Myths

10. Women will get bulky from lifting weights
Let me be more specific – women are afraid that lifting HEAVY weights will make them bulky. Crappy fitness videos abound with women performing biceps curls and triceps kickbacks with dumbbells that should only be used as paper weights.
Women can not get big and bulky for one very good reason…their bodies don’t produce enough testosterone to build the large bulky muscles you’re likely to see in bodybuilding ads. Testosterone is a key ingredient to putting on muscle mass, and the only way women can get this type of big bulky look is by taking steroids and hormone injections. This is why you see bulky female body builders.
So don’t be afraid to lift heavy weights if you’re a woman. Lifting heavy will make a woman strong, not manly. And personally, I find a strong woman sexy as hell.
9. Yoga will make you long and lean
I’ve been to a few yoga classes in my day. And yes, I’ll admit my attendance was at least “partly” motivated by the target rich environment of fit young ladies (there was only one other dude in the class). But the flexibility and breath training of yoga appealed to the martial artist in me, so I took the class seriously.
My take on yoga? After over 25 years of martial arts training, yoga was the best flexibility training that I ever experienced. I also found yoga to be outstanding for balance, static strength, and breath work. But hearing someone say that yoga will make your muscles long and lean makes me cringe. Maybe we’re dealing with semantics here, but I’m thinking the “length” of a muscle is not going to change anymore than the skeletal structure it’s attached to. Perhaps the increase in flexibility from yoga training causes people to use the term “long” to describe their muscles. Whether it’s poor terminology or marketing hype, yoga will not make your muscles long.
As far as lean, yoga will contribute no more to being “lean” than any other activity using equivalent caloric expenditure. I’m saying that if your yoga class causes you to burn 150 calories and mopping the floor causes you to burn 150 calories, mopping the floor will make you just as lean as doing yoga. But then you’re unlikely to see the hot blonde chic doing the downward dog in yoga pants while mopping your floor.
8. Deadlifts and Squats are dangerous.
Have you picked a bag of groceries off of the floor recently? Then you’ve done the deadlift. Have you stood up from a seated position? Then you’ve done the squat. Danger in these movements is a factor of load and technique. Proper technique will ensure proper skeletal alignment, reducing the chance of injury. Using a load appropriate for your current fitness level will also reduce the chance of injury. Notice I did not say eliminate injury. All movement involves the risk of injury to some extent, whether it’s rocking a 400 pound squat or crossing the street.

We don’t cross the street before learning the proper technique (look both ways, Johnny) and the same applies to the deadlift and the squat.
7. Three sets of ten repetitions is the best program for building muscle.
Let me make this clear from the start: There is no “best program” for building muscle. There are too many factors that change from person to person to call anything “best”. That being said, three sets of ten reps is a good program for building muscle – for the beginner.
But damn near any resistance training someone does if they have no prior training is going to garner a muscle building response. Beware the lofty promises of the glossy fitness mags. Three sets of ten reps is not a cure-all for the muscularly challenged. The Gym Junkies muscle buiding program would be a better starting point for people with prior training experience.
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6. Machines are safer than free weights
Damn near every exercise machine lulls you into a false sense of security. The machine makes you think you are strong, when you are much weaker than you would be if you spent the same time and effort with free weights. The machine forces you into a plane of motion that is not natural and almost always robs you of the opportunity to develop stabilizing muscles, posture, and balance.

So when the real world strikes – and the real world always strikes – and you have to lift a couch or push a car or pull your dog off of the mailman, you’ll find that all of your machine work doesn’t quite transfer to the task at hand. Skeletal and muscular injuries are a risk in ANY exercise program. A deadlift isn’t bungee jumping. Grab the bar and move some damn weight!
5. Looking fit = being fit.
Oh how I love it when the former high school football star walks into my gym for the first time. He’s five or ten years removed from his varsity jacket, but he still appears to be in pretty good shape. Hell, he still goes to the gym three days a week and he IS in better shape than the average Joe.
But his fitness mag workout built muscles lie to him. They give him an arrogance that I smell and I can’t help but satisfy the urge to serve him some humble pie. So I feed him a simple 4 minute workout of Tabata squats. No added weight – just his body. His face reddens, his legs quiver, but he makes it to the end. And then curls into the fetal position in the corner.
Being “fit” should give a person relative high performance across a broad spectrum of physical attributes including strength, endurance, balance, flexibility, and coordination. You can look like an underwear model and still get humbled by having to move the refrigerator.
4. Targeting specific muscle groups is the best way to lift.
How many times have you heard “Today I’m doing bi’s and tri’s” or “Monday is my chest day”? How you plan a resistance training program depends on several factors, but the one factor we’ll concern ourselves with here is the goal in mind.

Why are you doing resistance training? I prefer to design programs around movements instead of muscles. The real world is never going to give you a task that focuses only on your “bi’s”. The body moves as one piece so it is important that you treat it accordingly. Full body movements like deadlifts, power cleans, and presses should be the staples of any resistance program.
At least any program that wants to get you fit and not just ready for your beach vacation.
3. You need supplements to get in good shape
Supplements should be used only for what they’re name implies: to “supplement” an already nutritious diet. Pills, powders, potions, and magic elixirs are not the Holy Grail they are purported to be.
Most supplements are useless, and the few that are beneficial should only be applied after solid nutrition is in place. What supplements do I consider alright? A good multi-vitamin is never going to get bad mouthed by me. An omega-3 supplement if you are unable to get it from your diet (and few of us can) is alright. And maybe, and I said maybe, a protein powder if you are unable to acquire the required amount of protein from your diet. Keep the Horny Goat Weed to yourself.
2. Long slow running is the best way to lose weight
I so wish this one would go the way of the dinosaur. But I still hear people saying how they’re running 5 miles a day in their efforts to lose weight. I tell them that if they want to run to lose weight they should sprint their ass off until they see stars and then walk until the stars go away. Then repeat this cycle until they feel like it is impossible to continue.
The reality is that long slow cardio training of any kind – whether pounding the pavement or watching the wheels go ’round on the eliptical is inefficient to put it nicely and a waste of time to put it bluntly. And for all of you wannabe-gerbils rocking the treadmills, don’t get me started on the pretty lights and the “fat burning zone” of the digital read out. Just like your prom date saying it’s her first time, those things lie – don’t believe the hype.
Cranking your metabolism into a fat burning furnace takes pushing yourself to an exertion level that is “uncomfortable”.
1. Crunches will get rid of belly fat
Oh man, this one is right up there with long slow cardio as far as pervasive myths that get my blood boiling go. In a very broad sense, getting rid of fat is a simple factor of expending more calories that you take in.
And doing a crunch, which moves the body through a minuscule range of motion, is not going to expend many calories. Cranking the metabolism with some solid muscle building resistance training is going to go a hell of a lot farther in reducing your spare tire than racking up your crunch total.
I’ll even go as far as to say you can get the abs of a Greek god without doing a single crunch.

- Fat Loss Lie #12: "It takes just minutes a day" --

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Fat Loss Lie #12: "It takes just minutes a day"
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"2 MINUTE ABS"

"A FEW MINUTES IN THE MORNING!"
"THE ONE WORKOUT A WEEK FITNESS REVOLUTION!"
"CHANGE YOUR BODY IN 30 MINUTES A WEEK"
As if all the rapid weight loss claims weren't enough (big fat lie #10), the latest bombardment of advertising hype says that you're spending too much time in the gym and that if you follow their "secret" training program, you can get in tip top shape in just "minutes a day."
What do I think about that? well, you definitely don't have to "live in the gym" or train for hours every day to get great results. And you should always, of course, look for ways get the most benefit from every minute you spend in the gym. That's called "time efficiency," and that is a good thing.
But you should be very cautious of the claims about getting more results in less time without MUCH higher intensity and effort. You really CAN get more results in less time with higher intensity workouts, but "higher intensity" translated, means "hard work." If it sounds too good to be true... well, you know the rest...
It's an error in thinking that you can bypass the law of cause and effect and it's a flaw in character to expect better results without putting in the necessary time and hard work(refer back to lesson #6 if necessary: "The quick and easy lie.").
There's a fine line between training enough to stimulate growth and overtraining. We are warned continually not to overtrain or we'll "hold back our strength and muscle gains." We are also cautioned not to do too much aerobics or we'll "lose the muscle" we already have.
It's true that many people are overtraining. But just as there's fine a line between optimal training and overtraining, there's also a fine line between optimal training and undertraining.
The minimalist "less is more" approach is highly appealing because it represents the ultimate "lazy person's" approach. And most of all, it SELLS!
The promoters are basically saying, "Hey, you're spending too much time in the gym and it's holding back your gains. Buy my secret miracle training program and you only have to train once or twice a week for a few minutes and you'll double your results."
Briefer and less frequent workouts are only good to the extent to which they provide an adequate training stimulus while preventing you from overtraining and optimizing hormonal response. Minimalism as a marketing appeal is a completely different story. Make sure you recognize the difference between the two.
If you thought the "just minutes in the morning" idea was ridiculous (but brilliant from a marketing perspective), now someone just wrote a book called 2-minute abs. What's next? 30-second abs? Massive muscles in five minutes? The one rep muscle revolution?
Your body is begging for exercise - it's an amazing machine that was designed to be used often and vigorously. In fact, your body is the only machine that wears out faster when you don't use it!
Training for basic health benefits and training for maximum fat loss and muscle growth may not be the same thing. To get maximum changes in body composition, you need a much higher frequency, duration and intensity.
You can get health benefits from very small amounts of exercise. Even walking to work or class, or raking the leaves in your yard can have health benefits. But you get even greater health benefits from larger amounts of exercise.
You can get a training effect (muscle growth and strength increase) in as few as two or three 30 to 45 minute workouts per week, especially if you use highly time efficient training methods such as high intensity interval training for cardio and supersets, circuits and short rest intervals for strength training.
However, you cannot expect to become super lean and highly muscular without putting in the time and effort.
Here's what it all boils down to: You reap what you sow... The rewards you take out will always come in direct proportion to the work you put in. The best bodies in the world - with the best body composition and the best fat-to-muscle ratios - are built with high levels of physical activity. There's simply no quick fix.

The fitness industry and weight loss industry will keep perpetuating the spot reduction myth because it is so profitable.

The fitness industry and weight loss industry will keep perpetuating the spot reduction myth because it is so profitable.

But, as your personal trainer, I want to help you save money and understand how to reach your goals , so I'll tell you the truth about spot reduction, and explain how the body really burns fat off your stomach.
Exercise Myths: #1 The Spot Reduction Myth
Spot reduction means that you want to work a “Spot” to “Reduce” the layer of fat under the skin at that Spot. Everyone thinks they can lose fat on a spot by exercising that spot, but this is the biggest of all the abdominal exercise myths I have heard.
Genetics and Exercise Myths
One of the reasons many of us have extra body fat around our stomach is Genetics. Our bodies have been evolving and adapting to meet the demands of survival, but in some ways our genetics have not caught up with our lifestyles.
Many years ago, food was scarce. There were no refrigerators, canned foods, boxed cereals, fast food restaurants, supermarkets, or delivery services. Our genetics have not evolved as fast as our lifestyles. Our genetics are still programmed to protect us from famine.
So, what does genetics and famine have to do with stomach fat?
The fat cells under the skin covering your stomach are different from the fat cells under the skin in other areas of your body. The fat cells around your stomach are designed to store energy (fat) in case of a famine.
Now think back into time...
Where do you think would be the most convenient place for the body to store fat?
Not on the legs... Remember, we had to run after food, climb to get food, and run from wild animals. Having excess fat on the legs lowers our center of gravity and makes us far less mobile.
Not on the arms... Remember, we had to climb, carry food, chase and be chased. Having excess fat on the arms would raise our center of gravity, making us top heavy and far less mobile.
Around the midsection...That's the best place! Our center of gravity is near our core. If we have a little more weight in that area, we can still stay relatively balanced and mobile.
If we continue to discuss exercise myths, we'd find that another reason we store fat around our stomachs is hormones.
Exercise Myths: Hormones

The main reason most men and women store body fat in certain places is sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.
We are all unique (I encourage you to always embrace your uniqueness) but most women tend to store body fat in certain Spots: hips, thighs, stomach, back of the arms, and breasts & most men tend to store fat in Spots: on their abdomen and chest.
Estrogen causes an overall increase in body fat percentage. And, estrogen also tends to promote more fat storage on the lower body (a reason why most women are shaped like pears) and lower abdomen (a reason for the pooch and bloating feeling during the menstrual cycle).
Conversely, testosterone tends to promote more fat storage around the abdomen, chest, heart, and stomach. This is why most guys tend to be shaped like apples as they gain weight (a reason for the beer belly).
The big difference between Men and Women is the sex hormones: Estrogen and Testosterone.
Genetics and Hormones control all of our bodies functions, and hormones are one of the most powerful forces our bodies have to deal with.
Here's 2 examples of how powerful hormones are.
Example 1: If a female bodybuilder starts taking hormones, namely testosterone, she will lower her body fat, but also lose breast tissue, get thicker coarser hair, have a deepening of the voice, and even develop male facial features.
Example 2: If you look at a man’s legs and compare them with a woman’s legs, generally the man’s legs are really well defined and muscular. However, if a man started taking estrogen, you would notice that his legs would become smoother, less muscular, and look more like most women’s legs--the man might also develop breast tissue, which is mostly fat.

Have you ever seen a guy with muscles in his legs, but a huge stomach?
Many older active guys look like this. They have very little fat on their legs, but a ton of fat around their stomach, which is partly because of the hormone testosterone. Testosterone also tends to store fat around the heart and this is why guys tend to have a higher risk of heart disease before the age of 50.
Quick Side Note: Estrogen has a protective function on the heart, and this is one of the reasons why men have a higher rate of heart disease then women before around the age of 50.
So much for the exercise myths, blame it on the hormones.
The most important point that I want you to understand is that genetics and hormones determine our bodies tendencies and genetics and hormones have a very strong impact on weight loss and fat loss.
Okay back to losing fat off your stomach...here's how exercise works to burn fat, and it is a great travesty!
Exercise Myths: The Great Travesty of Exercise
The great travesty of exercise is that when you work an area, your body does not take fat from that area!
Well, that sucks!
In other words, when you work your stomach by doing ab exercises the body does not burn calories from the fat that is under the skin in your stomach to create energy.
If it doesn’t burn fat from under my skin, where does the body get the energy?
Doing ab exercises and working your stomach muscles definitely burns calories. So, in order to understand how your body works to burn calories and fat, I want you to think of your “muscles as a fireplace.” To burn calories, you have to get fat and sugar (carbs) into the muscles (fireplace).
There are 3 main places the muscles get calories to burn.

1. There is some fat and sugar (carbohydrates) stored inside your muscles (intramuscular energy). It is really easy to burn fat inside the muscles because it is already in the fireplace.

2. There is fat and sugar in your blood stream. When your muscles start working they need more oxygen, nutrients, and energy. So it is relatively easy for the muscle to burn calories from fat and sugar in your blood.

3. There is fat stored all over the body, especially under the skin. It is much harder to burn stored fat because it is the least convenient place for the body to get energy.
Exercise Myths: Fire Place Analogy
Using the fireplace analogy, imagine that you already had logs in the fireplace. You would simply have to light the fire to burn the logs. That’s like the fat that is already inside your muscle… it’s really easy.
Now imagine that you have a stack of logs next to the fireplace. As the fire needed more logs to keep going, you would simply pick up another log and throw it on the fire. That’s like picking up calories and fat to burn from your blood. It’s a little more work, but still not that difficult.
Now imagine that you had no logs left and needed to go to the back yard, saw down and tree, chop firewood, and carry it back to the house. That’s like getting energy from stored fat under the skin… it’s so hard to do and takes so much time.
Funny thing is that our bodies are just as lazy and we are, and our bodies are always trying to find the easiest way to do anything… and that is the biggest travesty of exercise! We want to work a particular spot on our body to improve it, but our body doesn’t burn many of the calories from the spot where we want it to burn calories.
So unfortunately, Spot Reduction through Ab Exercises Isn’t Really Possible :(
Hopefully, spot reduction will no longer be one the ab exercise myths you don't understand. But, even though working your abs by doing ab exercises won't magically melt off fat from around your stomach, working your abs is still extremely important.
Working your abs, will help to keep you fit, can support good posture, prevent back pain, increase core strength, and improve your sports performance.
That being said I know vanity is a good motivator. I also know that many of us want to workout so that we look good, and toned abs, a slim waist, or a ripped six pack is really the goal.
If your goal is to get a six pack or really toned abs, abdominal exercises are only a small part of the equation. In order to lose stomach fat fast and get the best abs, you need a comprehensive program that includes cardio, flexibility, core strengthening exercises, weight training, and a sound nutrition program.

Fat Myths

Fat Loss Lie #7: "Your genetics are keeping you fat"
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How The News Media Distorts, Exagerrates And Lies To You

A recent New York Times story headline said, "Genes Take Charge, And Diets Fall By The Wayside." A similar headline in the New York Post said, "Battle Your Biology? Fat Chance!"

These and other articles like them claim that more and more evidence is proving that if you're overweight, "it's not your fault" and that genes - more than environment and behavior - explain obesity.

I say, "complete, unadulterated journalistic GARBAGE!"

Media stories like these often take legitimate statistics about genetic obesity completely out of context and blow them out of proportion to make for sensational news.

They also make the common and devastating mistake of encouraging people to cast blame for their health anywhere but on themselves. Many of these types of stories are also based on ulterior motives.

Even worse, believing that "It's not your fault" is one of the biggest lies told in the weight loss industry and one of the most damaging beliefs you could ever have. In fact, the ONLY way you can ever become successful at achieving and maintaining your ideal weight is by accepting responsibility.

What The Research Really Says About Obesity And Your Genes

Make no mistake, there IS a genetic component to obesity. According to the latest research from the Human Genomics Project, you may inherit body fat tendencies just as you inherited your height, eye color or hair color. The tendency may range from slight predisposition to full blown genetic obesity.

In the 1990's, obesity researchers identified the OB (obesity) gene and mapped it to chromosome #7. Studies following a large number of twins and families have also helped to establish a link between obesity and heredity.

However, scientists say that severe mutations in the obesity gene are rare in humans (so mouse studies are largely irrelevant) and doubt has been raised concerning high genetic probability for obesity. ("Full blown" genetic obesity affects only about 5% of obese individuals!)

Therefore, claiming that genetics are more important than behavior and lifestyle is completely false.

Other Genetic Influences... Your Body Type And Metabolic Type

Other theories of genetic individuality discuss inherited body types, metabolic rate and body chemistry . In the 1930's, Harvard psychologist Dr. William H. Sheldon developed a classification system for different body types called "somatotyping":

Ectomorphs are the lean, lanky types. They are usually very thin and bony, with fast metabolisms and extremely low body fat. An ectomorph can seemingly eat like a horse without gaining an ounce.

Mesomorphs are the "genetically gifted." They are lean, muscular and naturally athletic. Mesomorphs lose fat and gain muscle with ease.

Endomorphs are the "fat retainers." Characterized by round features, excess body fat and large joints ("big bones"), endomorphs usually have difficulty in losing body fat and they tend to gain fat quickly if they eat poorly or don't exercise.

In addition to inherited body type ("somatotype"), individuals may also inherit certain metabolic types. Some people metabolize carbohydrates inefficiently and do not regulate blood sugar efficiently. They tend to produce too much insulin when they eat concentrated or fast-absorbing carbs, and or to be insulin resistant. This makes it more difficult to release stored body fat and puts them at risk for a variety of health problems. This condition is known as "Syndrome X" or "metabolic syndrome."

The $26 Billion Conspiracy Behind The Lies

Some doctors and researchers, such as those quoted in the newspaper stories, consider these obesity-stimulating conditions to be genetically transmitted "diseases" that require medical treatment. In a few isolated cases, obesity clearly is a genetic disorder. However, these cases are rare, so this idea of obesity as a "disease" should be viewed with a great deal of caution and suspicion, because weight loss is potentially the biggest market in the world for drug sales.

According to Justin Gillis, a staff writer for the Washington Post, more than 45 companies worldwide are trying to develop new obesity drugs, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Gillis writes:

"In world where a blockbuster drug is worth $1 billion a year in sales, analysts give $5 billion as the low estimate for sales of an important obesity drug. If a company developed a truly safe, effective weight loss drug, and sold it for $3 a day to one quarter of the 100+ million American adults estimated to be overweight, sales would exceed $26 billion a year in this country alone."

If obesity is classified as a (genetically inherited) "disease", that means more prescriptions will be written

Listen, if anyone ever tells you that "It's not your fault... you were born fat, so don't feel guilty... and don't worry, we have a drug that can help," be cautious and question whose interests are being served; yours or the pharmaceutical giants.

The Truth About Heredity And Body Fat

Losing weight does seem easier for some people than for others. In fact, researchers say that there is a segment of the population that appears to be "genetically resistant to obesity." That doesn't seem fair, but that's the way life is. Let's be honest; not everyone has the genetics to become a top-ranking pro bodybuilder or to become an Olympic Gold medallist.

But you are NOT doomed to live a life of fatness if you don't have "athletic genes." Everyone can improve their body shape and fitness level beyond where it is today.

Body fat is the result of many influences. Genetics is only one of them and as little as 25% the causes are genetic/biological in nature. According To Dr. Claude Bouchard of the Human genomics Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA, there are several certainties about the TRUE causes of obesity. He suggests the following contributing factors:

(1) physical environment
(2) social environment
(3) behavior
(4) biology

This means that 75% of your results are dictated by lifestyle and behavior factors and only 25% by biology. Accodring to Dr. Bouchard, "The obesity epidemic that we are facing today has developed only over the past 50 years and cannot be explained by changes in our genome."

And The Truth About Personal Responsibility That Will Set You FREE!

Like it or not, the condition of your body today is primarily a result of your own lifestyle, behavior and mindset (psychology). But that's great news, because it means most of the factors that affect your body fat levels are entirely under your control. These factors include how much you eat, what you eat, when you eat, who you eat with, how many sedentary activities you engage in, what type of exercise you do, how frequently you exercise, how long you exercise and how hard you exercise

Your first step if you want to achieve and maintain your perfect weight, is to accept 100% responsibility for your weight and your health. When the going gets tough, it’s easy to blame and make excuses. But blaming genetics is a convenient excuse for not taking continuous action. It's also giving away your power and conceding that you a victim rather than a creator of your life.

If you're a frustrated "endomorph" or if you feel like dieting is an uphill battle against your genes, PLEASE do NOT chalk it up to "bad genetics," and do NOT blame your weight on your chromosomes! YOU are responsible and YOU are in control! Dr. Thomas Wadden, a psychologist from Syracuse University, says, "There IS a genetic component to your weight, but NO ONE is destined to be obese."

Above all else, do NOT quit! The universe always bows to persistence. The empowering approach is to see your physical challenges as assets, because overcoming obstacles forces you to develop discipline, determination and character. These traits will carry over to other areas of your life and make you a stronger person.

As Arnold Schwarzennegger once said, "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you overcome hardships, that is strength."

In the next lesson you will learn the lies and the truth behind the whole low carb diet phenomenon.