7 Biggest Exercise Myths Debunked by Science

Inform yourself to progress your fitness.

Check out the 7 biggest exercise myths debunked by science according to Alex Lorenz.

Alex Lorenz is a sports teacher and YouTube fitness guru. In a video, he talked about a morning routine that you should implement. He is the co-founder of Calisthenic Movement and has trained Calisthenics since 2012, uploading videos regularly for those people interested in getting in shape using only their body weight.

Here are the 7 biggest exercise myths debunked by science.

Feeling sore after a workout does not mean the training session was effective. It does not mean you are making progress either.

Muscle soreness is just a reaction of your body to a stimulus you are not used to. "The more you are used to an exercise, the less likely you will experience soreness unless you are doing something new."

It's fine to feel sore from time to time, but you shouldn't judge your progress or training workload based on it.

Sweating is the way your body fights against overheating and it does not indicate that your workout was effective.

For comparison, seating in the sun will get you sweaty while lifting heavy weights in a gym might not. Which do you think was better for building muscle, losing weight, and improving your health?

If you train in the lower rep range, with longer periods of rest, such as powerlifting or calisthenics skill training, you simply won't sweat as much. So the type of exercise is also important to determine if you sweat or not.

Another one of the biggest exercise myths debunked by science is usually used by female athletes when they ask to tone their bodies or not get too bulky. When people are trying to look toned, they often run to a high-rep, light weight set of exercises, but that is not optimal.

"This actually is not the best way to create the look that most people are after," Lorenz explains. "Instead, you need to engage in strength training and make sure your diet is on point too."

Lorenz explains that spot reduction training is not effective and that fat loss tends to be generalised to the entire body.

This is usually targeted at people trying to lose their belly fat. If your body fat percentage is high, above 20% for example, it doesn't matter how many ab training workouts you do, you simply won't have the same look as someone who doesn't train their abs as intensely but has a lower body fat percentage (13 per cent, for example).

The duration of the workout does not correlate to its effectiveness.

"The importance is not the length, but the quality, the intensity and the overall volume of your workouts."

Of course, that can also vary depending on the sport you are training for. For example, powerlifters need to take longer periods of rest compared to bodybuilders, so naturally, their training sessions will be longer, which doesn't mean they will be less effective.

If you just want to get generally fitter and stronger, your workouts shouldn't be longer than 60-90 minutes, Alex Lorenz tells.

Related: Junk Volume Training – What is It and Why You Must Avoid It

Scientifically speaking, muscle cannot turn into fat and vice-versa. That is because muscle and fat are two different things.

Lorenz believes this myth comes from the idea of body recomposition, the way your body changes when you stop working. "Meaning you look less muscular and less lean, which is true."

However, the reality is not that your muscle became fat, but rather you lost muscle and gained more fat, especially if you stop working out and continue eating in the same pattern as before.

It would be great if you could just go to the gym and burn off the calories you ate at a fast food chain. However, that is one of the biggest exercise myths debunked by science.

Depending on your body weight, one hour of strength training in the gym burns about 200-300 calories. "That is not even enough to burn the calories of one bag of potato chips."

Of course, the extra calories you burn will help and the extra muscle mass you build will increase your basal metabolic rate, but you still can't eat crap and expect to have results when looking in the mirror.

And that was Alex Lorenz's list of 7 biggest exercise myths debunked by science. Click on the video below to see his full explanation of each of the points mentioned earlier.

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Having too much body fat can be harmful to your health in several ways:

Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: Excess body fat increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. This is because the extra fat in the body puts a strain on the heart, making it work harder to pump blood throughout the body.

Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Excess body fat can cause insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when the body's cells become less responsive to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

Joint Pain: Excess body fat puts additional stress on your joints, which can lead to joint pain, particularly in the knees and hips.

Respiratory Problems: Having too much body fat can cause respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, sleep apnea, and asthma.

Increased Risk of Cancer: Studies have shown that excess body fat increases the risk of certain types of cancer, including breast, colon, and prostate cancer.

Poor Mental Health: Being overweight or obese can have negative effects on mental health, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Decreased Quality of Life: Excess body fat can make it difficult to perform daily activities, reduce mobility and agility, and lead to social isolation and reduced quality of life.

Overall, maintaining a healthy body weight is essential for optimal physical and mental health.

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