Bodybuilding Myths
Bodybuilding is one of the oldest things in human history, not talking about the new era that has all the fancy products like protein powder or gym trainers, fitness apps, etc., but back in time when there were no indoor gyms, bodybuilding was a sport that people practiced to make themselves strong for playing certain kind of competitive games.
Myths, as the word, do not just apply to bodybuilding, but in many other areas of life. Myths have to be busted because they tend to take over our thoughts. This blog post consists of some of the most common bodybuilding myths that have to be gotten rid of.
1. You cant LOOSE FAT and GAIN MUSCLE at the same time.
The first thing any gym buddy says is, that you can’t build muscle and lose fat at the same time. But is that true? Is that how most athletes train? The answer is NO. Because our body is designed in such a way that it can do both things together without anything to worry about.
It is just that a person needs to be fully active during the day, have meals in proper time duration with proper nutrients which helps in muscle building and fat loss, and be consistent in training. Anybody and everybody can achieve a physique doing these two simultaneously.
The main fact is the carbohydrate should be low and the protein intake should be high in order to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. If you maintain this thing, it is for sure no matter what your body looks like now, it will change.
2. WEIGHT TRAINING should come before CARDIO
One of the common myths in bodybuilding is that we should do weight training first and then cardio. The simple reason they give is that you will burn energy in cardio and then be left with very less energy and enthusiasm for lifting weights. But is that true?
If you have a goal and working on it properly, then you will have a workout program and diet. The total amount of calories that the diet is providing is enough for the whole training process. But, the body releases certain growth hormones while lifting weights and burns fat while doing cardio. So, it is up to you to decide.
And also, too much cardio is also a no-go. Because doing excess of that can really make your body go out of stored muscle glycogen which will lead to tiredness and fatigue.
3. More than 30 grams of PROTEIN per meal is useless
It was believed that in bodybuilding, bodybuilders had to have 30 grams of protein per meal and not more than that. This was maybe because they had more small meals a day opposing the breakfast-lunch-dinner that normally we have.
The body can digest 25 to 30 grams of protein after a workout session. If you are having 5 to 6 meals per day according to your workout program and metabolism, you may adjust the protein intake as per the requirement. There is no such thing that the body can digest only 30 grams of protein per meal because it all depends on an individual’s digestive system and the kind of protein food one is implementing.
4. TRAIN until you are EXHAUSTED
Train till you get exhausted! A myth in bodybuilding that has nothing to do with beginner athletes or bodybuilders. This is a thing which one should do when he has been training for years because his muscles will stop giving results after some time. But the person who is training for just a while now will get results anyway with a normal intensity of training.
It is found that after following a program for 2 to 3 months, the results will slowly go down, now at this time, one can do more intense training with the same exercises which may push the muscle to grow. Apart from this, there is no point in training so hard, you are just going to train and get no results.
5. Train HEAVY for RESULTS
Bodybuilding has this one for sure, training heavily to get results! It is sometimes true but not every time. It has got its own benefits and downsides. If you are a beginner, training too heavy is a risk, because you do not have base muscles and a strong core to withstand those heavyweights. So, for a beginner, it is not recommended.
Now, when comes to a person who has a much longer goal has to train both types of muscle fibers to make a difference. Because training only for strength that is up to 7 reps does not stimulate all the muscle fibers leading to fewer metabolic changes that will not help gain muscle properly. Instead, you should go from 8-12 reps so that every muscle fiber gets trained in order to bulk up.
6. Stay AWAY from SUGAR
Those days are gone when we used to have sugar sweets and treats loaded with sugar. These days we are often scared by the diseases like diabetes, problems like tooth decay, etc. But, is it true when it comes to bodybuilding?
After a workout, having sugar is a good thing to do. Because after a workout your muscles should be refueled as quickly as possible. So having some sugary foods like fruits (banana, apple, chiku, etc.) as soon after the workout is really a good thing. Also, you should have protein with it because your muscles need protein to build muscle.