7 Common Fitness Myths That Might Be Holding You Back
When it comes to fitness, there’s no shortage of misinformation. From outdated workout advice to misleading diet trends, believing in common fitness myths can slow your progress and lead to frustration.
What is Fitness, first? Then, let’s bust seven of the biggest fitness myths so you can maximize your results.
Coming from a CrossFit background, the definition of fitness as described made sense when I first heard it and it makes sense now. It continues to guide us in creating programs and assessing fitness in ourselves and in clients.
So, let's define it, then we can talk about how some of these common myths that get in the way in the relentless pursuit of that fitness.
First, 10 general physical skills are recognized as crucial in defining fitness. They are cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy. You are as fit as you are competent in each of these 10 skills. They require both training and practice to improve upon.
The other metrics for measuring fitness according to CrossFit are the hopper and the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum. We'll get in to those at a later time, but just keep in mind the 10 GPP skils as we debunk some common fitness myths!
1. Lifting Weights Makes You Bulky
I HOPE we are getting past this one, but it still pops up occasionally. My first response is always "What's wrong with being bulky???" ;-)
That's a culture war I'll fight til my dying day. A common misconception, especially among women, is that lifting weights will result in a bulky, bodybuilder-like physique. And if that's not what you're going for, lifting weights might be something you avoid if you think this.
The truth? Building significant muscle mass requires intense training and a high-calorie diet. Strength training helps tone muscles, burn fat, and boost metabolism—without making you “bulky." Our goal should be strength when lifting weights and balancing that strength with the other GPP skills to be a well-rounded fit individual! "Bulky" would take A LOT of work and extra calories! And I'll say again, bulky is only as negative as it impacts your ability to be fit in regards to the 10 GPP skills.
2. You Can Spot-Reduce Fat
Many people believe that doing endless planks or crunches will give them six-pack abs or that arm exercises will burn arm fat. Unfortunately, spot reduction is a myth. Fat loss happens across the entire body based on genetics, diet, and overall activity levels. Putting time and effort into properly fueling your body for activity and not excess (unless you are trying to gain!) is how you lose body fat. Any "targeting" method is probably trying to sell you something! Don't be influenced! :-)
3. More Sweat Means a Better Workout
We touched on this in a social post last week! Sweating is not necessarily an indicator of workout intensity. Sweat is your body’s way of regulating temperature, and factors like room temperature and hydration levels affect how much you sweat. Instead of judging your workout by sweat, focus on effort, progress, and overall performance. Not every workout SHOULD be a sweatfest (unless you tend to be someone who just sweats more readily!). Having a balance between intensity and practice is important. Remember the 10 GPP? Some require training (higher intensity) and some require practice (lower intensity.) We need both and sweatiness isn't the metric of an effective workout!
4. Cardio is the Best Way to Lose Weight
While cardio burns calories, strength training is also important for weight loss. Lifting weights helps build muscle, which increases your resting metabolism, meaning you burn more calories even when you’re not working out. A combination of both cardio and strength training is the most effective approach. Any program that tells you to only do one, isn't a good program. Cardiovascular endurance is crucial to our health and longevity. Strength and muscle mass is also crucial to health and longevity. Losing weight, if that's your goal, will likely require a combination of both! Getting healthy and remaining healthy regardless of your weight WILL REQUIRE BOTH!
5. You Have to Work Out Every Day to See Results
Rest and recovery are just as important as exercise. Overtraining can lead to burnout, injury, and stalled progress. CrossFit gets a bad rap here with the perception that it's a daily beatdown. My argument always is, it's not CrossFit. It's how YOU do CrossFit or you THINK CrossFit should be. Build self awareness or it will build it for you.
2-3 rest days a week is generally recommended for the average person! That means 4-5 days to workout and get a good mix in. A longer workout, a shorter, more intense workout or 2 and a couple strength days make for a good week. It's you're hittng the gym going 100mph every day, your body will eventually tell you to slow down one way or another. Take those rest days!
6. No Pain, No Gain
Pushing through extreme pain is not a sign of an effective workout—it’s a sign of potential injury. While mild soreness is normal after exercise, sharp or persistent pain is a red flag. Listen to your body and prioritize proper form and gradual progression. Again, self awareness and progressively loading weight and skills here is key. Something nagging you, pain-wise, have a chat with a coach and make adjustments as needed! We're going for longevity here and you don't need to be in pain!
7. Fitness is All About the Scale
Many people obsess over the number on the scale, but weight doesn’t tell the full story. Muscle weighs more than fat, so even if the scale doesn’t move, you may be losing fat and gaining muscle. Instead of focusing solely on weight, track progress through measurements, strength gains, and how you feel. We utilize the InBody to get other metrics besides weight for clients. We also discuss things like sleep and nutrition, stress management and recovery to manage our health. The scale is one metric, but should never be the ONLY one.
Final Thoughts
Let's commit to good information and keeping it simple! Move well, move often. Eat well, eat enough to support your activity level. Let the catchy, influence-y go. By focusing on science-backed strategies and a balanced approach, you’ll see better results, stay motivated, and enjoy your fitness journey even more.
And as always, if you want a supportive team to do that with, you know where to find us! :-)
