Myths

There are alot of misconceptions about personal training. This information may help you understand things.

MYTH 1.You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer at a Lower Intensity.
The most important focus in exercise and fat weight control is not the percentage of exercise energy coming from fat but the total energy cost, or how many calories are burned during the activity. The faster you walk, step or run, for example, the more calories you use per minute.

MYTH 2. With the right exercise, you can get rid of fat in those trouble areas.
Some people believe that if they exercise one area, it will cause fat to be removed from that area. In my gym the men, who tend to store their fat in their abdomens, are on the ab machines, and the women are on the hip machines for hours. Spot-reducing is a myth. Abdominal and hip exercises can strengthen and tone the muscles. But those muscles are underneath the subcutaneous layer of fat. Only losing weight can get rid of excess fat, and where you lose the weight depends on your genes.

MYTH 3. You shouldn't perform resistance training until you get down to your ideal body weight.
Many people feel that adding muscle to an overweight physique will make them look even fatter. They mistakenly try to diet their way to fat loss while avoiding weight training. The fact is, weight training helps to promote fat loss. Muscle mass increases your metabolic rate, which directly aids in the burning of fat as fuel. Studies have shown that for each pound of muscle added to your body, you burn an additional 30 to 50 calories a day at rest. Moreover, the calories burned are more apt to come from fat rather than glycogen stores. Thus, weight training is one of the most important activities that you can do to help to lose body fat, arguably even more important than cardiovascular exercise.

MYTH 4. Women should train with light weights so they won't bulk up.
Many women feel the way to a great body is to lift very light weights that do not put a strain on the muscles. The fact is, the only way to achieve great muscle tone is to train to momentary muscular failure. If you want to tone up, not bulk up, you have to utilize a high repetition scheme. By performing high reps (15 to 20 per set), you target the endurance muscle fibers and tend to get a leaner, harder physique without adding substantial muscular mass. However, the weight used must be heavy enough so that the last few repetitions are very difficult to complete. If the weight is too light, you will not tax the muscle sufficiently to adequately stimulate results.