Myths I Hear From My Clients

As a trainer, I cannot tell you how many fitness fads, trends and myths have been run by me. I’ve heard everything from “I heard if I walk on a treadmill slowly for 3 hours a day I will only burn fat” to “I heard that if I do squats I will change the fat on my thighs to muscle.” Here’s the deal, ladies: you need to exercise and eat properly to see the results you want. You need to weight train correctly. You need to challenge your body and push your limits in the gym if you want to see a change. In my time working at Train 4 The Game, I have seen some awesome transformations, not just in our clients, but in myself as well. Our training system does the three things I dub most important for a successful workout program: individualized training, an ever-changing, always fresh set of workouts, and the knowledge and motivation necessary to keep anyone on track and excited. Below, I dispel some of my most “favorite” fitness myths. Remember this: the statements below are myths. Train 4 The Game is the TRUTH. 

 Myth #1. 

You can transform, change, or replace fat with muscle. 

Fat never changes to muscle—NEVER—and vice versa. You can increase or reduce body fat. You can add or lose muscle mass. You can do both simultaneously and remain the same weight. However, you cannot convert fat to muscle nor muscle to fat. They are two different materials. 

 Myth #2. 

There is a miracle fat burner, reducer, or eliminator. 

Everyone wants to believe this. Everyone knows someone who has used “the miracle thing” and it worked for them. But the claims made by “miracle” products are not true. Your parents always told you that if good things came easily, everyone would have them. Think about it. If there were an easy route to being fit and having the lean/toned body we all want, EVERYONE would be in great shape. A quick glance around you will tell you that this is sadly not the case, which leads me to the conclusion that a miracle product or technique simply does not exist. Most products’ claims are hedged with the disclaimer “when used with diet and exercise.” If you combine proper diet, adequate exercise, and the air you breathe, you will be healthier, happier, and will likely lose weight. In fact, the more diet and exercise you combine with anything, the greater the results! 

 Myth #3. 

I’m doing this exercise to lose fat right “here” 

You cannot spot reduce! When women exercise an area vigorously and notice results, they have lost inches in those specific spots but they have ALSO lost an equal amount of body fat in other areas. The overall loss of body fat may not be as obvious because there may have been less body fat to lose in some areas, or because women may not be as focused on areas that do not bother them. If you want to slim your hips or your arms or your stomach, you need to diet and exercise to reduce body fat over your entire body. Exercise specific areas for increased strength, not to make them appear more “toned.” A full body workout that causes many muscles to load and unload simultaneously is by far the most effective way to lose fat. If muscles are developed, they will appear once there is a reduction in body fat. Let me reiterate the main idea here: there is no such thing as spot reduction. 

 Myth #4

Lifting Weights Will Make You Look Like A Man 

This could not be further from the truth. First, because women have nowhere near as much testosterone as men, there is no way for a woman to get truly massive without taking some sort of steroid supplement. Second, you want to lift weights that are heavy to you because the more stress you put on your muscles, the more lean muscle mass you develop. Resistance training that promotes an increase in lean mass brings many benefits. Done correctly, weight training can improve strength, muscle tone, and bone density. These are all physical features that tend to decline as women get older, and therefore weight training can help to delay the effects of aging, and may prevent the onset of serious conditions such as osteoporosis. Check out one of my favorite fitness books, LIFT LIKE A MAN, LOOK LIKE A GODDESS for some further explanation. 

Myth #5

Women only need to do “cardio,” and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light. 

First of all, if you only did cardio, muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. You would lose the lean mass that makes you look great. Women need to lift weights in order to ignite the muscle-building machine and thus prevent any loss of lean muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the toned and sculpted look that they want because you cannot show off toned and sculpted muscles if you have not built/developed them in the first place. As far as the lifting of very light weights, this is just more nonsense. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, there will be no reason for the body to change. There is no doubt in my mind, that the T4TG method- combining elevated heart rate and a total body workout with various forms of resistance training and the post-workout calorie burn created by the interval style exercise- is the MOST efficient way to burn fat. 

 Myth #6

Weight training makes you bulky and masculine. 

As I have already mentioned, due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the image that comes to many women’s minds when they think of lifting weights is that of female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity. In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. These women do not look the way they do by accident, and they certainly do not look that way by following a regular exercise program that involves resistance training. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids can achieve the firm and fit looking body that everyone craves. Women that weight train the way we do at T4TG (eccentric muscle-loading with a corresponding explode) will no doubt achieve the long, powerful frame they desire. So, rather than thinking about looking like a female bodybuilder, imagine yourself building the body of a beautiful, strong, lean, healthy athlete. 

 You will no doubt be tempted, probably daily, by promises of quick weight loss, instant toning techniques, and the ability to get a perfect body without lifting a finger. My advice: be smart, be strong, and get motivated and make a commitment. Tell yourself you can and you will get the body you want, feel better in your everyday life and love the woman in the mirror. How do you do all these things? Call or come in to Train 4 The Game and find out.