There are a few fitness myths out there that make me pretty angry. I mistakenly thought some of them—*cough, cough* keto–were already lying in their graves. But lately I’ve noticed a resurgence, so on this week’s podcast, I’m doubling down on my efforts to put the final nail in the coffin.
These are the top 5 fitness myths that I hear on repeat, exactly why you shouldn’t believe them, and what you should do instead.
Myth #1 – If you want to lose fat, you have to kill yourself with cardio. This is categorically false.
However, cardio training montages make great commercials and epic film scenes (think: Rocky running up the stairs of the Philadelphia art museum) so we tend to visualize hard core cardio as the best way to train.
Cardio for cardiovascular health is great, but not for fat loss. In the podcast, I tell you EXACTLY which type of training you need to do to drop fat AND make long-term deposits in your metabolic health.
Myth #2 – Low carb diets, like keto, are the most effective. Incorrect! Your body actually needs carbs as an important energy source, so when you train your body not to eat them, you’re losing important muscle-building fuel.
I recommend carb-cycling instead to teach your body how to use carbs efficiently instead of cutting them out all together.
Myth #3 – If you want to get toned, use low weight and more reps. If you want to build muscle, use high weights and low reps. This is total B.S.
First of all, muscle tone isn’t a thing. When you see someone who has toned arms, for example, it just means that they have less body fat, NOT that they built their muscles in some sort of enlightened way.
Secondly, your muscles either grow or shrink. There’s no “tone” setting. The reason someone looks “toned” is because the muscle is bigger and the fat around the muscle is lower.
Myth #4 – You need to eat six meals a day to stoke your metabolic furnace. This is an outright lie started by supplement companies so they could sell more supplements. Eat three meals a day, they said. Then, drink three protein shakes a day, they said. And by the way, you have to buy all of our supplements to put in the protein shakes if you really want to be lean and healthy.
Myth #5 – The bench, squat, and deadlift are necessary for everyone. Totally not true—especially if you want to work on building a particular muscle group. You guessed it, I explain why in the podcast!
Ready to stop believing everything the fake fitness gurus say and start understanding how your body really works so that you can work with it to get lean? This podcast is for you!
