The fitness and strength training industry is riddled with training fallacies based on nothing more than emotion and faith healing. Training programs should be based on proven scientific principles, not somebody's unfounded emotional opinions. Some of the common fallacies that a trainer may have to address with their clients are....
WOMEN GETTING TOO BIG
Women do not have the levels of testosterone and human growth hormone required to increase lean muscle mass dramatically. The majority of women will only have the capability to replace the atrophied(lost due to under-use) muscle that has been lost from age, in particularly after the age of twenty. At most, an increase of a couple of kilograms of lean muscle mass above their normal lean muscle mass may be achieved by a very small percent. . A small percent of women may have genetic potential to increase muscle size beyond the normal person capabilities, but this is a rarity. The use of anabolic steroids such as in womens bodybuilding, can result in enhanced muscle growth.
BECOMING MUSCLE BOUND
This is often misinterpreted when someone puts on a large amount of muscle size. It has been said that excessive size may restrict joint movements due to mass between the two articulating bones and then there is the fallacy of excessive muscle turning to fat if you stop training. Muscle is active tissue and can be gained and lost due to the training circumstances. You will not be stuck with this unmoveable, hard substance. Stretch to maintain flexibility and if you do not like the amount of muscle you have gained - reduce the amount of weight you are lifting. This does not refer to women as they are unable to obtain large amounts of muscle without drugs!!!MUSCLE TURNING TO FAT WHEN YOU STOP
Muscle cannot be turned into fat, it is like saying that iron will turn into water. If you stop training you will naturally loose muscle size. You could possibly put on fat by maintaining the same calorie intake as when you were training. Your metabolic rate will also decline since you are losing active tissue, muscle and this will in turn, decrease daily energy expenditure and possibly will promote fat gain. Remember, one can not physiologically turn into the other!!!
SPOT REDUCTION
Spot reduction exercises or feel good exercises promote that working a particular body part or muscle group will burn fat off that area. This is untrue and goes against every scientific principle of exercise physiology. We have no choice where we burn fat from, it comes off all over our bodies in an individual way. If it did come off the parts that were used the most, women would not have any fat on their hips and thighs considering they use those body parts for transportation such as walking.
TONING EXERCISES
Toning is a slang term that really means that you have low levels of body fat so that you can see and feel the muscle under the skin. Obviously you need to have enough muscle so that it can be noticed. Muscle is active tissue and cannot be un-toned. The un-toned appearance comes from having too much subcutaneous fat over the muscle and not having enough muscle under the skin to give your body any form or shape.
HIGH REPS AND LOW WEIGHT FOR TONING
As previously mentioned, muscle tone comes from having adequate amounts of muscle which is best achieved by strength and weight training with relative heavy loads with low reps. This promotes strength which in turn will stimulate muscle growth. High reps with low loads will promote muscle endurance and has only a limited value in increasing strength, therefore muscle size. High load/low reps is optimal to increase muscle size and will also be optimal for increasing metabolic rate, increasing energy burn and therefore fat loss. Low load/high reps does not promote optimal increases in muscle size.
MENS AND WOMENS PROGRAMS
Men and women both have basically the same functional anatomy and physiology in terms of muscles and exercise response. That is, both men and women require progressive overload to stimulate muscle growth, endurance, power and size. Therefore men's and women's strength training programs should basically be the same within relative reason.
CHILDREN SHOULD NOT TRAIN
There is no published evidence that weight training causes any damage to the bones, growth plates and muscles of pre-adolescent children. All the research shows positive changes in muscle/bone strength, joint stability, posture, sporting performance, injury prevention and self esteem. Children achieve the same physiological gains to that of adults except for the gains in muscle size due to the lower levels of testosterone.
DIETS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO MAKE YOU FATTER
Diets are generally based on calorie restriction which promotes the loss of muscle tissue as an energy source. This decreases metabolic rate which causes extra fat gain in the long term. The enzymes responsible for the storing of fat in the fat cell, will increase in concentration during a diet, especially in women. Both these changes are a protective response for the preservation of life from starvation. Once you go back to normal eating you gain the extra weight because of your bodies lowered metabolic rate.
WEIGHT TRAINING DURING PREGNANCY
It is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that pregnant women should maintain their weight training program. It maintains muscle tissue and strength throughout pregnancy which will decrease the physical demands on the body. It reduces labour time and enhances recovery. Saying this, pregnancy is no time to start a weight training program either, but existing programs should be continued and be adjusted accordingly.
WEIGHT TRAINING AND ARTHRITIS
Arthritis is the degeneration and inflammation of the joints. Joints are supported by muscle. Increasing the functional strength and control of the appropriate muscles will decrease the stresses on joints. Research has shown a significant decrease in joint pain with subjects who have participated in a strength training program.
WEIGHT TRAINING AND TYPE 2 DIABETES
Strength training increases lean muscle tissue which will increase metabolism. This in turn will increase daily energy burn and therefore increases the metabolism of blood sugars and fats. Research has shown that strength training increases the movement of blood sugars into the muscle cell.
