The Biggest Fitness Myths That Refuse To Die

Feeling confused about exercise? If so, you're not alone. Most gym goers have a hard time figuring out what works and what doesn’t work. With all the conflicting information out there, it's hard to tell what to eat and how to train for best results.

Some experts claim that cardio is the key to fat loss. Others say that it actually doesn’t more harm than good. The same goes for strength training. It's not unusual to hear celebrity trainers saying that women shouldn't lift more than five pounds or so.

To help you out, we’ve cleared up some of the most common fitness myths. Once you know the truth, you'll make smarter choices and reach your goals.

(Want to take the guess work out? Get started on a training program that's right for you today!)

MYTH: Cardio Is the Key to Weight Loss

Without a doubt, cardiovascular training has its perks. It improves heart function, boosts aerobic endurance, and relieves stress. However, it's not necessarily the best way to torch fat. Too much cardio actually raises your cortisol levels, which in turn, affects testosterone production. Your body needs testosterone to build and preserve muscle.

Excessive cardio also causes fatigue and slows your metabolism. Moreover, it burns both fat and muscle. If your goal is to lose weight, swap cardio for HIIT. High intensity interval training boosts metabolism and preserves lean mass. It's also less time consuming and triggers the so-called afterburn effect. This means you’ll keep burning calories long after finishing your workout.

MYTH: Spot Reduction Works

If you're doing hundreds of crunches and sit-ups a day, stop right now! Believe it or not, you're wasting your time. Spot reduction is just a myth. No matter how hard you try, you can not lose fat from specific areas. Fat cells are distributed throughout your entire body. The only way to slim down your waist or legs is to lose fat overall.

Isolation exercises can only strengthen the muscles that are being worked. They won’t burn fat from those areas. Diet accounts for over 80 percent of your results. To shed fat, eat clean, lift heavy, and stay in a calorie deficit.

MYTH: Weight Lifting Makes Women Bulky

Those five-pound dumbbells won't "tone" your arms or shape your body. If you want strong, lean muscles, go heavy in the gym. As a woman, you don’t have enough testosterone to get "bulky." Actually, testosterone levels in the female body are up to 14 percent lower than those in men. Weight training will sculpt your body from head to toe and boost your metabolism.

MYTH: Detox Is the Way to Go

If you think about it, do you really think that sipping on detox drinks and skipping meals is the key to fat loss? Detox diets can actually lead to muscle loss, fatigue, and sluggish metabolism.

While there are many variations of "detox" options there continues to be overwhelming evidence that "cleansing" your system is both unnecessary, and not actually beneficial.

When you're starving yourself, your body breaks down the protein in muscle for fuel. As a result, lean mass decreases and metabolic rate drops. This makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off. The pounds you'll drop during a detox are most likely water and muscle, not fat.

Fortunately, it’s never too late to fix these mistakes and get back on track.

Check out these time-tested methods to build the body you’re after: 

The 5 Rules For Getting Results