In the fitness world, it’s easy to come across misconceptions that can confuse or hinder progress. However, it’s crucial to separate fact from fiction to ensure you follow a smart and safe fitness plan.
The Truth About Muscle and Fat
It’s a common misconception that muscle turns into fat when training stops, but this is biologically impossible. While many recognize the benefits of fitness, few understand what happens to muscles when training ceases.
Personal Trainer Daron Hutt explains: “In a sedentary state muscles undergo a reversal but not into fat, muscle and fat are completely different types of tissue and cannot transform into the other. When a person stops training muscle mass will decrease due to reduced demand on the body, due to a lack of stimulus (training) shrinking in a process known as atrophy.”
Confusion often arises because muscle mass decreases, possibly due to less exercise, thus fat can increase. However, this is not muscle converting to fat but muscle loss and fat gain which Daron argues have a simple solution, he explains: “Stay active, even if you reduce the intensity of your training, to preserve muscle mass.”
Can Cardio Kill Muscle Gains?
Many hold the belief that cardiovascular exercise, such as swimming, running, or cycling can destroy hard-earned muscle gains by burning too many calories and trigger the body into a catabolic state. This is a state in which the body breaks down more tissues than it builds up and can lead to a breakdown of muscle tissue.
However, Daron argues that muscle breakdown of this kind is only possible when there is excessive cardio without strength training involved. He explains: “The key to cardio and strength training lies in balance.”
Cardio enhances endurance and supports weight management, complementing strength training to improve fitness, boost stamina, and enable heavier lifting.
Do I Need to Train Everyday to See Progress?
Excessive cardio and an overall attitude to ‘pushing hard’ stems from another commonly believed myth that when starting a new workout routine, you need to train every day to see noticeable progress. But this can cause great harm resulting in overtraining syndrome.
Overtraining syndrome results from excessive exercise without enough rest, causing a range of health and fitness issues including performance decline, chronic fatigue, muscle soreness, increased illness risk, and a higher resting heart rate. Psychological symptoms include irritability, depression, and insomnia.
Studies conducted by Sport Health on athletes showed that excessive exercise or increased loads of training were only tolerated through interspersed periods of rest and recovery. Whereas regular training without adequate rest led to a decrease in performance.
Daron explains this is because of the importance of recovery in muscle growth. He notes: “Muscles don’t grow during workouts; they grow during the recovery phase. When you train intensely, you create small tears in the muscle’s fibres, and it’s during rest periods that muscles repair and become stronger.”
Daron would advise two full rest days per week for most individuals to ensure the body is allowed to recover and rebuild muscle tissue. But active recovery, such as light walking or yoga, can also be beneficial if muscles have adequate time to repair and grow.
I’m A Woman. How Much Should I Diet and Will Lifting Heavy Weights Bulk Me Up?
Weightlifting has sparked a revolution among female fitness enthusiasts in recent years, but despite its increasing popularity, many women still believe lifting weights will result in a bulky physique.
However, lifting heavier weights promotes muscle growth and athletic performance, but women, with lower testosterone levels than men, face more difficulty achieving a bulky physique. Building such a physique requires years of dedicated training and a calorie surplus.
Research conducted by Sports Med notes that lifting weights can result in an individual burning fat and losing weight. The more muscle you build, the more fat your body will burn, and incorporating some cardio exercises alongside can speed up the process.
Effective exercise and dieting are key for weight loss, but myths suggest dieting must be overly restrictive. Excessive calorie cuts can lead to fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, and, for women, suppressed fertility, with studies showing reproductive function declines when women consume 22-42% fewer calories than needed.
On the importance of balance Daron Hutt explains: “Whilst diet is an essential component of weight loss, it doesn’t have to be overly restrictive. Fad diets or extreme calorific cuts are not sustainable in the long run and can create a string of irreversible health issues. A balanced, healthy diet that aligns with an individual’s fitness goals is the key to sustainable progress.”