“Fitness culture is rife with these kinds of misconceptions, thanks to ever-evolving science and fitness influencers who share their advices based on anecdotes and gym lore, - says Brad Schoenfeld, a professor of physical fitness. - Once these beliefs become public and become ingrained, they’re hard to change.”
He asked more than a dozen fitness experts to share the myths they heard most from their clients and patients that they’d like to debunk once and for all. Here are eight of them:
- You need to stretch before you exercise;
- You need to lift weights to build muscle;
- Running is bad for your knees;
- Walking is enough to stay in shape as you age;
- Exercise modifications are for beginners;
- Runners and cyclists don’t need to build lower-body strength;
- You need to take 10,000 steps a day to be healthy;
- Taking an ice bath after an intense workout improves recovery.
Even in high school, before gym class, many of us were told to stretch for a few minutes before exercising. But recent research has shown that stretching before exercise is ineffective at preventing injury and may actually have the opposite effect, as stretching a muscle for more than 90 seconds temporarily reduces its strength.
“You’re just temporarily weakening all the muscle groups you’re trying to train, - says Josh Goldman, MD, associate director of the Center for Sports Medicine at UCLA Health. - If you really like stretching before exercise, don’t do it for too long.”
To best prepare for a workout, he recommends a dynamic warm-up — a series of active exercises that get the blood flowing and gently work the muscles. And stretching should be reserved for a separate time. Goldman advises people to stretch before bed, as this gives the muscles time to recover before moving again.
According to Dr. Schoenfeld, who studies muscle growth, the myth that you need to lift heavy weights to build muscle is a lie. A significant body of research proves that lifting relatively light weights for about 30 reps is just as effective at building muscle and strength as lifting heavy weights for 5 to 12 reps.
The research has also debunked the idea that running increases your risk of osteoarthritis; in fact, it may protect your knees from the disease. In fact, inactivity, along with age, weight, and genetics, are all factors that increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis.
“For years, experts have thought our knees are like tires — if you drive a lot, you’ll burn through the tread, - says Dr. Goldman. - That’s not true because our bodies are dynamic, and our joints can repair themselves, especially if we exercise regularly.”
Walking is popular among older Americans for good reason: it’s been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, as well as the risk of premature death. But walking alone isn’t enough to stay in shape as you age, according to Anne Brady, an associate professor of physical exercise. As your muscle mass starts to gradually decline since you are 30, you also need to focus on strength building. She recommends supplementing your walking with at least two 20-minute strength-building sessions every week.
Exercise scientists have dispelled the myth that you need to take 10,000 steps a day years ago, but many Americans still see it as a benchmark for health, says Cedric Bryant, president and chief scientific officer of the American Council on Exercise.
Taking an ice bath after a tough workout may seem like a defense against injury because it helps reduce inflammation. But not all inflammation is bad inflammation, believes Dr. Goldman. “If you jump into an ice bath after every workout, you’re slowing down or stopping the recovery process,” he notes.
Source: https://incrussia.ru/news/8-mifov-o-sporte-i-fitnese-kotoryh-mnogie-priderzhivayutsya/
Photo courtesy of public sources