Workout Myths

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Myth 1: No Pain, No Gain

While it's absolutely true that you should push yourself and try to extend the limits of your endurance when you exercise, it's not true at all that the best workouts are the ones that leave you feeling horrible, sore, and beat up the next day. Discomfort is natural, but pain? No way. "The idea that exercise should hurt is simply wrong—muscle pain during or following exercise usually suggests an injury," Dr. Parr explains. "However, some muscle soreness is unavoidable, especially if you are new to exercise." Photo by Carlos Martinez.

This myth has been debunked by doctors, physical therapists, and researchers of all stripes, but it still persists because most people conflate the idea of pushing themselves to work out harder with pain. This myth is so persistent that even the MythBusters tackled it. It's important to remember that your workouts should still be challenging, but if you're experiencing pain, you should stop. In fact, if your workouts hurt, you probably won't be as motivated to continue them, which is exactly the opposite of what your workouts should be
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  • broox80
    broox80 Posts: 1,195 Member
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    You have to workout hours on end to see results. Not for me!! I workout about 30 minutes a day and it has helped my body change. My diet (as in what I eat) has made me lose but exercise most days has made me stronger and feel better!!!
  • MsSerious
    MsSerious Posts: 9 Member
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    i liked the article that you pasted for us here. the original had all 10 myths listed the others might enjoy too

    http://lifehacker.com/5895140/10-stubborn-exercise-myths-that-wont-die-debunked-by-science
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
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    Myth 1: No Pain, No Gain

    This can be restated as No Gain, No Gain and be spot on. Some days the workout is easy and I can lift my target weights with aplomb. I almost feel like I didn't work out. Other days I get under the bar and it feels like I am trying to move 2 elephants through oatmeal. I have to work very hard and experience pain to hit my goal weights. But I progress every workout. Sometimes by itty bitty amounts, sometimes by huge leaps. But always progressing. Always gaining.

    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,568 Member
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    Myth 1: No Pain, No Gain

    While it's absolutely true that you should push yourself and try to extend the limits of your endurance when you exercise, it's not true at all that the best workouts are the ones that leave you feeling horrible, sore, and beat up the next day. Discomfort is natural, but pain? No way. "The idea that exercise should hurt is simply wrong—muscle pain during or following exercise usually suggests an injury," Dr. Parr explains. "However, some muscle soreness is unavoidable, especially if you are new to exercise." Photo by Carlos Martinez.

    This myth has been debunked by doctors, physical therapists, and researchers of all stripes, but it still persists because most people conflate the idea of pushing themselves to work out harder with pain. This myth is so persistent that even the MythBusters tackled it. It's important to remember that your workouts should still be challenging, but if you're experiencing pain, you should stop. In fact, if your workouts hurt, you probably won't be as motivated to continue them, which is exactly the opposite of what your workouts should be
    The "pain" should be the "burn" from lactic acid build up. That's good if you're lifting and what many refer to as the "no pain, no gain" statement. If one is lifting and not getting this burn on the last couple of reps, then there won't be much gain (whether in strength or size) to speak of.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mjones6599
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    bump
  • lijsda1
    lijsda1 Posts: 169
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    Myth 2: Soreness After Exercise is Caused by Lactic Acid Building Up in Your Muscles

    So what is that soreness you get a day or two after working out? It's called DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness,) and the belief that it's caused by lactic acid building up in your muscles while you exercise is false. Dr. Parr explains that this isn't the case: "A common belief is that lactic acid build-up in the muscle causes muscle soreness. This is based on the fact that during intense exercise like weight training the muscles make energy for contraction anaerobically (without oxygen), which leads to lactic acid production. This is in contrast to aerobic exercises like walking or jogging that produce energy using oxygen, with little lactic acid build-up. This belief that lactic acid causes DOMS has been shown to be false since any lactic acid that is produced during exercise is cleared shortly after you finish, long before muscle soreness begins." Photo by Chad Zuber (Shutterstock).

    Instead, that soreness is actually caused by tears in your muscle that occur as you exercise—especially if you're just starting an exercise regimen: "It turns out that strenuous exercise leads to microscopic tears in the muscle, which leads to inflammation and soreness. This sounds bad, but the muscle damage is an important step in the muscle getting bigger and stronger. Your muscles are made up of protein filaments that shorten, leading to a contraction," he continues. Essentially, as your body repairs those microscopic tears, you're building new, healthy, and strong muscle tissue. This is also the reason why weight training encourages you to increase the resistance or heaviness of your weights as you get accustomed to one level—it's only through this process that you actually get stronger and build more muscle.

    If you want to avoid that soreness, Dr. Parr suggests you start your exercise program slowly and ramp up over time—don't do too much before you (and your body) are ready, and don't feel bad about taking a day off between workouts to recover if you're too sore. Alternatively, switch up your workouts: skip the weights and go for a run instead, for example. After all, an exercise program that makes you so miserable you'll quit after a week won't do you any good in the long run.
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
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    inb4 meal timing/frequency, clean eating
  • first01
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    I do believe this topic has been discussed MULTIPLE times in the threads...... perhaps something new people? Just a thought
  • lijsda1
    lijsda1 Posts: 169
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    It sure has and moreover, the content in both of the OP's posts is plagiarized.
    [/quote]

    Such a stickler for citations http://lifehacker.com/5895140/10-stubborn-exercise-myths-that-wont-die-debunked-by-science

    HAPPY NOW????
  • caviggia
    caviggia Posts: 63 Member
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    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    :huh:

    DYEL?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    stop creeping at me then- you do your lift- and I'll do my 2 lifts.

    I'm okay with it.
  • caviggia
    caviggia Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    :huh:

    DYEL?

    No not at all... Absolutely no lifting.......
  • caviggia
    caviggia Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes


    stop creeping at me then- you do your lift- and I'll do my 2 lifts.

    I'm okay with it.

    ????
  • katg73
    katg73 Posts: 77 Member
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    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    :huh:

    DYEL?

    Did you look at her profile pic?? CLEARLY those muscles came in naturally without any lifting... she definitely does "NOT" lift. :noway:
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    stop creeping at me then- you do your lift- and I'll do my 2 lifts.

    I'm okay with it.

    This. I go to the gym to lift, not to see how how I can count :D
  • caviggia
    caviggia Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    stop creeping at me then- you do your lift- and I'll do my 2 lifts.

    I'm okay with it.

    This. I go to the gym to lift, not to see how how I can count :D
    ????????????????
  • jlclabo
    jlclabo Posts: 588 Member
    Options
    Run faster, run longer, jump higher, throw harder, hit harder, lift heavier. Pick your goal. Never go to the gym with the intent to workout. Go with the intent to improve something. If not, you are suffering from F*!#arounditis. Very nasty ailment.

    Tom

    Ahhh hahahahaha! There are a lot of people I see regularly that suffer from "F*!#arounditis." My favorite are the guys that lift 2 reps of a heavy *kitten* weight and then walk around and look at themselves for 10 minutes

    did you think to ask if they may be training for a powerlifting meet? i know on my program i have a week of doing very heavy doubles with anywhere from 10-15 minutes between sets...... i even have a week of heavy singles with the same rest periods. i guess that means i have "F*!#arounditis" too huh..... :noway:
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    did you think to ask if they may be training for a powerlifting meet? i know on my program i have a week of doing very heavy doubles with anywhere from 10-15 minutes between sets...... i even have a week of heavy singles with the same rest periods. i guess that means i have "F*!#arounditis" too huh..... :noway:

    This. Depend on the day, I work around 90% or higher of my max.