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MYTH 1: Low intensity steady state cardio is good for fat loss.
1
The fitness industry is a relatively young one
from a research perspective. Since the Weider
brothers first got everyone excited about
bodybuilding in the 1940s and Dr. Kenneth
Cooper coined the term ‘aerobics’ in 1968, the
scientific community has been busy trying to
figure out what works and what doesn’t. Although we know a lot more now than we did
even five years ago, some fitness/ exercise
myths just will not die. Consider this our part
to help set the record straight.
MYTH 2: Muscle turns into fat.
SCIENCE
ISE
M
BY:
Fitness
2
First, let’s be clear about
something: muscle cells and
fat cells are two entirely different things and one can never turn into the
other though it may seem like it. You can
probably recall someone who was once
quite muscular but became flabby after
they stopped working out. The issue isn’t
that their muscle cells turned into fat cells –
it’s that they stopped working out! Muscle
tissue will not retain its size and strength
if it is not needed and will get smaller if
you are not training. The concomitant loss
of muscle and the extra calories no longer
being burned in workouts and recovering
from workouts will usually result in weight
gain. Unfortunately it will all be coming in
the form of fat. The moral of the story is…
don’t stop working out. Keep your muscle
tissue. You’ll need it to get out of the bath
tub when you’re 90!
The myth of the ‘fat burning’ zone just won’t go
away and it doesn’t help that the fitness equipment
industry continues to perpetuate the myth with ‘fat
burning programs’ on their treadmills, etc. Yes, at a lower
intensity you will burn a greater amount of your exercise
calories from fat (rather than carbohydrate) BUT you will not
be burning very many calories. If 50 percent of your calories
came from fat, therefore, and you burn 140 kcal in 30 minutes you will have burned 70 fat kcal. Pick up the pace of that
workout and instead of burning 140 kcal in 30 minutes, you’ll
burn 260 kcal and if only 30 percent of those calories come
from fat (at higher intensities your body is forced to use more
carbohydrate for fuel than fat) you will have burned 78 kcal
from fat. AND (and this is big so pay attention) you will burn
more fat after an intense workout as your body works hard
to return to its resting metabolic status, resulting in greater
fat loss. Exercising at higher intensities elicits more overall
benefit from your exercise!
MYTH 3: If you have a ‘bad’ back you should strengthen
your core with sit-ups or crunches.
3
Ahhh…the ubiquitous “crunch” The action
.
of spinal flexion causes the vertebrae in your
spine to compress the intervertebral discs in
between. Eventually this compression, if repeated
regularly or with enough force, can cause bulging or
herniations to occur. Professional sitters (sitting all day
for work) can often experience episodic bouts of lower
back pain. The problem with sitting is that it is hard to
do well. A safe seated posture requires that the lower
back be in a neutral position and that the entire spine
retain its regular “S” curve. Unfortunately, after long
periods gravity and fatigue take over, producing a
flexed posture. Maintaining that posture for several
hours puts pressure on the intervertebral discs and
pain can ensue. What if this same individual then
decided to strengthen his or her core with crunches?
Bam! More pain! They would be repeating the action
that injured them in the first place and expecting it
to help fix the problem. That’s like putting your burnt
hand near the hot stove to help it heal. Ouch!
fall 2013 | wo magazine | 19