Debunking Muscle Building Myths

By Russ Hollywood


While there are many myths surrounding how to build muscle, there are five which stand out more than most. Today we will be looking at each of these popular theories and examining why they are simply not true.

How many workouts should you do per week? Should women lift weights or stick to cardio? These are questions you'll commonly hear in most gyms but most people never find out the facts on these subjects, such is the level of confusion surrounding fitness in general.

Whether your goal is to gain significant muscular size or simply to lose some unwanted weight, you will find it a very confusing journey if you succumb to the many myths which are in popular culture. When you begin basing your training and diet around scientific fact rather than the theories displayed in magazines and gossip columns, you'll notice far more success. []

1) Can girls lift weights or not?

This is a commonly asked question and dates back over 30 years. Resistance training is perfectly safe for females, but most are terrified by old myths that they will get big and bulky. Females do not have the necessary testosterone levels to achieve such growth, so fearing it doesn't make sense. If you want to get the type of body displayed by Jessica Ennis and other Olympic athletes in London last year then resistance training is crucial.

2) How important are supplements?

Supplements are a good thing. The enable you to enhance a good diet even further. However, they can become a bad thing when too much weight is placed upon their importance within your routine. Your main results are going to come from your diet and your training, not which whey protein brand your choose. Keep supplements down to a minimum, such as a whey protein and creatine monohydrate.

3) Which workout frequency is best for results?

The answer to this question depends on your current fitness level. If you are still new to the gym then you can get great results with a two-to-three day split, working the full body in each session. However, when you get more experienced and need to do more work on a muscle group to stimulate new growth it would be wise to use a split routine. This means working one or two muscle groups per session over the course of the week. Even with this type of split, you could get fantastic results with 3-4 workouts each week. There is no need to go to the gym every day.

4) Can you succeed without sorting out your diet?

If you diet but you don't train, you will find it more difficult to lose body fat and you'll struggle to look any better. If you train but don't diet, you'll enjoy your time in the gym but never see the results your hard efforts deserve because you'll always have stubborn layers of fat covering them up. It's a partnership, not a competition. One aspect is not more important than the other.

5) How do you know your calorie intake is correct?

If you have never watched your diet before then this can prove to be a tricky topic to get to grips with. The easiest way to set a good daily target is to multiply your target weight in pounds by anywhere from twelve to fifteen. This will set an attainable target for you and ensure you are providing your body with enough nutrients.

Many people continue to buy into these myths on a daily basis and it's not uncommon to see folks who believe all of the things we have shown you today, despite the mountains of proof which is widely available to them. Knowing how to build muscle is as simple as keeping things down to the basic, proven methods and staying consistent with your efforts.




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