worst fitness advice

I was conversing with a co-worker about lifting (mistake) and he decided to give me a "great" chest exercise. He asked me how much can I bench and I told him I can hit 195 for about 6 reps (don't you dare laugh! I am working on it!), which would make my theoretical max around 220-225. So, he wrote down a program that goes like this:

195 for 10 (wait, I just told you I could only do 6)
200-8
205-6
210-4
215-2
220-1

Wait, wut? You want me to bench my max as my last set after all of that? Umm no.

On top of that, he added incline, decline and dips. Dude...stop.

What was some of the worst advice you guys have received on your fitness journey?

Replies

  • Ferrous_Female_Dog
    Ferrous_Female_Dog Posts: 221 Member
    To do crunches to get a six pack.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    Don't eat carbs

    Low weight, high reps
  • Don't eat carbs

    Low weight, high reps

    I think everyone has heard that
  • MissMariahLee
    MissMariahLee Posts: 55 Member
    Well I may sound like an idiot for asking, but now I'm curious. I was always told to do low weight and higher reps if I wanted to lose fat rather than gain muscle but now I'm assuming that's wrong. So what should I really be doing?
  • lngbrd
    lngbrd Posts: 279 Member
    uh oh!
  • "Stop running."
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
    bro-no-carbs-after-6pm-trust-me-thumb.jpg
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    Eat whatever -- as long as you work out for an hour every day.
  • kristen2713
    kristen2713 Posts: 253 Member
    Well I may sound like an idiot for asking, but now I'm curious. I was always told to do low weight and higher reps if I wanted to lose fat rather than gain muscle but now I'm assuming that's wrong. So what should I really be doing?

    Yeah....:noway: light weights will do nothing for you. Go heavy or go home. The worst advice given to me is the "stop lifting heavy or you'll start looking like a man".
  • littlebutlean
    littlebutlean Posts: 2,159 Member
    Don't eat carbs

    Low weight, high reps

    lolwut
  • Well I may sound like an idiot for asking, but now I'm curious. I was always told to do low weight and higher reps if I wanted to lose fat rather than gain muscle but now I'm assuming that's wrong. So what should I really be doing?

    You don't sound like an idiot. How are you going to know if you don't ask?

    You should be lifting heavy. Lifting light while on a deficit will destroy what muscle you do have.
  • Well I may sound like an idiot for asking, but now I'm curious. I was always told to do low weight and higher reps if I wanted to lose fat rather than gain muscle but now I'm assuming that's wrong. So what should I really be doing?

    Yeah....:noway: light weights will do nothing for you. Go heavy or go home. The worst advice given to me is the "stop lifting heavy or you'll start looking like a man".

    Actually that's not the best advice either. Lower weights/high reps have a place in your routine as well as heavy weights/low reps. Balance.

    I honestly can't think of anything anyone told me that was crazy bad. I've received a lot of great advice over the years, and that's what I remember =)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    1. You can't lift heavy because you'll look like a man.
    2. If you want to lose weight, you have to exercise.
    3. You can build long, lean muscles (I'm short and stocky)
    4. You should carb load before a race.
    5. No pain, no gain!
    6. You have to stay in the fat burning zone to burn fat.