4 Common Muscle Building Misconceptions To Avoid
Everybody wants to have a great body, the kind that turns heads and gets you tremendous positive attention from the opposite sex. However, not everybody is doing the right things to get this type of body.
I know how difficult it can be to get started with an exercising regimen, but if you do not get started in the correct way, you end up wasting your energy’s potential.
If you are exercising incorrectly, you may as well not be exercising at all.
Fortunately, however, a lot of the common muscle building misconceptions that people have are easy to fix and understand, and I can help you figure out everything you need to know to get the explosive results you want.
1. Longer Workouts Mean Better Results
This is already one of the most problematic misconceptions about fitness that many people have. The fact of the matter is that a good workout should only last you between forty five minutes and an hour. If your usual workout takes much longer than this, you are doing something wrong and you need to take a step back to determine how to better spend your time at the gym.
If you spend more than an hour at the gym, chances are that your rest periods are simply too big. Always try to go for a shorter and more intense workout whenever you can, focusing on exhausting your muscles with the right techniques.
2. Lift Weights as Heavy as You Can Manage
This is another dangerously incorrect claim that can end up hurting your muscles more than helping them. When beginners try to lift the heaviest weights that they can, they end up struggling and creating bad repetitions.
Good form and technique are among the most important parts of a good workout. What you should be focusing on is the heaviest weight that you can lift using the right form.
Weights that are too heavy, and poor form with them, is just an accident waiting to happen. Not only will you have to exert more energy and, therefore, spend more time at the gym, but you may also be tempted to cheat. Using momentum with your repetitions takes away the stimulation from your muscles, which defeats the whole purpose of working out.
3. Lift Lighter Weights With More Repetitions to Get Definition
This is another very common muscle misconception. The myth applies to the opposite as well: lighter weights and more reps means more definition, heavier weights and lower reps means bulk. This is just not true.
The repetitions in your workout regimen have nothing to do with getting shredded.
In fact, the only thing that does is your daily calorie intake. To get shredded and build lean, defined muscle, you need to burn more calories than your body is taking in. If you are eating too many calories, your body will not be able to process through the fat fast enough to get your shredded.
Eat less calories and you can expect to see results, no matter how many repetitions you follow.
4. Sit Ups Will Define Your Abs
Just like with the previous myth, this is another one that a lot of people are guilty of believing. Fat cannot be spot reduced. Everybody already has abdominal muscles, and the only way to really see them is to reduce your overall body fat. This can be easy with the right amount of exercise and dieting.
The abdominal region’s muscles will only really begin to become visible at the ten percent body fat mark. Lower body fat means better definition as well, and while training your abdominal muscles will increase their strength and deepen the cuts, they will not define them overall. A combination of dieting and core strength exercises will help you get the results you want.
Many of these misconceptions are held by beginning exercisers who are just starting to navigate their way around the gym. They can be dangerous to hold onto, and, in many cases, can be counter productive to visiting the gym in general.
Avoid making these mistakes whenever possible, and do not be afraid to ask for advice when you need it. Know how to perform the right exercises in the right way, and you will get the results you want in no time at all.
