It’s finally here the time of year when we welcome the ghouls, goblins and other spooky creatures into our homes!
The interest in the health and wellness industry has also opened the floodgates of evil misinformation. Separating fact from myth can be bone-chilling at the best of times and unfortunately for many of us, hearing is believing.
We’ve got five spooktacular fitness myths that have been haunting us that we will look at to give us some guiding light in the darkness of the valley of fitness experts, influencers, and all other holier than muscle bearers.
Lifting heavy weights makes you bulky
In many instances the opposite will happen – lifting heavy weights can frequently slim you down. However, the common perception of weightlifters is associated with those muscular physiques, but lifting heavy weights can shed a lot more fat than cardio workouts do on their own. A very easy breakdown of how lifting heavy weights aids us to slim down looks a little like this:
🏋🏻♂️Increase your weight training and you’ll increase your strength and muscle mass.
💪🏾Increased muscle mass will lead to an increased metabolic rate.
🏃🏼♂️A faster / increased metabolic rate will result in more calories burnt.
🥗Burn more calories than you consume, and you will lose weight.
Not everyone LOVES weight training, we have a lot of alternatives to traditional weight training at BWW. TRX bands use your body weight with “non-threatening” exercises that will increase your muscle growth.
Another BWW alternative muscle stimulator is Reformer Pilates. The resistance bands on the machines can help build muscles quicker and especially effective on those all-important CORE muscles
Fat loss can be targeted
You can reduce your overall body fat through workouts, food and lifestyle choices.
Fantasised about targeted weight loss in specific areas like your arms, legs or stomach? Sorry, it is likely to be a NO from your body and a full-body workout is going to be much more effective than attempting to focus on a singular area that you’d like to slim down.
Area-specific fat reduction is most likely to be ineffective BUT, targeting troublesome areas by toning the underlying muscle can have beneficial results.
While you sadly can’t choose where your body loses fat, you can choose where you want to look more toned and defined.
So, it is important to combine targeted toning exercises with cardio workouts to burn fat. We have great group exercise classes such as HITT, Street Dance, Zumba and spinning that can give you your cardio aspect to help you lose the unwanted pounds. For instance, doing lots of ab exercises will result in stronger stomach muscles, but you won’t see the definition in that area unless you lose overall body weight.So sadly, no quick fixes and a combination of cardio, whole-body workouts and a healthy diet are necessary to see the best results.
If you don’t feel sore the day after you work out, you didn’t train hard enough
Regardless of your fitness level, we bet there is a good chance you are familiar with that burning pain after an absence of exercise or by pushing yourself that little further than usual in the gym.
Most of us will likely admit that being sore after working out is a virtuous halo that signals that our muscles have been resurrected and that we are moving towards being in better shape. Or if anything a wakeup call of exactly how dormant our muscles have been!
When we find ourselves hobbling around in a feverish haze the day after consider “the burn” as a sign that your body may not be receiving the support it needs from the core. An easy way to combat this is to incorporate training that involves activating core development moves like the ones we love in Reformer Pilates, Yoga and mat Pilates.
The best time to work out is first thing in the morning
The best time for a workout is whatever time allows you to exercise most consistently.
Ideally, you want to make your fitness a habit that fits into your weekly schedule. If late-night after-work trips to the gym are your thing, stick with it or if you are an early riser or lunchtime kind of member, stick with whatever works for you.
Crunches are a great exercise for your abs
Doing lots of crunches will get you abs! Meh, sorry whilst it probably isn’t going to hurt your core strength, they’re not the most efficient exercise you can do to strengthen your midsection.
Abdominal muscles are designed to work most effectively when you’re standing upright. You can use plenty of great abs exercises on our studio floor such as kettlebell snatches, pull-ups, TRX push-ups and an oldy but a goody the perfect plank.
We keep on highlighting the benefits of reformer Pilates, but again with a multitude of residence settings this amazing full-body workout that is hailed for its benefits on your core!
We have tougher Yoga classes as well such as Vinyasa that can be a “humbling experience” to those of us that has an image of Yoga being a series of gentle stretches. The body’s alignment and the use of your body weight are great to activate, engage and strengthen your core.
SCARED MUCH? Don’t be, at BWW we have a host of classes, equipment including a swimming pool for just about any exercise enthusiasts as well as enough “time out” facilities to revitalise not only the body but equally important your mind.