4 of the BIGGEST Fitness Myths the Media Feeds YOU

1. YOU CAN SHAPE YOUR PHYSIQUE WITH BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES ALONE

If you look in any major digital magazine (Cosmopolitan, POPSUGAR, Women’s Health, etc.), there are tons of workout plans handed down by the writers — and most of them are completely bodyweight exercises. The media tells us that we can change our physique by simply doing bodyweight workouts (usually HIIT sessions) that require no equipment whatsoever. We are also told that workouts like barre can give you the exact body you want because it “lengthens” your muscles.

Fitness professionals know this is hogwash, yep, I said it, hogwash. Why did I use the term hogwash? Dunno, but its still a load of crap. Unfortunately, many of our clients believe it. But you can’t really blame them when you think about it. If you were a newcomer to working out and someone told you that you could lose weight and get ripped by just doing some exercises in your living room, you would probably believe it too.

To fight off this misconception, explain to your current and potential clients that the body responds best to resistance training in combination with a lot of other training modalities. Yes, bodyweight movements have their place, but you can’t expect to see much change if you exclusively train without weights. That’s like eating nothing but carbohydrates and expecting to lose weight. 😲 

At MaxP we want to show you the science behind building lean muscle mass from resistance training, how it strengthens your bones, makes you more resilient, and improves the quality of your life. And make sure you explain that lifting weights won’t make you “bulky” if you’re a woman, shit, I Have been lifting consistently for over 20 years and I only weight 165lbs. It's not that simple. Women contain 16 times less testosterone in their body than men do, so it’s virtually impossible for them to turn into The Rock unless they’re taking some serious steroids. <------- Yes, he takes more testosterone than a herd of Clydesdale.

2. YOUR BODY NEEDS A LOT OF CARDIO:

Cardio is an easy workout trend that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Places like SoulCycle have it figured out. They sell their product to clients with a pretty bow wrapped around it, convincing them that all they need to do is sweat regularly in order to drop pounds and change their physique. After 20 years as a fitness coach, we know that this is nonsense.

We keep before-and-after photos of past clients who have experienced great success in changing their physique. Show them examples of the programming to prove that resistance training and weightlifting are necessary parts of a comprehensive workout in order to achieve results. Cardio certainly has its time and place, but clients need to understand that cardio alone won’t do much for you in the long run as far as looking and feeling the way you want to. Unless you just wanna run like Forest. But most of us dont want to look like Forest...

3. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW AN EXTREME DIET IN ORDER TO LOSE WEIGHT

The keto diet, veganism, intermittent fasting, the list goes on. These highly specific diets are becoming more and more popular these days. People see extreme weight-loss stories in health magazines and wonder if they too should swear off carbs forever or skip multiple meals in a row in order to achieve the same results.

You deserve to know the truth: you don’t need to make extreme cuts in your diet in order to lose weight. Let them know they can still enjoy bread, meat, and full meals while still slimming down. Weight loss is about being in a healthy calorie deficit, not restricting yourself of certain food groups. The more your clients understand this, the more sustainable their weight loss will be.
- Biggest Takeaway - Eat Real Food in MODERATION. If it was alive at one time, eat it. If it was made in a factory, don't eat it, :)  Try that for 6 months and see how you feel!

4. TRAINING TOO OFTEN IS BAD FOR YOU

If I only had a nickel for every time we read something online about the dangers of training twice in one day, I'd have a ton of friggn Nickels.

Of course there are real dangers to overtraining, but the media has such a loose definition of overtraining (if you are a professional athlete) that people are almost discouraged from working too hard. Just 100 years ago many of our ancestors were doing heavy labor for 8-10 hours a day as their job. The human body was meant to be powerful, strong, and resilient. But our society has somehow come to the conclusion that moving the body for more than one hour a day isn’t good for you.

You don’t have to work out excessively, but I encourage you to live an active lifestyle. Wake up early and work out before you have breakfast. Maybe walk or bike to work instead of drive. Go for a jog or hike during your lunch break. Spend the evening in a dedicated training program, or what ever fits your schedule and goals the best.

Sure, this might equal an hr of work at the end of the day, but the body is more than capable of handling this load (unless you are suffering from chronic illness or injuries). Don’t ever think your body can’t handle more than a few hours of activity each week, you are a powerful machine!

What is one thing you hear or see all the time that you have questions about 
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 Let us know below and if you need help figuring out what to do, check out the New Challenge at MaxP in Rockford, Belvidere, S Beloit and Machesney Park Illinois 

Mike