We have all believed false myths about fitness and health at least once. Here are 4 that absolutely need to be debunked.
Sport is one of those areas where false myths are the order of the day. As with nutrition (closely connected to sport), this area of our lives is the favorite battlefield of those who believe they always know everything. Rumors, grandmother’s advice handed down from generation to generation, uninformed influencers… sometimes it is difficult to understand where the truth is and where is mere gossip.
Who has never heard of, for example, the famous drinks which should give you all the energy you need to train? Or who has never met, at least once in their life, someone who demonized carbohydrates?
So here it is, four false myths about fitness which is essential to dispel before starting to do physical activity. They apply to everyone, regardless of gender and age, and have often prevented us from achieving a good performance.
Fitness and health: the myths you shouldn’t believe
The first two myths concern squats and are very widespread among those who practice sports at an amateur level. In fact, when practicing squats, we are often told that the exercise is not effective if we do not descend very deeply (beyond the imaginary knee-hip line) and do not squeeze the buttocks in the ascent phase. In reality, these two indications are not only false, but also potentially harmful.
First, the most effective way to do squats is to go down to bring your hips in line with your knees and then hold the position for a few seconds. In this way, all those leg and buttock muscles that the squat has the task of training will be activated. Those who go lower, however, risk putting too much weight on their knees and back, compromising both the effectiveness of the exercise and their health.
Secondly, there is no need to tighten your buttocks to get the maximum effect from the exercise. Indeed, a too abrupt movement could lead you to unbalance your pelvis too much forward. A good practice could therefore be to squeeze your buttocks slightly or not at all. Always remember that the effectiveness of an exercise is not measured based on the burning of the muscles.
A third myth to dispel concerns sweat. Who has never heard that if you don’t sweat, you haven’t performed the exercise well? That’s actually not true. There are people who are genetically predisposed to sweat more than others, but that doesn’t make their training any less effective.
Finally, it is not true that it is necessary to train every day to achieve good results. On the contrary, the days of rest are just as necessary as training ones. In this way, the body will have the necessary time to recover from the stress suffered and produce again those substances that it will burn in the new training. Being followed by a specialized person, at home or in the gym, is always recommended to understand when and how it is best to train.