First of all, you shouldn’t be blinding chugging water with your shirt off while missing and your mouth and soaking your rippling body… sexy, but not hydration. This is also a poor substitute for a real shower. You probably shouldn’t do this in public. Or anywhere.
Myth: Isolated exercises
If you work out each muscle separately, just think about how many days you have to go to the gym. Chest. Arms. Abs. Calves, etc. That’s great if you have time to live at the gym. Most of us do not have that luxury, or even if we had the time we could fill it with much better things than pumping our glutes. Doing exercises that stimulate as many muscle groups as possible at once is the only logical way to hit everything in the most efficient manner. Duh! Do multi-joint exercises like squats, lounges, pushups, jumping jacks, running in place (all of which can be done in or outside the gym).
Myth: Machines work muscles better than free weights
Machines are GREAT if you want to get a quick pump and keep up whatever work you have done. If you’re looking to shed weight and gain muscle there is no faster or proven way than free weights. Some machines can also limit your range of motion.
Myth: Weight loss requires hours of cardio
Everybody needs to do cardio, but it’s not the most effective or fastest weight loss method. Given an hour of time, trade the treadmill for free weights.
Myth: Training with weights will make you huge
If this were true, everybody who goes to the gym would look like a bodybuilder. You’ll actually have tighter, smaller, not big and bulky.
Myth: Doing sit-ups will give you a 6-pack
You can build the muscles up all you want, but if there’s a layer of fat over them nobody will ever see them. Diet is a key factor to showing off those abs. Doing exercises that work upper, middle and lower abs at the same time will also build a strong core and shape the muscles.
Myth: You can target train fat loss
This makes so much sense when it comes to muscles, it seems like it would work to burn fat. It doesn’t.
Myth: The longer your sessions the more fit you become
OMG NO. Hours and hours at the gym all at one time isn’t going to make you lose more weight or gain more muscle. Consistency — day after day for 30-60 minutes — is how you get results. Yes, it’s as boring as it sounds!
Myth: You have to eat less to lose fat
Food is fuel. Starving yourself is NEVER the answer to weight loss. Moderation doesn’t mean “less” food, it means more healthy food and less garbage. Fuel your body to be fabulous!
