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19 Gym Myths to Stop Believing Immediately

Working out is hard enough without these unhelpful pieces of locker room 'wisdom' distracting you from what actually works.

By: Tom Ward

woman with battle ropes in a gym with a wooden floor


We
ve all heard our share of well-worn gym myths. And deep down, maybe we suspect theyre all a load of old rubbish.

Will weight training make you uncomfortably swole if youre a woman? Do men really not need to stretch? And do you need to eat a whole cow right this second (or, ever)?

Our experts puncture all this hot air so that you can focus on the stuff that actually works.

Gym life

Everyone is looking and laughing at me

Everyone starts somewhere. If someone ever does laugh at you, it says a lot more about them than it does about you. When I first started training, someone laughed at me. I always think about the saying He who laughs last, laughs longest." – Robert Utley, founder, Real Body Performance

 

I'm not fit enough to do [insert gym]'s classes yet

 A lot of gyms and trainers will be able to advise, adapt and scale the class and exercises to make sure that it is effective and safe for the participants. Everyone's fitness journey starts somewhere and there is a 100 per cent chance that someone in the class that you're thinking about going to was once thinking the same thing.” – James Dollah, head coach at Puresport

 

No pain, no gain, broseph

You do not need to beast yourself every single workout. Fitness should be fun and enjoyable and should show you what you are capable of.” – Nat Voyle, strength and conditioning coach at VAHA

 

I’m too inflexible to do yoga 

Thats the whole reason youre here!” – Chatty Dobson, yoga teacher and owner of FLEX Chelsea

 

I don’t have enough time to work out

 If you have a plan in place, your workout doesnt need to take hours. For a strength session, you need to train the seven main muscle groups in the body and ideally you need to repeat the exercise three times, for between 6-12 reps. I can take a client through a whole body workout in 45 mins, including warm-up and stretching. It just means less time looking in the mirror.” – Rachel Lines PT and nutritional expert @rachel.lines.fitness


Running is all about the legs 

Your core muscles are your stabilizing force when you run. They play a big role in keeping you upright and stable during runs and sprints. And the better your core muscles function, the longer youll be able to maintain an optimal running style.” – David Wiener, training specialist at lifestyle coaching app Freeletics


Men don’t need to stretch, bruv 

Too often, males are focused on building size and strength, without paying attention to their mobility and flexibility. Ninety per cent of injuries will typically occur due to a lack of these two things. Plan one to two mobility sessions into your weekly training regime – you wont regret it.” – Tom Cuff-Burnett, PT and movement specialist @tomcuffb_fitness

Getting swole 

Lifting weights makes women bulky

Whenever I recommend strength training to my female clients, this will be their response 80 per cent of the time. But applied in the right way, and accompanied by the right nutritional advice, weight training can dramatically alter and improve a womans figure, not to mention provide a host of other benefits, such as increased bone density, higher basal metabolic rate and improved heart health.” – Tom Cuff-Burnett


You need to be almost throwing up for a workout to be effective

This is a big myth! Sometimes less is more. Quality over quantity when it comes to workouts.” – Tash Lankester, PT at FLEX Chelsea 


Lifting heavy is all that matters, son

While progressive overload is the overriding principle when it comes to strength and hypertrophy, this doesnt have to be about adding another 5kg or 10kg to your lift, especially if your movement quality and form breaks down. Put simply, lifting something with better form than before is still progress.” – Ollie Weguelin, director at Sustain Performance

 

Having time off will ruin my progress, bro

Having time off being on plan will not ruin your progress. I work on the more often than not principle. As long as Im sticking to my plan more often than not, I will progress towards my goal.” – Robert Utley

woman deadlifting in a gym

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Eating right 

I need a protein shake NOW

You see the guys in the gym that chug a protein shake as soon as they finish a set? You dont need to eat within half an hour – or whatever arbitrary number – after a workout. We generally say have a decent meal within two hours of your gym session. You dont need to run out to your car for a banana between sets.” –  Daniel Clarke lead sustainable nutrition executive at Huel

 

Soy will give me man-boobs

This drives me crazy. Soy is so good for you. The plant oestrogen found in soy is not the same as human oestrogen, and to get enough to actually cause such changes in your body would be incredibly difficult. My partner and I consume loads of soy (edamame beans, soy milk, and other soy-based products) and he is very much man-boob free.” – Hillary Cannon, a BNC certified nutritionist and founder of BarreFly



It’s all about the supplements, dude 

Buying a supplement stack won't help you achieve your goals. It will give you short-term motivation, but you need to make real life changes rather than just adding additional supplements.” – Chris Roche, strength and conditioning expert at Huel


Where is the nearest cow? I must eat it all immediately 

You dont have to have steak every day to gain muscle. Putting on muscle isnt just about protein. You need to eat more calories. Im quite a skinny guy. If I want to put on muscle, three steaks a day wont work. You need fuel and energy to bulk up. That means carbs.” – Daniel Clarke, lead sustainable nutrition executive at Huel

 

Getting shredded, bro

You just have to eat less and move more 

“It’s not all about how much you eat and how much you move. Body weight is a complex thing and is influenced by countless factors, some of which are changeable and some of which are not. Alongside improving your diet and moving your body, consider how well you sleep, and how you can reduce your day-to-day stress or anxiety. All of these factors have an influence on your health and body weight.” – Rosie Martin, NHS health and wellness dietitian, and an advisory board member for Plant Based Health Professionals UK


Weight training is only for gaining weight

One of the biggest gym myths I want people to get over is that weight training is no good for losing weight. You must weight train if you want to lose weight. A high reps, low weights program is going to help tone your muscles and burn more calories than just an aerobic session. A higher muscle mass can also boost your metabolic activity, meaning its more efficient at fat and calorie burning all round.” - Chris Antoni, Tailor Made Fitness 


I have to do HIIT every day to get thin

It might help, but in time, it can wreak havoc on your hormones, your mood, your sleep and your stress levels. And too much stress is bad for fat-burning.” – Lucy Gornall, head of wellness at Puresport


Doing crunches will build a six-pack

Ab exercises do play a part in getting a six-pack, but they should by no means be the only thing you are doing to train your core. Targeting compound exercises like squats and deadlifts also help. You might not feel the direct burn, but these exercises have your core working overdrive to stabilize your body during. Trim that excess belly fat by adding cardio in, as well as healthy eating, to help improve your chances of getting the six-pack you want.” – Chris Antoni

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