Exercise Myths Part 1

By Megan Rupiper, MS, Certified Personal Trainer

Megan Rupiper

Many people read articles in a magazine or on the Internet searching for ways to maximize their gym time. Unfortunately, much of this information is misleading. The following are some common exercise myths you may hear or see every day in the gym.

Myth #1 - "Women should not lift heavy weights, it will make them bulky."

Women say they do not want to lift heavy weights because they are afraid of having big, bulky muscles. The truth is it is very difficult for women to have large, bulky muscles.  Women and men's bodies do not respond the same way to weight training. Women do not have the same hormones as men do. Men's high levels of testosterone allow them to bulk up easily. 

With this in mind, women should not be afraid to grab a heavier set of weights. There are many benefits worth considering. Lifting heavy weights can help improve a woman's bone density. Women are more susceptible to developing osteoporosis later in life than men. When lifting weights, the muscles put a good stress on the bones, which in turn will help strengthen them. Stronger bones can lead to fewer fractures or injuries in the event of a fall as you age. 

Another benefit to lifting heavy weights is a toned physique. To accomplish this goal, women need to lift a weight that is heavy, in a repetition range of 8-12. Once you reach your goal for repetitions in a set, you should not be able to accomplish any more repetitions--the weight should be that challenging. If your final few repetitions were easy, then the weight was too easy. On the next set of repetitions, you should increase your weights. Keeping a workout journal can help keep track of the weights you accomplished in previous workouts.  Working with the same weight without making any changes will result in a plateau of your results. 

Furthermore, lifting heavy weights builds confidence. The feeling of empowerment that results from having a strong body is worth the time in the gym. Being able to easily accomplish your daily tasks, such as keeping up with active children, doing household chores, work-related tasks, or any other physical activity you encounter throughout your day, is a great benefit to lifting heavy weights.

Myth # 2 - "No pain, no gain."

For decades, people have exercised with the idea of "no pain, no gain". If you weren't in pain after your workout it was not effective. The truth is there is a difference between pain and soreness resulting from a workout. Some muscle soreness can be expected following a workout, especially if you are new to exercising. With a consistent exercise routine, you should no longer experience this muscle soreness after your workouts. 

To go along with this idea of "no pain, no gain" your workout should not cause pain while you are doing it. If an exercise is painful you may be doing it incorrectly or you may not be ready for it.  If the exercise is causing you pain while doing it, stop and modify it. If this is ineffective, find an alternative option. If you have pain routinely following your workout, you may benefit from meeting with the personal trainers at Pearce Community Center to make sure you are performing exercises correctly and safely.

Myth #3-"You need to stretch!"

We've all heard it, and we've all seen it, but have you ever asked why do you actually stretch? Is there any benefit to stretching? Research has shown stretching is not an effective warm-up, does not prevent soreness after a workout, does not prevent injury, may make runners slower and decrease jumping ability. Here is some good news: it will make you more flexible. But if you have enough flexibility to perform your routine daily activities, it will not provide a benefit. For those attempting to improve flexibility, the body will return to its previous level after the stretching stops. So there you have it. You can now go the gym and perform activities that are beneficial and save time as well.