10 Exercise myths - HRM users beware!!

dragonflydi

I suspect I am going to get slammed for this, but here is my take on this (and clearly, this is only my opinion) ...

While I found some of this article interesting, much of what is presented here is not new (such as the the inability to spot tone certain areas, women "bulking up" with strength training, going to the gym allows me to do whatever I want the rest of the day, the scale does not display all the benefits, etc.).

The other parts, I feel, are really like anything else, especially with a generic "CNN.com asked exercise physiologists, trainers and nutritionists about their most hated exercise myths" as the basis for said conclusions - they are the opinion of a few people.

I went to the CNN site to see if there was more than was copied/pasted for the article and could find nothing more on who exactly was being asked this question.

This does not say how many physiologists, trainers and nutritionsts were asked, what sort of training/education and/or degress these "specialists" hold, how long they have been in said industry, etc.

As such, I will continue to rely on what I have seen to work on my own body and in my own life and that includes the (continued) use of an HRM, strength training, healthy eating and when I need it, getting the advice of a trainer that I can talk with face to face, who knows where I've been, where I am now and what my personal goals are ... and is one who I know has been doing his profession for over 20 years and still wins fitness and body building competitions at 59 years old. That to me holds more value than a list of things being provided from a bunch of nameless, faceless "experts", even if they are generically listed on a CNN article

FitCoachJen

10) Your cardio machine is counting the calories you're burning. - I've had cardio machines over-estimate my calorie burn by 50%. The elliptical is the absolute worst for this, in my experience.

9) Women shouldn't lift weights because it'll make them bulky. - Word.

8) Heart rate monitors will let you know how hard you're working. - It may be flawed, but it's better than nothing. I use it to gauge the appropriate intensity, and to monitor if I'm over-training. Oftentimes the two are related, feeling like I'm giving 110% but my HR is in zone 1, for example.

7) Your weight is the end all, be all. - I don't think this is such a bad thing, depending on how much you want/need to lose. Of course there are other ways to measure success, like bf%, pant sizes, losing inches, decrease in RHR, better blood lipid panels, or whatever is important to you.

6) Low-intensity exercise burns more fat. - If you can excerise at your given intensity level for more than 3 minutes you're using the oxidative system which breaks down triglycerides for fuel. Depending on your intensity level you might be using fast or slow glycolysis (glucose from the liver and/or muscle tissue), or your phosphagen systems (ATP and creatine) for fuel.
**All energy systems are being utilized concurrently, but the extent to which they're being used depends on the INTENSITY.

5) Chug a protein shake after workout. - Depends on your goals. If you want muscle growth, by all means consume a shake. If you're trying to lose weight, calories are calories. There are thermal differences in consuming fast absorbed (protein shake) versus slow absorbed (turkey sandwich) protein calories, but those differences are congruent with the afore mentioned goals.

4) You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms. - This is spot-on IMO.

3) As long as I go to the gym 30-45 minutes, that gives me a pass to do what I want for rest of the day. I think we all know this is false. Sitting can kill you, a small brownie can be equal to the amount of calories you just burned at the gym. Alas, life isn't fair.

2) No pain, no gain. Pain no, potential soreness...maybe? I go into a new workout expecting to feel sore the next day because it's new and challenging.

1) Stretching will help prevent injuries. - Regarding the study about runners and stretching, they found that runners who switched from one team to the next (stretching before a run VS not stretching, or vice versa) were the ones who got injured. Find something that works for you. I always stretch and use a foam roller after a new workout or a legs/back day because those tend to leave me feeling the stiffest (or leading to DOMS).

MsTuesday1

The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture.

When your body has burned up all the carbs, it starts burning fat.

"You can ignore zones and pay attention to how many calories you burn, which ultimately determines how much body fat you're going to lose," Fitzgerald said.

That is why I'm on a modified Atkins diet! I want to burn FAT lol... It's hard though. I need fruit, since I have a sweet tooth and I've noticed that they have alot of carbs! Also, I decided rather then deprive myself completely I'll just have one serving of Rice, bread, potato during one meal... So far so good! Good luck to you!

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday

Chika_2015

This a great topic...but bottom line...Do what is working for you, and if it's not working for you, go and see a specialist. THE END!
Have a great weekend everyone.
~Chika
:drinker: