7 Fitness Lies You’ve Been Told!
- Jan 20
- 8 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in November 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHC4JksKCHs&t=15s
Mike: Today, we're diving into seven fitness myths that most people still believe to be true.
Brad: That's right, we're going to break down each one, and we're going to let you know whether they're true or false and give you correct information to make your life more efficient while you exercise. All right, we're going to go through all seven. And I can attest personally, because I have done all of these and I've made many mistakes, and it's really nice to know what you should do and what you shouldn't do.
Mike: So myth number one is that you should work out every day in order to see results. Brad, what do we have to say about this?
Brad: Well, that is actually completely false. I've done it myself, and as I said, I've made these mistakes. The quality and structure are more important than the quantity.
Mike: So, daily working out can actually lead to burnout, injury, and can lead to poor performance, because you're always working out and never recovering.
Brad: Right, you're going to get sore muscles, you're going to get strains and pains you don't need to get. You need to put in rest days so that your body can recover. Maybe some real light activity days.
Mike: Yes, your muscle actually grows when you're resting. You break it down when you're working out, whatever form of exercise you do, and then it recovers when you're resting.
Brad: There ya go.
Mike: So it's good to incorporate some rest days into your training. Now, that's not to say you lift one day, you can't go for a walk the next day, that's perfectly fine. We're talking about doing vigorous, hard workouts every day.
Brad: That's right, it's like running or walking every day, seven days a week, you don't want to do that.
Mike: Myth number two is that you should avoid strength training if you have arthritis. Now, with resistance training, you actually strengthen the muscles around a joint, which can reduce the stress and pain you're feeling within the joint itself.
Brad: That's right, the strength training can actually improve the motion of the joint, making it more functional and giving you better motion.
Mike: Now you want to have more of a tailored program of what you're doing. You don't want to just go hard right away and throw around a lot of weights. You want to slowly progress and see how your joints tolerate the strength training.
Brad: That's right, one good tip that I've learned from a continuing education course is if your joint is particularly flared up from arthritis, you can still lift that day, but it's going to be very lightweight. And if you're doing your bicep, you would actually go very slow, approximately 50% of the speed with less weight. So you're still getting some motion in the joint, but not much stress.
Mike: Myth number three is no pain, no gain. Now, there is a beneficial discomfort from just general muscle soreness after working out, which is your muscles recovering and recuperating, and that is fine. But we are talking about during your workout, you're experiencing sharp pain that's getting worse and worse and not going away.
Brad: Right, and I, this is my hypothesis, but I would say mostly males and some females, but I think a lot of males go to the workout center and think, "If it doesn't hurt real bad, I'm not doing the right thing. I'm not gonna get big and strong," etc. You really need to tailor it, have hard days, easy days, and work it as that.
Mike: So, what you want to do is listen to your body.
Brad: Mmm-hmm.
Mike: If you're having a lot of sharp pain, stop that exercise. Maybe stop working out that day, and then come back to it when you're feeling better. Personally, I've had this issue in the past when I was younger. Ego lifting, I've hurt my back a few times. So once that happens, I just stop the workout, rest for a few days, and go back to it slowly.
Brad: But now you're smarter?
Mike: Maybe.
Brad: I'm still working at it myself.
Mike: Myth number four is that crunches are the best exercise for a flat stomach. Brad is doing some crunches right now.
Mike: Now, crunches do strengthen your abdominal muscles and your core, which you need to have abs. However, most of the time, people have too much fat tissue over their abdominal muscles. That's why they're not showing.
Brad: Right, and another problem with core exercises is that you're not getting a complete core strength. It's just in the anterior of the stomach, when you really want to work other exercises, perhaps like a plank and holding that, and then sideways. There are a lot of options that really should be done to get a good core strengthening.
Mike: So if you wanted to get abdominal muscles, you're probably going to have to do some resistance training, some cardio, and eat a better diet.
Brad: Yeah, eating a better diet is really important to lose weight. You lose the weight at the table, you gain strength in the gym.
Mike: Myth number five is that resting after an injury is always the best approach. Now, if you have a really catastrophic injury, that may be the case, like in a car accident or something like that. However, if you just have a mild tweak in a joint or muscle area, sometimes doing some light motion can actually help you heal a little bit faster and get back to moving better.
Brad: That's right, with this, you really need to have good judgment. So you do exercises that do not irritate the injury, but get some motion in the area, even if it's at a very light intensity.
Mike: Now, an example for me personally is I've broken my hand a few times in my life.
Brad: Ooh.
Mike: And that has me laid up for three to four months after surgery. So I still did plenty of cardio and just avoided using my hands.
Brad: So what's the issue with breaking your hands so many times? What's, how can that happen?
Mike: Well, football and car accidents, so it wasn't my fault.
Brad: Oh, sure, all right, let's go to the next one.
Mike: Myth number six is that running is bad for your knees. Now, studies have actually showed recreational runners have a lower risk of arthritis than non-runners do.
Brad: That's right, and proper running technique can be very important to take the stress off the joints and through the muscles. In other words, running on your forefoot, versus a heel strike.
Mike: And other things to look at are the type of road, path, or treadmill you are running on. Obviously, a road has more impact force than running on a nice grass trail, which minimizes the amount of shock and discomfort on your joints.
Brad: Yeah, actually, about five years ago, my neighbor walked by me while I was running, and she said, "You still haven't learned yet, you're gonna wear your knees out." And I just smiled, and I said, "I'm a slow learner," but.
Mike: Now, obviously, if you're running ultra marathons, that might be a different story, but we don't need to get into that here.
Brad: There ya go.
Mike: And myth number seven is that walking isn't an effective workout. Walking actually is a very good workout and boosts cardiovascular health and burns calories throughout the day.
Brad: That's right, it also could be a great stress relief, particularly if you walk in an area where there's not a lot of traffic and things we have to worry about, maybe the outdoors, and listen to the birds.
Mike: Now, if you are a younger person and very active, maybe walking doesn't feel like a workout, but it is a good thing to do on a recovery day. You're actually burning calories moving, it's good. If you're older, your walking may be your workout, and that's perfectly fine, but it's still something good to do.
Brad: That's right, enjoy your walks.
Mike: So those are the seven myths in the fitness realm to think about and tailor your exercises differently. Now, if you want to check out more videos, specifically on working out, and if you're new to it, you can check out our video. What's it called, Brad?
Brad: Well, "Full Body Home Workout For Beginners or Out of Shape- No Equipment." This is easy to do. This is really good for that home beginner type person. Be careful and have a good day. And make sure you walk briskly.
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