It’s now time for what can best be described as a speed round of stupid. I’m going to go through a handful of common weight training/fitness thoughts, ideas, beliefs and concepts that I’ve heard (and still hear), and tell you why they are just stupid silly myths that should be ignored completely. Let the fun begin!

Spot Reduction

Yup, I explained it before, but it’s definitely worthy of its own little section. In case you missed it earlier, spot reduction refers to the idea that you can “reduce” the fat from one specific “spot” on your body just by doing exercises that target that body part. You know, like thinking ab exercises burn stomach fat, back exercises burn back fat, chest exercises burn chest fat, arm exercises burn arm fat, leg exercises burn leg fat, etc.

Well, that’s all complete bullshit. Spot reduction is not actually possible no matter how hard you try. You can’t make your body lose fat from one specific area. It can only be lost from the body as a whole.

The entire concept is a myth.

And yes, actual scientific studies were done to prove this. The first one that comes to mind tested the body fat percentage of the left and right arm of tennis players. If spot reduction were possible, then the arm they use to hold/swing the racket would have less fat on it than the arm they don’t use.

The results? There was no difference whatsoever between either arm. So, for everyone doing a million sets of crunches and other ab exercises thinking it’s having any direct effect whatsoever on the fat on your stomach… you are completely wasting your time. If anything, all you’re doing is overtraining the crap out of your abdominal muscles. The fat covering them will remain completely unchanged.

The reason for this is because the only thing exercises actually target is muscles, not the fat that is covering those muscles. If you want to lose that fat, then you need to put a proper diet in place (and/or cardio activity) that will allow fat to be lost from the entire body as a whole… which of course is the ONLY way the human body actually loses fat.

Eventually the fat you lose will start to come off from the specific body part you wanted to lose it from. Nothing you do can change that in any regard. That’s all predetermined by your genetics whether you like it or not. So, spot reduction is a myth. It can’t actually happen. Don’t waste your time trying.

Ab Machines

This one is really just the sister-myth of the previous spot reduction myth. But, I figure it’s worth mentioning separately anyway. You know all of those fancy looking ab machines that are typically sold in infomercials for “3 easy payments of $19.95” and have dumb names like Ab Roller and Ab Rocker and Ab Lounge and Ab Doer and Ab Something-Equally-Stupid?

You know how all of the ads for those types of machines have people with great bodies and perfect abs pretending to use it and talk about how amazing it is while before and after picture flash across the screen and a voiceover guy says something like “This machine will give you the perfect abs you’ve been dreaming of!”

Yeah, well, that’s all bullshit.

As you just learned, spot reduction is impossible. No exercise will do anything whatsoever to the fat on the body part they are supposed to target. These stupid ab machines are no exception. They will do nothing special in any way.

Think of them as really expensive crunches.

Except, crunches (and other “free” ab exercises) require you to actually do the work. These idiotic ab machines are designed in a way that causes them to do most of the work for you. So, if you like exercises that waste your money, don’t do what they claim, don’t even do what you could do yourself on the floor for free, then these ab machines are perfect. Otherwise, save your money and your time. They are all complete garbage.

Turning Fat Into Muscle (And Vice Versa)

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. There is muscle, and there is fat. They are 2 completely separate things, and one cannot magically turn into the other. You can build some muscle and lose some fat, or lose some fat and build some muscle, but there is no “switch” happening there. Two different/separate things have occurred. One did not turn into the other.

Similarly, muscle doesn’t turn into fat.

People think that’s what happens when they stop working out. It doesn’t. All that happens is you start to gradually lose muscle while at the same time gradually gain fat. Again, 2 completely separate processes. One does not become the other. Got it? Good.

Higher Reps & Lighter Weight = Tone

Oh no, not “tone” again. The quick answer is no, higher reps and lighter weight does NOT equal tone. It’s a
myth. If you skipped it (shame on you for skipping sections!!), check out the entire section I dedicated to the myth of “tone” for a much more detailed answer.

The Real Rate of Muscle Gain & Its Potential Totals

I’m not sure if this one is more of a myth or a flat out lie used to sell junky equipment, terrible e-books, and useless supplements. Either way, muscle cannot be gained anywhere close to the rate some people like to make it seem like it can (or some of us just wish we could). Like I mentioned before, the average natural male doing everything right can expect to gain between 0.25 and 0.5 pounds of muscle per week. The average female can expect about half that (meaning 0.12 – 0.25 pounds of muscle per week).

And yes, those are pretty much the best case scenarios. Steroids and various other similar drugs definitely change that of course, so if you ever come across someone who claims to have consistently gained muscle faster than that, they are either wrong, lying, or using every drug known to man. Or just trying to sell you
something. Speaking of which, if you ever see a product of any kind that claims to allow you to gain muscle faster than that (there’s tons of them), run the other way. It’s complete bullshit 100% of the time.

As for the total amount of muscle you are capable of gaining over your entire lifespan, this will differ from person to person based on their genetics. But, in general, the average natural male may be able to gain a total of 40-50lbs of pure muscle in their life. The average natural female may be able to gain about half that (so a total of about 20-25 pounds of muscle in their life).

Again, there are some exceptions to this based on individual genetics, and again steroids and various other drugs will definitely allow a person to greatly exceed these amounts (which is why every pro bodybuilder does). But, on average, most research and real world experience supports these numbers as being pretty accurate.

Females Getting Big and Bulky From Weight Training

Here’s another myth I’ve already covered and destroyed earlier. In fact, I just accidentally covered and destroyed it again about 5 seconds ago when I explained the rate of muscle gain for females and the total amount they are capable of gaining in their entire life.

But anyway, the short answer = no. Women will not get big and bulky from weight training like many are so scared of getting.

Long answer = check the section I dedicated earlier to this very subject. It will explain exactly why this is nothing but a stupid myth that is only hurting your results.

Muscle Soreness as an Indicator of a Good Workout

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. On Monday, you do your scheduled workout. On Tuesday, you wake up and DON’T feel sore in the muscle groups you trained the day before.

Your first thought: “Damn! My workout must not have been effective!” Yeah, that’s bullshit.

Muscle soreness is not, I repeat, is NOT an indicator of a good workout. It doesn’t mean you had an effective workout or a productive workout or a results-causing workout in any way. Therefore, NOT being sore the day(s) after doesn’t mean your workout was bad, or ineffective, or unproductive, or useless.

As far as workout effectiveness goes, muscle soreness means nothing.

So then, what’s the deal? How come you only get sore some times and not others? How come you used to get sore every time, but now you hardly ever do? Well, it’s all pretty simple. Muscle soreness usually occurs when you make your muscles do something that they just aren’t used to doing. For example, when you first started working out, that was very likely when you experienced the most soreness. Forget the next day… you were probably sore for the entire week.

But then, your body gradually gets more accustomed to what you’re doing and you gradually experience less and less muscle soreness until it reaches the point where you are barely sore or even not sore at all anymore the day(s) after a workout.

Of course, this only explains the “why was I sore then, but not now” question. What about the “why was I sore after this workout, but not my last 10 workouts” question?

Well, like I mentioned before, muscle soreness in the day or days following a workout is mostly caused by your muscles having to do something they haven’t recently been doing (if ever at all). So, if you changed exercises, or changed rest intervals, or changed the number of sets or reps you do, or in some way changed something about your workout, there is a very good chance you’ll be sore the next day.

Was it because this workout or these changes were better or more effective in some way? Not at all. It was only because you changed something, and in doing so you caused your body to do something it wasn’t used to doing. This is what causes muscle soreness.

In time, even these new changes will eventually cause less and less soreness or even none whatsoever. Did they stop working? Are they no longer effective? Of course not… it’s just that your body has become more and more used to them.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some people just happen to get sore after certain workouts and/or exercises (no matter how long they’ve done them) and never get sore after others.