Fitness Myths Debunked

There are fitness myths that circulate and never seem to die! They get passed from one person to the next like a bad game of Telephone.

There's the myth about ab crunches melting off belly fat. (Sorry everyone, spot reduction doesn't exist. You've got to burn the fat from your body as a whole.)

Then there's the one that says the faster you do an exercise the better, even at the expense of form. (Ouch! This philosophy has caused many an injury. Never sacrifice form for speed.)

I've even heard one that says recovery days are not necessary. (Rest days are actually of vital importance to your recovery and weight loss.)

But of all the fitness myths out there, the one that gets under my skin the most is the belief that fat loss comes as a result of long, slow cardio sessions. I've seen many people waste their time and effort on this one. Plodding away on the treadmill 60 minutes at a time for half the results. 

The truth is that more intense strength training workouts that incorporate challenging bouts of cardio will burn calories and fat longer than any cardio session alone. Not to mention the long lasting results that occur from turning your body's fat into lean muscle tissue.

Bonus Burn

After you complete a strength training session, your body goes into a state of increased metabolic output. Simply put, this means that your body will continue to burn extra calories long after you have put down your last set.

On the other hand, if you stuck with a long session of steady cardio, your calorie burning would stop quickly after you hopped off that treadmill.

I don't know about you, but I like the concept of burning more calories after I'm done exercising. Talk about a bonus!

Say goodbye to steady cardio and embrace a whole new fitness philosophy ... Strength Training!

Watch how quickly your body begins to transform.

Yours in Health & Fitness!

Lori Murphy

Personal Trainer and Fat Loss Expert