HEALTH

Fact or furphy? We reveal the truth behind common fitness myths

8 March, 2022 . 0

Wary running might bung your knees? Guzzling gallons of water every day? Our motivation for such practices might be good, but is there actually any merit to it?

If you love fitness, or you’re on a new health kick, no doubt you’ll be googling all the tips and tricks to boost and maintain your workout regime.

But beware, there are a few common furphies that pop up from time to time that not only are not true, but can actually be harmful.

Here are some common fitness myths we debunked.

Myth: Longer workouts are better

Can your 20-minute high-intensity workout be just as good as an hour-long walk? Yes.

Research has shown that people can burn identical calories in a shorter HIIT workout compared to prolonged, steady, continuous exercise.

This means you don’t have to spend hours pounding the pavement and instead squash your workout into an efficient timeframe and get the same results.

In addition, new research has shown resistance exercises in frequent smaller doses per week are more effective in producing visible results.

A little goes a long way: Why mini-workouts can work wonders

Myth: Running is terrible for your knees

Many people cringe when thinking about their knees and a daily jog.

But despite the common view running is bad for the knee joint, there’s mounting research showing no link between regular jogging and knee osteoarthritis, and it may actually be beneficial to the knee joint.

“Generally, this is incorrect because it’s so dependent on things like the individual’s physiology, their biomechanics, and probably also the things like the terrain, shoes, and things like that,” explains Australian Fitness Academy, managing director Steve Hore.

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Myth: You can choose where you burn fat

Maybe you want to shave off some of the excess weight on your thighs, or you don’t like how big your arms are.

The bad news is you can’t target a part of your body to lose localised fat.

“Fat loss is always evenly distributed between the arms, legs and torso,” personal trainer Tristan Forbes says.

“I’ve never seen a higher loss within the arms or the legs alone, even if that’s the area of your body you’re using.”

This means doing lots of sit-ups will not ensure you get a visible six pack, as it will depend on your natural physique and overall percentage of body fat.

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Myth: Treadmills are the same as running outside

Running outdoors provides a superior workout to a spin on the treadmill, according to Steve.

“Because normally, if you’re running outdoors, there’ll be gradients involved,” he says.

“So, there’ll be slight uphills and downhills.

“You’ll be running around corners, and all these incorporate more stabilising muscles to assist with your technique and balance.

“Whereas if you’re running on a treadmill, most people will just run on a flat treadmill.

“So, you can get in a nice rhythm on the treadmill, but you won’t bring into play some of those stabiliser muscles.”

While both outdoor and treadmill running decreased fat percentage, running outside maintained leg muscle mass and yielded higher physical fitness improvements, according to a 2022 study.

You’ll also be missing out on the proven benefits to your mental health, which comes from being in the great outdoors.

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Myth: Sweating is a sign of a good workout

Unless you’re working up a sweat during exercise, you’re not working hard enough, right? Wrong.

There are high sweat exercises and low sweat exercises, according to Tristan, who says we need a good balance of both for the best results.

“A high sweat exercise is when you’re getting out of breath, and then a low sweat activity will be something like yoga, where you’re not burning up a sweat or getting out of breath, but you’re definitely moving,” he explains.

Incorporating both will help tone and build muscle, as well as burn calories.

Tristan says adopting a mix also means you’re also less prone to injury.

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Myth: You need eight glasses of water a day

Staying hydrated is an essential aspect of fitness, with it being crucial when it comes to performance and avoiding heat stress.

But Steve says there’s no magical daily quantity you need to drink to run at your peak.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding around hydration,” he says.

“It’s been recommended over the years that people would be drinking lots and lots of water throughout the day.

“But you don’t need to do this to stay hydrated.

“If you’ve not done a whole lot of exercise, and it’s not a particularly warm day in the middle of winter, and you’re not sweating, then you probably don’t need to be religiously drinking two litres of water every day.”

Instead, he recommends people trust how they feel or pay attention to the colour of their urine to judge whether they need to drink more water.