Follow-up: Fitness Myths

1. Spot losing
Also known as spot training, basically the idea is you can lose the fat on a specific body part by exercising it. It does not work that way. The only way is to lose body fat. Exercising the body part would only make it stronger, not burning the fats.

2. Doing crunches will give me a six-pack as long as I do enough
This is similar to the above. By doing crunches, you will strengthen the abdominal muscles, but will not remove the fats covering it. A person with a big belly no matter the muscle underneath will not be visible without removing that layer of fat.

3. Stretching before a workout will prevent injuries
Just stretching is not enough, instead there should be light exercises such as walking, slow jogs to ready the muscles for more intense activities.

4. Working on the same body part everyday would produce faster results
On the contrary, exercising the same part everyday would not allow your muscles to grow. To build muscle mass, the body should have sufficient rest. The training frequency should be at least two days apart to allow the muscles to rest and grow. If the muscles are still sore, you probably shouldn't continue the training just yet.

5. Pain is good
No, pain is bad. Any pain suffered by your body during a training should be considered a warning. If such a situation occur stop the workout immediately to access the situation. However, there is a key difference between the burn caused by the build up of lactic acid and a pain from maybe a strain or pulled muscle.