Five gym myths to avoid for the good of your health

It's always best to listen to the experts and stay clear of the Schwarzenegger wannabes, so here are five gym myths you should avoid.

Myth: Yoga is nonsense, stick to static stretching

If you start attending yoga classes you’ll quickly notice that your balance, static strength and breathing ability will improve. Some people have the idea that static stretching is the best for your body, however, studies show that this may not be the case.

Yoga and dynamic stretching (moving as you stretch) help move your muscles through different ranges of motions allowing for a better all-round stretch.

But what’s that we hear you say? The lads might laugh at you? Well think of it this way: you’ll be the one surrounded by a room full of fit and flexible ladies bending in the ‘crouching dog’ position while they wear their skin-tight yoga clothes. Who’s laughing now?

Myth: Weight machines are better than free weights

Some people swear by weight machines but the truth is that they don’t do as much for you as free weights.  This is because weight machines force you into a single motion that is unnatural, so you lose out on building specific areas as well as your natural posture and balance.

You might have massive guns after a few reps on a weight machine but you’ll be lacking in the smaller muscles – the ones that count.

Myth: Long slow jogs burn weight faster

If you’re looking to shift a few stubborn kilos then someone might tell you to go for a long slow jog. However, this is about as good for losing weight as taking a tour of a Ben and Jerry’s factory on freebie day – it’s useless.

If you want to turn the body’s fat burning furnace up to 11 then you’re better off sprinting until you think you’re going to pass out and then walking until you recover. Repeat this until your body cant sprint anymore. Your metabolism turns into fat burning mode when you push yourself to ‘the edge’ and not when you’re taking a brisk jog.

Myth: 100 sit-ups a day will give you rock hard abs

Sport stars might say they do 100 sit-ups a day to keep their rock hard abs, but that’s usually because they have a dodgy workout video in the pipeline and they’re hoping you’ll eventually buy it. D

oing 100 sit-ups a day might get you a six-pack but you wont be able to see them thanks to a stubborn layer of fat covering them. So, you need to focus on an overall workout to see the results you want. There’s no quick fixes here. Some workouts promise rock hard abs without even doing a single sit-up. Why not try resistance training instead?

Myth: You’re not doing it right if you’re not losing weight

One thing that a lot of lads don’t really talk about openly is their weight. For some, going to the gym is all about losing a few extra kilos, but you shouldn’t be put off if your not shedding the pounds.

Although the scales might be staying in the same place, your overall fitness will have improved so your time at the gym will be worthwhile.