The Truth to Weight Lifting Myths

Everybody knows that there are no easy exercises or magic pills to get fit fast, so why do they fall for these scams all the time? Here are some common myths that people always believe and waste their time doing: high reps with low weight gets you "toned", doing crunches will give me a six pack, or that running all the time is going to make you look good. All of these are not true.

The most important thing to do at the gym is to lift, and to lift heavy. It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, there is a huge difference between a guy lifting heavy and a girl lifting heavy. Girls are scared that if they lift heavy they will get "bulky". It is impossible for women to get anywhere near as big or bulky as they're scared of. First off, women are physically incapable of lifting as heavy as guys. Second, men and women have huge hormonal differences, leading to physiological differences as well. Men mostly have testosterone which is the hormone that makes men...manly. It gives them facial hair, a deep voice, and also, the ability to have large muscles. Women do have small amounts of testosterone, but they mostly have estrogen. Because they don't have the hormones capable of giving them big muscles, even if they can lift heavier than a guy, their muscles will be nowhere near the size.

Next, the lifts that people should focus their whole routine around are bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press. If you are unfamiliar with any of these, just look up a video on the proper form to make sure you don't hurt yourself. Focusing your routine around these four lifts is going to give you the best results. Bench press focuses on your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Squat hits everything in your legs and even a ton of your core. Overhead press focuses on mostly shoulders, but also works on a few other upper body and core muscles. Lastly deadlift is most important. When you deadlift, you have to use your calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, lower back, upper back, abdominals, and shoulders. This single exercise will change your whole routine up. You should notice a huge difference very quickly. You can add a few accessory lifts like pull ups or curls, but not too much. With squats and deadlifts putting so much work on your core, you can forget about crunches.

A good routine is one that has not too many lifts. This allows you to put all of your energy into the big lifts. The compound lifts named earlier are going to give you the best results, so put everything you have into them. For rep range, most people have always heard that higher reps make you "toned". The truth is, you should do your lifts right around three sets of five reps. If you have higher reps, there's a much higher chance of getting hurt, and it really isn't going to make a big difference. Five reps allows you to hit the lifts heavy. You'll gain strength and lose fat much faster.

You shouldn't have to run for hours to look good. Most people don't realize that when you run for long amount of times, you're going to lose muscle first, then fat. That isn't a good look. Sure, you can still run, but try and limit it. More people need to realize that weight loss is more with what you eat, and less with what you do to exercise. Count calories, and adjust what you're eating to meet your fitness goals. Always make sure you're eating enough and have enough protein.

Following these rules, you can meet nearly any fitness goals you have. It's simple, easy to follow, and has been proven to work for decades. You will never have to worry about what the next weight loss craze is because you'll already be closer to your goal.