Debunking Fitness Myths: Why More is Not Always Better
When it comes to fitness, there is a lot of information out there. Sorting through the product sales, misleading advertisements, and gym life culture can be confusing and there are a ton of people in the industry that are spreading harmful information. One of the most common is the idea that more is always better when it comes to workouts. The belief is that the more hours you spend in the gym or the more miles you run, the better your results will be. However, this couldn't be further from the truth.
As a personal trainer, I often talk about my own personal experience to help my clients understand why this myth is not true. I grew up as a dancer and spent over 30 hours a week practicing. When I left college and started working with a personal trainer, I was shocked to find that I actually got better results from only 3 45-50 minute workouts per week. This made no sense to me at the time, but now I understand that exercise and exertion are two different things.
Reduce the Risk of Injury in your workouts
Exertion is the act of using physical or mental energy to accomplish a task. In the case of dancing, I was exerting my body, but I wasn't necessarily doing targeted exercises that would make my muscles stronger. On the other hand, exercise is a physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of improving or maintaining physical fitness. When I started doing targeted exercises that were designed to be efficient and effective for my body, I saw better results in a fraction of the time.
So, why is more not always better when it comes to workouts? For starters, spending too much time exercising can lead to burnout and injuries. When you're pushing your body to the limit, you're more likely to get hurt. Additionally, you might not be giving your body enough time to recover between workouts, which can lead to overtraining and fatigue.
Working Out But Not Seeing Results
Another reason why more is only sometimes better is that it can actually slow down your progress. When you're doing too much exercise, your body doesn't have time to adapt and recover. This means that you might not see the gains that you're hoping for. When you're doing targeted exercises that are designed for your body, you're giving your muscles the right amount of stress to help them get stronger.
Too much exercise can actually have a negative impact on your overall health. When you're overexerting your body, you're putting yourself at risk for a variety of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and chronic fatigue.
Work Smarter Not Harder
One common myth that persists in the world of fitness is that in order to feel fit and see results, you have to work out constantly and push your body to the limit. Most people don’t have time to spend 10 hours a week in the gym and that doesn’t have to impact your results. The idea that more workouts are always better is simply not true. In fact, overworking your body can be counterproductive, leaving you with less energy, less time to enjoy your life, and potentially even causing harm to your body. A smarter approach is to focus on quality workouts, using efficient and effective techniques that help you get the most out of your time working out. By doing so, you can achieve your fitness goals while still having plenty of time to enjoy the other important aspects of your life. Our main goal is to prepare your body to move the way you want when you ask and still have time to do all the things in life that are important to you.
Creating customized workout plans designed for each client helps pinpoint the movements that will get the direct results you want to see faster. We take into account your fitness level, goals, and unique body type to create a plan that is effective and efficient. Building in enough time to recover between workouts is an essential part of our process so that they can see the best results possible.
If you have ever felt discouraged from the workout advice you’re finding or you aren’t seeing the results you want you are not alone. More is not always better when it comes to workouts. Instead, it's important to focus on targeted exercises that are designed for your body. By doing so, you'll see better results in a fraction of the time, without putting your body at risk for injury or burnout.
If any of this resonated with you and you want a more intentional workout plan developed around your body book a consultation to see what we can do for you.