BUSTING EXERCISE MYTHS
Myth-1: Swimming is great for weight loss
· Swimming helps in toning muscles and increasing the lung power, but not in losing weight greatly unless you swim for several hours everyday.
· The reason is that the buoyancy of the water provides support to your body.
· In fact, running for the same period of time can be more effective in reducing weight.
Myth 2: Several repetitions make muscles better
· For strength gains, ideally 3-7 reps are best and for muscle gains, 8-12 reps are ideal.
· The truth is, heavy weights lifted for 5-12 reps per set, can build rock-hard muscles.
Myth 3: Weight training tightens muscles
· Weight training, when done properly, will in fact increase flexibility.
· What is required is consistently following a weight training programme.
Myth 4: Inactive muscles will convert to fat
· Muscle is made up of individual living cells that perform complex metabolic processes.
· Fat cells are simply storage sites of lipids and entirely different from muscles.
· If you stop working out on your muscles on a consistent basis, they will simply adapt to the new condition and will shrink, but will not convert to fat.
Myth 6: Taking steroids will make you huge
· Taking steroids without training will not make you muscular.
· Most steroids allow faster muscle growth through greater recovery, only if the muscle is stimulated and given the right nutrients in the right proportions.
· Without food to build the muscle, or training to stimulate it, nothing will happen.
· Most of the weight gain seen with the use of some steroids is due to water retention and is not actual muscle.
Myth 7: Working hard requires sweating
· Sweating is not necessarily an indication of exertion.
· It is your body’s way of cooling itself, and has little to do with the caloric count.
· It’s possible to burn calories without breaking a sweat at all.
· It is also possible that you have excessive sweat but haven’t lost the desired number of calories.
Myth 8: Deep stretching will reduce muscle injury
· Before exercising vigorously, your muscles and joints should be warm and limber.
· However, light exercise does this more efficiently than deep stretching.
· In fact, it is better to stretch during and after your workout to avoid injury.
Myth 9: Morning is the best time to work out
· Select a time when you have the most energy, need stress release, or have the best chance of making exercise a habit.
· It may not necessarily be in the morning.
Myth 10: Yoga can get rid of all back pain
· Yoga can help you get rid of back pain provided the pain is a muscle-related one.
· Some of the yoga exercises stretch the muscles and help cure back pain.
· However, if the pain is due to any other reason, yoga will do no good.