How to Build Muscle - 5 Workout Myths

Knowing what's true and what's not will help you a lot in working towards your goal. Here are 5 of the most popular myth about workouts and the truths they are downplaying.

Myth #1 - Not working out hard and often enough is as good as not working out at all.

The general rule for weight loss is to do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio exercises four to five times a week and do weight training two to three times a week. Now, some people think that if they don't workout as often as the general rule prescribes, they are not getting anything more than what they would if they don't exercise. This is not true.

Being physically active has been proven to reduce stress and make our body healthier, and doing some exercise is always better than not doing any exercise at all, even if it's just a 15-minute walk.

Myth #2 - No pain, no gain.

I'm sure you have heard that phrase countless times. Many people believe that if your muscles don't hurt the following day after a workout, it means that you didn't do a good workout. The thing is, pain is not a good way to gauge whether you had a good workout or not. Although experiencing discomfort is typically expected after doing resistance/weight training, it does not signify a good workout. Actually, if you're sore after every workout, it means that you're not allowing your body time to recover, thus you are not maximizing your body's muscle-building potentials. And under some circumstances, pain can also be a sign that something is wrong, like a torn muscle or ligament.

Myth #3 - To reduce your pot belly, do more exercises that target your lower abs.

The thing is, you can't "spot reduce" fat. In other words, you can't choose to lose fat in only specific parts of your body. When your body loses fat, it does it uniformly all throughout your body. To reduce your pot belly, you must reduce your body fat.

Myth #4 - Exercising the same body part everyday will grow the muscles in that body part more and make them stronger.

Believing in this one won't get you very far. Overworking your muscles will actually give you far less results than if you would give your muscles a break and the chance to recover. This is because muscle development only occurs when your muscles are given time to rest and recover after being stressed during a workout.

Myth #5 - Machines ensure proper form and posture, thus are a safer way to wight train than if you were to use free weights.

Unless the machines are always properly adjusted for your weight and height (which is rarely the fact in the gym), they do not ensure proper form and posture any more than free weights do. Regardless of the type of workout equipment you use, the most important thing to do is first understand the full mechanics of the movement and the proper endpoints of the exercise.

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