. When you lift weights or engage in other resistance training, he explains, you tear down muscle fibers and burn calories. Over the next day or two, your body will work to repair the damage, and it will burn additional calories in the process of doing so. “You’ve heard that strength training burns calories even while you are at rest?” Florez asks. “It’s true. With strength training, you’ll burn calories even while you sleep.”
Myth 9: You can lose weight quickly, easily, and safely by using special pills or workout equipment.
Fact: None of the magic pills, miracle diets, or ab-buffing gimmicks that fill infomercials has been shown to work without effort, discipline, and time. “If anybody wants you to believe you can cut corners dramatically,” Florez cautions, “there’s no evidence that you can.”