Fitness myths - Don´t let them stop you

Women going for higher fitness levels often never dare try out weight lifting as a way to achieve this. Read on to understand why this behavior is mainly based on misconception and myths.

Women who lift heavy weight will eventually look like bodybuilders! This is just not true. To get man-like muscles, one has to be training for many, many years with very heavy weights or for some reason have larger quantities of the male hormone testosterone than what is considered normal for a woman. Some testosterone is definitely needed to build muscles and higher fitness, but female levels are naturally so low that there is little risk of getting massive muscles. Hence there is no reason to hold back or take it too easy in the gym.

Many repetitions with lighter weights result in skinny thighs! This is also a false statement. On the contrary, more repetitions with less weight actually build more muscle endurance. In this case the size of the muscle fibres does not increase nor do the size of them. The most common difference is a more tight feeling of muscle fitness and contact. But if you are going for a more firm look and want the muscles to show you have to decrease the fat and increase by increasing the weights. However, more repetitions with fewer weights can have a positive improvement on your poise, as it strengthens tendons, nerves and muscles if exercised with such movements.

Machines are always more effective! This is a general misconception. A machine often only trains one or few muscles at a time. The back, legs or other parts of the body are usually supported which means there are many muscles that don not need to work support and stabilization and are not trained. Fitness training that concentrates more on balance and stability will always be more efficient. These are functional exercises that will help build the nervous system and everyday movements used in a normal life.

If you stop training your muscles will turn into fat! This is just as wrong as the previous statements. Is just doesn’t happen even though many can detect in the in the body feel and fitness. When the muscles are not trained they get smaller and the body burns less fat. Many put on more fat when they stop exercising but this is not the muscles but new fat that is put on. If you are a fitness freak and stop training on and off you should reduce you calorie intake to avoid a dramatic weight gain.

You can train yourself to longer muscles! This is untrue as well. This is a misleading way of describing how this works. In reality the muscles do not get longer as this eventually would make them not fit to the skeleton and the rest of the body. The real reason is that it strengthens and makes them more flexible which results in a much better posture. With a better posture you will look taller and slimmer and in better fitness. At the same time the exercises are not focused on pure strength, but more on coordination and stamina.

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