Common Myths About Weight Lifting

Weight training is one of the most popular exercises to stay fit and maintain a perfect figure. Weightlifting is a form of exercise like any other and is a time-tested way to improve your strength and general health. Both men and women have become gym freaks to lose weight and boost up stamina. Well, working out is very important but beginners are always scared to start weight training. But there are many myths that are associated with weightlifting.

Myth 1: Lifting weight will make you bulky

Lifting heavy weight won’t make you bulky, eating a lot of calories will though. A woman can build muscle, get stronger and improve their physique by lifting heavy weights, but they will certainly never build as much muscle mass as a man since they have a lower testosterone level. Having a balanced weight training program paired with cardio and proper nutrition will help women obtain a lean and toned body. Heavy is a relative term and depends on the individual; a proper strength training routine will help you develop lean muscle and burn more calories while doing nothing. The leaner muscle you have on your body the higher your metabolism will be.

Myth 2: Weightlifting is not for everyone

Some men may refuse to lift weights because they want to stay sleek, but the real issue with this stereotype is that it often causes women to avoid weightlifting all together. Many women stick to cardio or yoga out of fear of bulking up. Women have less muscle than men and are more prone to bone issues as they age, which means it’s even more important for women to gain muscle through a dedicated weightlifting routine. Weight training also carries other beneficial aspects, such as reducing anxiety and building your core.

Myth 3: Weight training is inferior to body weight exercises

This is also incorrect. Both forms of exercise have their benefits but they can both be used to tone and shape. The benefit of weight training, however, is that it’s very numerical, so it can be very rewarding each week to work to improve the repetitions of movement and the weight that you’re pushing.

Myth 4: Cardio will burn more fat than weight lifting

Cardio is a terrific way to burn calories but when it comes to blasting fat, there’s no substitute for weight training. Many people think they need to ramp up their cardio to increase their metabolism and lose weight. But that’s just not true: Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat and lifting weights can increase the baseline number of your daily calorie burn.

Myth 5: Weightlifting decreases flexibility

This is another of the most common weight lifting myths that have made this fitness exercise so unpopular. Proper stretching before and after the workout is something which people don’t follow. Weightlifting makes you regain your flexibility and maintains it. The squat, particularly, will give your hip muscles a full stretch. But increasing your muscle mass or strength won’t reduce your flexibility at all.

Myth 6: Weightlifting can cause serious injuries

Many beginners feel that weight lifting is injury prone and it can damage the larger muscle group. Weight lifting does not produce more injuries compared to different exercise machines; rather, the injury rates are lower than in any other sport. Weight lifting is used for rehabilitation because it can prevent and fix injuries. The only way you may injure yourself, is if you use a bad technique.

Myth 6: With more muscle, you burn more calories.

This is actually TRUE. The more muscle mass you have, the more will be your Resting Metabolic Rate(RMR). That is your body will burn fatter even when it’s at rest since the added muscle mass would require additional calories to sustain.

In short, weight lifting is a must to maintain your body and to stay fit. A proper workout is one which is an optimal mix of cardio, weight training, H.I.I.T and core exercises.

At ParaFit we design customized training plans with such an optimal mix keeping in mind various and industries best techniques to lose fat and build muscle in the fastest way.