Fitness Experts Bar

 by BASU, TRAINER - NATIONAL CRICKET ACADEMY, TAMIL NADU CRICKET ASSN.

There are many knowledgeable people out there who can offer you some great advice on how to achieve your goals, but you also need to be aware of some of the major myths that exist in the fitness world. So make sure you are not falling for the following common myths, or you will likely see your progression begin to slow and could even set yourself up for injury.

Myth 1: Your Friend’s program will give you the same results
this is a very common notion among gym goers, who constantly ask fellow gym partners what kind of program and diet tricks they use, thinking that if they do the same, they will see the same results. Granted, it may be a very good program and you may see some results with it, but remember that you have a different physiological makeup than every other guy in the gym, and your body will respond to various training protocols in a different manner. So your best bet is to incorporate some aspects of this “workout’s regimen into your program, but play around with the techniques and figure out what works best for you.

Myth 2: You don’t need to work out your legs if you jog
It seems like when you walk through a gym these days, everyone is huddled around the free weights doing arms, while there is no one to be seen at the squat rack. Men often decide to forgo any leg training and just concentrate on their upper bodies. They figure that since they went for a run that morning or did some interval training on the bike the day before, they have already worked their legs enough.

The truth is that working your legs will indirectly help your upper body grow. Your leg muscles are incredibly large; when stimulated, they release a large amount of testosterone — the primary anabolic hormone responsible for muscle growth — throughout the body. Thus, you will benefit your upper body on days you don’t even work it out.

Also, having a strong lower body is the best basis for the rest of your training. Otherwise, it is like trying to build a house without a foundation — not very effective. So be sure you don’t pass up your leg training sessions any longer.

Myth 3: In order to see results, you must push yourself to your limit during every workout
one of the key factors to getting stronger is rest. If you are going to the gym day in and day out, and pushing yourself to the max, you are likely not recovering from your workouts and not getting any stronger. It is when the body is resting that it can repair itself and rebuild so that it is stronger the next time around. If you work out again before your body has recovered, you will only break the muscle down further, causing you to become weaker rather than stronger.

Incorporating some easy or “off” days into your workout plan will give your body the time it needs to recover and will give you a psychological break. You will find that you are better able to stay motivated and you will greatly reduce your chances of overtraining and injury.