Sydney Bueckert
Fitness Trainer
CES, FNS, GPTS, NASM-CPT
Starting a fitness journey is challenging enough, and the conflicting advice found across social media, the Internet, and from well-meaning individuals who lack proper knowledge can quickly become overwhelming, causing confusion at best and negatively impacting results at worst.
Below, we’ve debunked the top fitness myths, so you don’t have to.
Top 9 Fitness Myths
Myth 1: More Exercise is Better
The “no pain, no gain” mentality runs rampant in fitness circles. And it comes from a good place: you want your workout to count and lead to amazing results. But you must strive to find a balance between training and recovery. Overtraining makes it harder for your body to recover and can lead to overuse injuries. In fact, one study found that overtraining can boost inflammation, interfere with muscle growth, and negatively impact the brain, liver, and heart health (1).
The best way to build up your fitness level is by training in a way that progressively overloads your muscles and/or cardiovascular system. In other words, training a little harder when your body sends you the signals it’s ready for more. What do those signals look like? Getting through your reps and sets with ease (that means it’s time to bump up the weight or add a few more reps to each set). Or, if you’re finishing your cardio workout with a little extra in the tank (time to up the mileage, time, or speed).
Myth 2: You Should Stretch Before You Workout
If your high school gym class taught you to perform static stretches before exercising, you may wish to rethink your approach. Recent research suggests that static stretching before a workout actually doesn’t prevent injury, but instead it may temporarily weaken your muscles (2).
The most effective way to prepare your muscles for a workout is with dynamic movements. Start with five minutes of light cardio (walking, jogging, cycling, etc.). Then opt for dynamic exercises like the ones you plan to do during your workout. For example, if your workout includes back squats, warm up with some bodyweight squats; if you’re going on a run, try body weight lunges.
Myth 3: You Need 10,000 Steps a Day to Be Healthy
This myth surprisingly wasn’t founded on research at all. Instead, it traces back to a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer that set an arbitrary goal of 10,000 daily steps.
While taking 10,000 steps a day undoubtably has perks, the latest research suggests that the health benefits of walking actually plateau right around 7,500 steps (3). The same study concluded even as few as 4,000 steps per day can reduce the risk of dying from any cause.
Myth 4: Walking Is Enough to Keep You Fit as You Age
Walking is great. But on its own it may not be enough to keep you fully functional as you get older. Starting in your 30s, your muscle mass progressively declines (4) making it essential to focus on strength training to maintain lean muscle mass and retain the strength and power needed for everyday life.
Think about it: When you lose the strength to carry groceries to and from your car, safely lift your grandkids in and out of a crib, or put your suitcase into an overhead bin, your quality of life and level of independence declines. Make a list of things you’d like to continue to be able to do when you’re older and train for it now.
Myth 5: Strength Training Makes Women Bulky
Women typically don’t have the levels of testosterone or growth hormone required to bulk up easily. It takes a lot of time, discipline and a specific heavy weightlifting overload program to elicit extreme hypertrophy (bulk). It’s very hard to accomplish. Typical strength training routines lead to moderate gains with a toned not bulky appearance. Strength training regularly helps to reduce body fat while simultaneously increasing lean muscle mass (5). Plus, it boosts your strength, making activities of everyday living feel much easier.
Myth 6: Cardio Leads to Muscle Loss
In short, cardio won’t kill your gains. Research shows that concurrent aerobic and strength training (even training completed on the same day) does not compromise muscle growth or strength development (6).
So why are people worried cardio might lead to muscle loss? Two reasons.
First, the Chronic Interference Hypothesis. This is a theory that basically boils down to: Resistance training builds muscle, and aerobic exercise breaks it down. The idea is that if training isn’t properly balanced, excessive cardio may impair muscle growth. The good news is this only applies to high level athletes training at high volumes and intensities. Even if you do find yourself in that category, separating your sessions by a few hours, fueling properly, and prioritizing recovery can mitigate this effect.
The second concept is that cardio can zap your energy, making your strength workouts less effective. This can be solved with a strategic training program that focusses on resting muscle groups for a few days and planning cardio and strength on days when you are well rested.
Myth 7: The More Sweat, the Better the Workout
Sweating is simply a built-in protection mechanism for cooling you down and preventing overheating. Your body’s sole purpose is to maintain what’s known as homeostasis which ensures your organs can work as intended. When you sweat, you lose body fluid through your pores as it accumulates on the skin to allow evaporation that creates the cooling effect.
To keep it simple - sweating is personal and how much you sweat is influenced by your individual body’s need to get back to its core temperature. If you’re in a hot environment, chances are you’ll sweat more. Judging your sweat level as a determination of how you’re your workout is, is not effective. You should, however, focus on replacing lost fluids as you exercise so that your performance does not suffer and to reduce the risk of dehydration.
Myth 8: You Have to Spend Hours in the Gym to See Results
Recent research suggests that just 30 minutes of weight training twice a week leads to muscle gains (7). The catch? You have to work hard enough to challenge your muscles beyond their present capacity. That’s the key to making continued fitness gains.
Myth 9: If You Exercise You Can Eat Whatever You Want
Whether you’re working out to lose weight, build muscle, boost performance, or simply for overall health, your diet should be structured to support your goals. Physical training does not give you a free pass to overconsume calories.
Your body has a set number of calories it needs to sustain itself and keep you alive - your Basal metabolic rate (BMR), you must then account for the number of calories it needs to sustain your lifestyle and activity levels – together known as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). You must find a balance to support your health and your goals. On a weight-loss plan you will want to have a daily deficit in calories, and to gain weight you’ll need extra. It’s like a balancing act.
That doesn’t mean dessert is off the table. It just means you should prioritize eating the nutritious foods you need to eat to reach your goals first. Then if there’s room in your diet for a little extra, sure, having a slice of cake here and there won’t hurt.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve fallen victim to a fitness myth or two, don’t sweat it. Misinformation in the fitness industry is so pervasive it can feel like fact (like needing to get 10k steps a day, for example). Worse, these misconceptions can hold you back from getting results.
As a rule of thumb, fitness isn’t as complicated as people like to make it. A consistent, well-balanced fitness routine—including cardio and strength training, fueling your body with healthy foods, and quality sleep—is the key to results.
Add Your Name & Email
Please enter your name and email to continue.We won’t display your email publicly.