Debunking Female Fitness Myths

One of my favourite parts of my job is watching people's eyes widen when I debunk a myth that has sat like a dark cloud over their head for years on end. I bet just reading that sentence has made a few come to mind.

Eating fat makes you fat? Sit ups make your stomach tight? You need cardio to lose weight?

Let’s debunk some of the most common fitness myths we hear about - namely the ones that impact women! Realising that all myths/fads work the same way, seeming too good to be true, is important in learning to recognise what's real and what's fake in the fitness industry.

You should avoid carbs

I promise you, carbs do not make you fat. If my promise isn’t enough, it’s also backed by decades of scientific research! This myth, like many others, came about by way of misinterpretation. Carbohydrates (especially simple carbs e.g. sugary foods) can be calorie dense. This usually means they’re higher in calories despite the size and easy to over-consume, which led to people thinking that carbohydrates were the cause of their weight gain. What people really should have been saying was “High carbohydrate foods can leave you wanting more, and are easy to overeat. When you overeat consistently, you’re likely to put on weight”. See? It has nothing to do with carbs and everything to do with overconsumption!

Eating fat makes you fat

Fat (dietary fats) and fat (adipose tissue) are not the same. The fat you put in your mouth and eat does not necessarily become fat tissue. Can it? Yes, but so does everything else. Gaining body fat is dependent on being in a calorie surplus. This means you’re eating more than you’re expending. If all you eat are fats (avocado, oil, fatty fish etc.) and you’re in a calorie surplus then yes, you will gain fat. Similarly, if you swapped all fats for protein or carbohydrates and remained in a surplus… you guessed it, fat gain. Just like myth #1, it comes back to overconsumption. Focus on a balanced diet and you won’t need to worry.

You can spot reduce fat with some good workouts

You cannot spot reduce fat. If you want to lose fat on your back and only do pull ups for 6 months, this will not result in fat only coming from your back. Fat loss is dependent on a calorie deficit (consuming less than you expend), and where we lose fat from first or to what degree will depend largely on our genetics and hormones. My advice if you want to lose fat is to focus on exercising your entire body, maintaining a balanced diet and being active.

Intermittent fasting is superior for fat loss

Like I said, you need a deficit. A deficit can be created by a number of tools, with IF being one of them. Typically, people find intermittent fasting useful for fat loss because it makes it easier to enter a deficit when a third or half of their eating window is gone. It’s very much a personal preference thing, but is by no means superior.

You need cardio to lose weight

Should you do cardio to take care of your heart? Probably! Do you need it for weight loss? Absolutely not. Cardio will typically use more energy during a session than weight training, but we shouldn’t be relying on exercise to put us in a deficit. If our nutrition is planned adequately then the fat loss will happen without exercise. So what does this mean for someone who wants to lose weight? Nutrition first, then exercise. Plan your food and then plan sustainable amounts of training for the week. Just remember, fat loss can and will happen without cardio so plan for the long term!

Lifting weights will make you bulky

If your goal is to get bulky then you can definitely make it happen with years of hard work and consistency. However, it won’t happen suddenly and without warning. We often hear this myth and think we’ll wake up one morning with the back the size of a light plane. Building mass takes YEARS. If it were easy, there probably wouldn’t be bodybuilding competitions. Plus, if you figure out how to do it quickly and accidentally, please tell me and thousands of other weight lifters how.

Sweating means you’re burning more calories

Immediately, no. Sweat is water weight. Some people sweat more than others. A hot and sweaty workout is not an indication of high calorie burning. If you lose a lot of sweat during your training, you’re simply going to replenish this when you rehydrate. If you weigh yourself before and after a sweaty workout you will likely see a decrease in your body weight, but again, you will regain this when you drink again. Sweat and energy are in different systems of the body, so try not to attach them.

Pilates makes you slender

Resistance training is resistance training. Pilates won’t necessarily make you slender, but a “skinnier” look can come from regular exercise and nutrition to match. Some people argue that Pilates doesn’t make you bulky long term, and this is simply due to a lack of progressive overload. Is Pilates an incredible form of exercise for strength and flexibility? Hell yeah!

Sore = a good workout

Last but not least, is muscle pain an indication of a good workout? Nah. Some people have more pain than others, and it’s totally normal when you’re exposing your muscles to new weights and ranges of motion. A good workout can happen that results in no pain whatsoever, especially after you’ve trained for a while. Try to focus on lifting weights that push you, and think less about how you’ll feel afterwards!

They're some of the most common ones. They all share similar traits, in that they are restrictive or give us hope that we've found a short cut. Sweaty and painful training, and restrictive eating isn't the way to your goals. Are you wondering about any other myths or concepts? Feel free to message me privately at maddy@maddywilliamsfitness.com.au and I’d be more than happy to clear them up for you.

Your coach & friend,

Maddy