Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : June 3, 2014 12:52 PM IST
Going to the gym to work out has almost become a way of life and has given rise to a host of myths about the condition. Dismissively called Bro Science, these myths are passed one from one gym goer to another without any scientific basis for them. Here are top myths we've come across:
You can't build muscles without steroids and expensive supplements
Often voiced by those who are too lazy to work out, the myth has people believing that just working out hard and eating right won't help with muscle growth. The truth is that there are scores of drug-free bodybuilders and athletes out there who have attained immense physiques without turning to steroids or expensive supplements. True some supplements play a part in acting as a catalyst to your diet and training but that doesn't mean that you have to spend a fortune on them.
You need to eat animal protein build muscles
That's just a myth considering some of the fittest actors in Bollywood like Vidyut Jamwal and Shahid Kapoor are vegetarians. There are scores of vegetarian protein sources out there like nuts, tofu, cheese, paneer (cottage cheese), almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, legumes, etc. which can substitute animal protein sources. While it might be necessary for vegetarian bodybuilders to supplement their diet with whey protein and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements, no one should live under the delusion that vegetarians or even vegans can't get enough proteins. Read more about the bodybuilding tips for vegetarians.
Women become huge when they lift weights
Inarguably, the most infuriating myth out there has women either sticking to the cardio machines or doing strength training with weights lighter than feathers. The truth is that weight/strength/resistance training is just as beneficial for women as it is for men and helps them build a toned physique. There's no way women will get big muscles like men unless they take steroids because their body naturally lacks the testosterone needed to build big muscles like the kind guys have. Read why women need to lift weights
Cardio for weight loss, weight training for building muscles
The cardio machines in the gym are seldom empty because people tend to believe that only cardio facilitates weight loss. The truth is that to lose weight and keep it off permanently, you need a well-rounded diet combined with a strength training regime. When you lift weights, your body builds lean muscle which turns your body into a calorie-burning machine since the body needs to work harder to maintain that lean muscle. Cardio on the other hand (the slow, long distance variety) only helps you burn calories when you're working out.
If you exercise you can eat whatever you want
There are two kinds of gym-goers in the world those who exercise to eat and those who eat to exercise and there's no points for guessing which kind are more successful at attaining their dream physiques. Just because you spend one hour a day in the gym, doesn't mean you can hog like a pig. In fact, your diet is like the fuel for your body which should help you lead a healthy lifestyle. We're not saying you should live like an ascetic, but you should definitely ensure that healthy eating and working out are a part of your lifestyle to improve your overall health.
Heavy weights-low reps for bulking, low weights-high reps for cutting
One of the oldest bodybuilding myths states that heavy weights and low repetitions will help you build big muscles, while low weights and high reps will help you in 'cutting' or shaping those muscles properly. The truth is that if you want bigger muscles, you got to constantly increase the weights you're lifting. As for cutting, that's just bodybuilder lingo for losing fat to give their muscles a more defined look and low weights and high reps aren't exactly going to do that. For that you need to lose body fat which can happen through cardio and lower calorie intake.
Longer hours in the gym will give you more muscles
The more time you spend in the gym, the bigger your muscles will be after all no pain, no gain right? That's the most dangerous myth out there because spending too much time in the gym can mean either of the two things you're not working out hard enough or you're doing too much and both these scenarios are bad for you. The former suggests that you're not hitting the weights hard enough which won't result in a positive transformation. The latter is also bad because that can lead to something called overtraining which means you aren't giving your muscles enough time to recover. Recovery and nutrition are just as important as hitting the gym and without that you won't build a better physique. Overtraining is also bad as it can lead to various physical and psychological problems and could increase your chances of getting injured.
Your muscles turn to fat when you stop training
One reason countless people refuse to go to the gym is because they believe that if they quit working out, their muscles will turn to fat and you will usually find people who have never stepped foot in a gym voicing it most vehemently. What actually happens is when anyone quits working out, they just lose the muscle mass. The reason most people who leave the gym tend to gain fat is because along with quitting exercising, they also tend to give up their healthy eating habits and consume more calories which causes the fat gain.
Countless sit ups and abdomen crunches will give you flat abs
The myth that countless sit-ups and ab crunches will give you flat abs stems from the mistaken belief of spot reduction that a particular exercise will help you reduce fat from one particular region. The truth is that weight loss can only happen when you follow a regime that involves eating right and exercising. Read more myths about six-pack abs.
Try out these exercises for specific body parts:
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