Posted on: 28 October, 2020

Author: Erny Peibst

No matter what the goal is, whether it's building muscle or burning fat; knowledge is power. In this article we're going to expose fitness myths that still exist today, hindering people's progress in the gym.  When trying to bust through plateaus and reach new goals in the gym, it's important to train smart, as well as hard.  Adequate knowledge requiring training, nutrition and rest will accelerate your gains; compared to reading broscience tips in the fitness magazine all of your friends buy.  Here are 6 myths that newbies still believe.  People Exaggerate Their Stats Whether it's how much they weigh, the size of their arms, or how much they can bench press; people like to bend the truth. Thus, don't feel dejected because someone is stronger than you or their arms are 2 inches bigger than yours. Often the truth will surprise you, with your idol's arms not measuring 22 inches, but actually closer to 19. You may also learn that your friend didn't bench press 120kg for 5 reps, but actually 2 reps with bad form. There are also fitness celebrities who have been caught using fake weights to increase their subscriber count on YouTube. Moral of the story: focus on yourself and your own progress.  Fat Is The Enemy  Dietary fat in your diet is important for the production of testosterone. If fat intake drops too low, so can testosterone levels; resulting in less energy, motivation and decreased libido.  Dietary fat does not make you fat - only a surplus of calories will.  Supplements Are Needed Although some supplements can be beneficial, they certainly aren't essential when hitting your fitness goals. Although most gym-goers may take some supplements, they will only have minimal impact; with your diet and training making the biggest difference. If it was only as easy as taking a pill.  However, there are some supplements that can give you an edge, which you can find out more about in this article by Inside Bodybuilding. Carbs at Night Stores Fat  Timing of macronutrient consumption is not influential, however total calorie consumption is. Thus, stop paying attention to when you eat certain foods, and pay more attention to how much you're actually eating - if you want to burn fat.  If you were to eat in a calorie deficit, consuming many carbs before bedtime, you would still lose weight.  Anabolic Window  Supplement companies convince gym-goers that they must have their protein shake immediately after a workout, and the longer they wait, the longer the muscle tissue breaks down (and the less their gains will be). This is false and increases anxiety among lifters. If you don't eat for hours after a workout, the worst that will happen is that glycogen will be slightly less in the muscles (which will replenish later when you do eat). And the best that can happen is that growth hormone levels will rise, causing you to burn more fat. Don't buy into supplement brainwashing tactics, where their sole intention is to get you to buy their protein powder.  Cardio is the Devil  Some weight lifters avoid cardio like the plague, with the fear of it causing muscle loss. Cardio will not hinder muscle gains whatsoever, unless it's taken to extremes.  Cardio will instead help gym-goers complete more reps during their weight training, which may indrectly help them build more muscle. Also cardio will help to burn fat, increasing calorie burn; enhancing muscle definition. An increase in muscle tone can help the muscles look more impressive and thus look bigger.  For best results, high intensity interval training is recommended to spike natural growth hormone levels. This will cause maximum fat loss, whilst protecting your hard-earned muscle tissue. HIIT also is good for time, taking only 20 minutes to complete. One routine is to cycle as fast as possible on a stationary bike for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds rest. Repeat this for 15-20 minutes. Then as the body adapts to this routine, you can increase the resistance to increase the difficulty.  If you have knee problems, swimming is a more suitable cardio exercise, as opposed to running or cycling.  Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com Erny is a body transformation expert, who has gone from skinny to jacked; then fat to ripped several times in his bodybuilding journey.