The Biggest Myths and Mistakes in the Gym

Myth 1) Toning / Spot Reduction
The concept of toning in itself is a myth. Simple.

A toned physique is a combination of two factors: increase in muscle mass and a reduction of fat. Muscle has a much higher density (and weight) than fat and as such - is more defined in its shape. The more muscle you have the more shapely and well defined your body shape will be, and the less fat that covers that muscle the more this will show.

Put simply; get more muscle and burn fat; look 'toned'. By encouraging muscle growth through resistance training we can determine where we will increase our muscle mass. Unfortunately we can't decide where we lose our fat. Where the fat is stored or burned first is predetermined by hormones, genetics, sex and age. Generally speaking men tend to retain more fat around their stomach while women tend to store more fat around their hips and thighs. The only one of these factors we can affect is our hormones. High intensity resistance training increases the body's production of epinephrine while prolonged endurance training (cardio) produces more cortisol- the hormone which encourages the body to store fat. More on these hormones later.

Increasing your lean muscle mass will increase you basal metabolic rate (BMR) which means that your body will consume more energy while doing everything, including doing nothing at all.

With the exception of rehabilitation and introducing movement patterns, lifting light weights is a complete waste of time. If you can lift a weight for more than 15 repetitions then the weight is too light and needs to be increased. It doesn't matter who you are or what your goals are, this means YOU.