Dispelling the Exercise Myths

It is amazing how many exercise myths are around that are commonly held beliefs by many people.

In this article we will examine some of the most commonly-held myths that people have about exercise, explain why they are false and provide you with the facts!

Exercise Myth 1: Muscle turns into fat when you stop exercising!

Throughout this website we talk about how effective weight training is when it comes to assisting your weight-loss efforts. However, many people don't consider lifting weights as an option for them when they put together their weight-loss program.

Their reason for neglecting weight training is simply because they have the mistaken belief that the muscle they put on will turn to fat when they stop doing it.

There are several reasons why this is one of the most commonly-held exercise myths but is also an incorrect belief. The fact is that fat and muscle are completely different tissues. Fat is composed of triglycerides, which are made up of fatty acids and glycerol whilst muscle tissue is made up of protein (amino acids) and water.

It is a physiological impossibility to turn one tissue into the other.

Exercise Myths

However, it is not uncommon to see former professional athletes become overweight or even obese after retiring from their sport. This is likely to be the main reason why this is one of the most common exercise myths; their muscle has turned into fat.

The reason why this occurs is simply because they have maintained their food intake but they have reduced or stopped exercising. This means that their body isn't burning up the amount of fuel that it used to. Plus, the reduced exercise also means that they will have lost precious muscle tissue, also leading to a significant drop in their metabolic rate.

As a result, their muscles shrink and fat gets stored around their body so it looks as if the muscle has turned into fat!

The way to avoid this from happening is to simply eat less when you stop exercising. Better still, don't stop exercising at all! Exercise is something that increases in importance as we age so it makes sense that make it a permanent part of our lifestyle.



Exercise Myth 2: Sit-ups help to burn off stomach fat!

Sit-ups, or any other abdominal exercise for that matter, help to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Unfortunately, they do not burn the fat that lies directly over them, which is known as 'Spot Reduction'.

Exercise Myths

'Spot reduction' is another one of the commonly-held exercise myths. It is impossible burn the fat that overlies a body part from any area of the body by performing exercises to work the muscle underneath.

The only way to burn off body fat from your body is to combined the correct nutritional principles, a suitable exercise program and correct supplementation.



Exercise Myth 3: Lifting weights makes you 'bulk up'!

Lifting weights does stimulate your muscles to increase in size. However, if you limit your food intake (as you should do if you want to lose weight) it is impossible to 'bulk up' because there's no extra calories or protein to build muscle with.

This is one of the exercise myths that stops people from achieving their weight-loss goal quickly and easily.

Furthermore, lifting weights is one of the best ways to lose weight fast. Not only does it have a positive impact on your metabolism but it also forces your body to maintain its existing muscle mass as you lose weight. This means it provides a greater 'engine' within which to burn the fat.

If you want to lose weight but you don't lift weights then up to half of the weight you lose will come from muscle tissue and if you lose muscle your metabolism will slow down, making further weight loss more difficult.

Therefore, if you want to lose weight, make weight training an essential part of your weight-loss program. It certainly won't make you bulk up as long as you control your food intake.

If you haven't had much experience with lifting weights, I strongly recommend employing the services of a qualified and experienced personal trainer. They can show you how to perform the exercises safely and effectively. Plus, they help to make your workouts more enjoyable too.



Exercise Myth 4: You have to exercise in the 'Fat-Burning Zone'
in order to burn fat.

The 'Fat-Burning Zone' is said to be 60-80% of your maximum heart rate and by exercising within this zone you can burn off the maximum amount of fat. Exercising at a higher level of intensity burns off a greater proportion of carbohydrate compared to fat, i.e. 70% of the calories burnt off come from carbohydrate and 30% from fat rather than 50% from carbohydrate and 50% from fat at the lower level of intensity.

However, at the higher level of intensity a greater amount of fat can be burnt off. This is simply because the energy expenditure during the session is far greater. Plus, at the higher level of intensity the metabolic rate stays elevated for much longer after the exercise session is completed, which means even more fat is burnt.

Therefore, if you want to burn fat and lose weight as quickly as possible, ignore the exercise myths about the 'Fat-Burning Zone' and exercise intensity and simply get in the gym and go for it!



Exercise Myth 5: The first 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise doesn't burn fat.

Another one of the commonly-held exercise myths is that if you exercise during the day you need to burn off the blood glucose first before you can access and use the stored body fat as a source of fuel. However, by exercising in a mildly hypoglycaemic state (low blood sugar), it is possible to immediately access and use fat as a fuel.

This may be done by performing aerobic exercise first thing in the morning or immediately after a weight-training session. By doing so, you will be exercising in a mildly hypoglycaemic state and will be able to access and burn fat straight away.

The fat-burning effects may be magnified even more by taking XLR8 Thermogenic prior to the session. XLR8 Thermogenic forces the fat cells to release stored body fat and send it into the blood stream, which may then be used as a fuel source during the exercise session.

Again, this is another one of the exercise myths thatstops people from actually starting exercise in the first place so now that you know the truth there's no reason why you can make exercise a regular part of your lifestyle.




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Here is the complete list of exercise articles:

6 Pack Abs

The Best Aerobic Exercise For You!

The Benefits of Lifting Weights

Dispelling the Exercise Myths

The Best Back Workout!

The Best Ways to Learn
Weight Lifting Exercises

Chest Exercisees - Important Points to Remember!

How to Perform Deadlifts Correctly

The Best Cardio Workout For You!

Why Should People Exercise?

Why You Must Exercise to Lose Weight

Here are the Best Shoulder Exercises to Perform

How Bodybuilding Workouts
Can Help You Lose Weight!

How to Structure Bodybuilding Routines
For Maximum Weight Loss

How to Structure Your
Gym Workouts For Best Results!

Benefits of Regular Exercise

Is Daily Exercise Essential?

Types of Aerobic Exercise

Definition of Aerobics

The Best Arm Exercises to Perform

Training To Lose Belly Fat

The Benefits of a Free Weights Workout Program

Best Full Body Workout Plan

The Best Workout Routines For Toning

Walking For Weight Loss

Lazy People

How To Do Squats

How To Perform the Flat Bench Press

Aerobic Exercise and Lifting Weights

What is Interval Training?

Flat Stomach in One Month

How To Do Crunches For Abs

Losing Weight Without Exercise

How Do Muscles Grow?

Exercises To Lose Weight Quickly

Fat Burning Workout Plan

Exercise to Lose Belly Fat

How Many Calories Does Walking Use?

When is the Best Time to Exercise?

Easy Ways to Lose Weight Fast (Part 2)!

Heart Rate and Fat Burning

Weight Training for Women

The Best Exercises to
Keep Your Back Muscles Strong!

The 5 Best Ab Exercises to
Include in Your Ab Workouts!

Weights Prevents Muscle Loss During Weight Loss

Cardio After Weight Training

Reasons to Exercise

Weight Loss And Weight Training

Weight Training Routines and Weight Loss

How to Structure Your
Weight Training Programs For Best Results!


Will You Get
Big Muscles By Lifting Weights?


Why Early Morning Exercise is Best

Why Using Weight Training Equipment
Must Be Part of Your weight Loss Program



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