On our quest to become the best versions of ourselves, we have all fallen into an exercise trap here and there along the way.
They suck. Trust me. If you read enough Pinterest articles you’ll even start to believe in some of these QUICK FIXES to losing weight, leaning up, or becoming a healthier you.
I wanted to make a quick blog post of three exercise traps that I wish I knew way before I tested them out and learned the hard way.
Myth 1: Sit-Ups + Crunches = 6 Pack
This is just straight up a whole ass lie. (excuse my french). Whoever made this up has to be Pinocchio himself. Let me enlighten you, my fellow readers. Sit up and crunches alone is not enough to burn all the excess fat and tissue covering your abs. These exercises will only strengthen your core – which is an amazing thing and definitely necessary! However, gaining that ripped 6 pack you desire or even just some definition requires larger- compound exercises and a change in your diet routine.
Crunches and sit-ups are the at the bottom of the totem pole.
Try V-ups, Assisted V-ups, Suitcases, or for something harder combo sit-ups
Myth 2: Cardio is the best way to slim down
Cardio has been placed on a golden pedestal when it comes to losing weight or getting super fit. I believed that the lack of excessive cardio was the reason I was gaining weight in college. Let me remind you I was a D1 athlete, I excercised//trained A LOT. However, being a jumper meant I focused more on strength, power, and speed rather then long runs or over distances. I noticed that I was gaining weight and I was like “WELLL DUH, I DONT RUN”.
However, what was happening was that I wasn’t changing my habits off the track. That means I was eating excessively more than I needed to and hardly drank any water. So while I was gaining muscle I, at the same time was not losing any fat. So I appeared bigger.
Fast forward 3 years to my senior year and now this year as my first year as a post-collegiate. I am and was leaner and slimmer than I have ever been and I HARDLY ever do long-running. Short sprints all day! What I found out was that, again, nutrition was a big part of how you maintain and lose weight. The other part was that cardio slowly burns calories and fat while weight lifting and strength-based training burn calories faster and longer. I noticed that by paring a better diet with this type of training, I could maintain a weight that was most optimal for me and my training. This is different for everyone. No one needs to be my body percent fat or look like me. But if being X weight is perfect for you and your health, this combination is a much better and sustainable way to get there instead of running miles on a treadmill that only burns roughly 100 calories each.
Disclaimer: Running is really great for you, don’t get me wrong. I am only saying that it is not the total end all be all in how you should lose weight. There are other fun ways like yoga (yes yoga), strength training or muscle resistance exercises, HITT classes, etc.
Myth 3: Days off are detrimental to your success.
This is probably the saddest myth // exercise trap that I fell into. I thought that to have an off day meant that I was wasting my time. I wanted to bike or do something and not let my body rest at all. Throughout college and especially now, I finally realized those rest days are just as important as the days you are training // working out. Working out every day might work for some people but for the majority, it will only wear your body out.
You might experience burn out, which is when you lose all motivation and love to continue your excercise//training routine.
or
You might hurt yourself because your body is worn out and didn’t get time to recover. There should be a balance in how you train and work out. Whether that is, having 1 day off a week or 2 days or setting a set schedule, rest has an important part in reaching your exercise goals.
I hope you guys enjoyed debunking these myths with me. I truly hope that if you haven’t fallen into one of these exercise traps yet, this post helps you avoid them. I believe that each one of us can reach the goals that we set out before us. All it takes is hard work and dedication and some faith.
I would love to hear from you either in the comments or whatever outlet you found this post on what exercise myths or traps you found yourself in!
Signing off,
Domonique
