One of the most common myths that I hear is that muscle tissue converts into fat; it's crucial to say that.' muscle tissue, has muscle cells and the fat tissue has fat cells, they are not interchangeable.
By no means is it chemically or physically possible for a muscle tissue to convert over to fat and vice versa.
Another thing I constantly hear that training fasted in the morning is more conducive to losing fat. Well, it really depends on your goals.
Because when you wake up, you're in a facet state, which means your body is basically consuming itself. So it's looking at fat storage; it's looking at muscle storage. If your goal is to lose weight and just lean down, that's the best time to optimize that window for training.
But in terms of the effectiveness of training in general. I don't think it matters. You just need to make sure that you are not fatiguing yourself throughout the day if you are training at night.
So when most people think about stretching, their thinking, static, stretching, where you achieve a particular position. You hold that position and your goal is to increase the range of motion. The problem with that is you can end up really loose.
And suppose you follow that type of stretching with something explosive or something ballistic or something, strength-based. In that case, you now have loose tissue and you're not going to be able to produce as much force, and you could also potentially lead yourself to be injured because you're not as stable.
Another great thing I hear and is one of my favorites comes during the holiday. You have an aunt or uncle that's just like, yeah, I'm just trying to lose it right here. And they start pitching the lower an area. And I'm going great? You can't spot reduce the part that you want, but the good thing is it doesn't go the other way either. It's not like when I eat a cheeseburger, it will go right to my right thigh.
And if you were trying to lower your body fat cardio isn't the best way to do it. Cardio doesn't burn fat, cardio burns calories.
So if your goal is to lose weight, And you want to be in a caloric deficit. As a part of getting into that caloric deficit, doing cardiovascular exercises is helpful.
But if you're not following a diet or not monitoring your caloric intake on top of that and making sure that you are in that deficit. There is no amount of cardio that you do that will outrun a bad diet.
And in fact, doing too much cardio can be a bad thing. So if all you're doing is cardio to lose weight, you can start to burn into that muscle tissue. So if you're burning into your lean muscle tissue, you could actually be slowing down your metabolism.
In addition, you could be decreasing your bone density, and you could be making yourself weaker. And that's why I think this myth is potentially the most dangerous and damaging one for the general population,
But that myth may not be as common as the belief that muscle weighs more than fat.
The myth that muscle weighs more than fat is one of my favorites. A pound of bricks weighs the same as a pound of feathers.
The reason muscle is heavier than fat is not because it weighs more; it is because muscle is denser than fat. In terms of building muscle, you can increase your weight on the scale. Thus, the scale isn't always a good indicator of progress when building a physique. And often, at first, you can add muscle and the scale will reflect that you're heavier, but over time, understanding that for all the lean muscle you have, you're increasing your resting calories burned per day.
That's a long-term sustainable change in your body instead of just doing cardio sessions and going into caloric deficit and starving yourself and building muscle. It isn't just for men.
Women think that they'll bulk up if they start working out, and if that's the look you're going for, I think that's great because you're doing something that you want to do.
But if you are working out for general wellness, and how I don't want you to be afraid to lift heavy weights, you're not going to get bulky.
And in fact, weightlifting is essential for women. As we age, we become more prone to getting osteoporosis. So we need to be doing resistance training where our muscles feel that stimulation. It will benefit the bones as well. Our muscles will stay strong.
And whether you're a man or a woman, you don't need weights to build strength. I mean the myth that you have to go to the gym to do strength training is crazy. Your body is a weight. This is why body weight exercises are so important.
It is being able to push up your body or contour. Squat or pull up. If it's a six-pack you want, the muscles themselves aren't that important. So getting a six-pack is not about doing tons of exercises, it has to do with your nutrition and is made in the kitchen.
Your abs are a muscle. You're going to target the muscle. I do leg lifts, planks, Russian twists essentially building.the muscle. So as you're building the engine of the car, And then the outside is your body fat. And how do you show off? You've got to reduce that body fat inside of the car.
Another thing I people often to be confused about is whether sweating a lot means you've got a really great workout. Unfortunately, that's not true either.
Some people are just naturally more prone to sweating. Some people just have underactive, sweat glands. So it means that you're healthy and your filtration system, but it doesn't necessarily reflect the effectiveness of your workout.
But if you do sweat a lot, how should you replenish?
I would not say that most commercial sports drinks are not the most efficient way of rehydrating following a workout, but plain water isn't going to cut it either.
If you're just consuming water too, that's also not the most effective way of hydrating because hydration is not just water. There are also trace minerals that act as electrolytes, which help with nerve conduction.
They help with brain function and muscular contraction. So if you're looking for the best way to rehydrate. Post-workout, it could be very beneficial to add just a dab of pink Himalayan sea salt to water. I think Himalayan sea salt has over 60 trace minerals. All of which are found naturally in human sweat.
So when you consider something like a Gatorade or Powerade, They may have four or five different electrolytes in their blends. So they're calling drastically short in terms of overall hydration when it comes to all the minerals in your body and after a workout, you should also eat protein immediately. Right?
If you already have a protein rich diet, you don't need to worry so much about Downing, a protein shake right after your workout.
Now what you are going to be depleted of though, especially if you're doing anaerobic exercise, you're going to be depleted of glycogen. Glycogen is the immediate form of energy for muscle contraction. And that comes away with simple carbs, carbohydrates and sugars. So post-training, it's important to replenish that glycogen,.but even if you're fueling muscles with a proper diet, they still need time off.
I hear this almost every week, if you're sore, does it means you got a good workout?
That's a myth for sure. The soreness is the breakdown of muscle tissue. It's the chemicals released during that breakdown. It's not an indicator of, oh, I'm getting stronger or I'm getting weaker.
But if your soreness persists for longer than 72 hours, that could be assigned as you're under-recovery.
Over-training one month is not enough to undo a lifetime of that habit. So it's important to start slow. Find the things that you enjoy find the physical activities that make you feel good. Make that a daily habit and there's no one size fits all approach. There's not one type of movement that you should be doing that is better than the other.
So if you enjoy dancing, go out and dance while dancing three times a week, or do a dance cardio class or something that gets you moving. If you like to jump on trampolines, do that. I think the best movement for anyone to do something that they enjoy, because the only way that you're going to stick to your workout, being a lifestyle for you is for you to be doing something you enjoy.