Fitness Myth Busters

I’m sick and tired of myths.

There are so many myths thrown around in the fitness industry, it’s getting to the stage where the average Joe or Jane simply doesn’t know what to think. I’ve heard everyone from newbie gym-goers to personal trainers spout some absolute BS over my years as a coach, and in this article I have picked 5 of my personal favorites to ‘beat the BS’ on.

1. You NEED to avoid sugar.

Sugar/sucrose (common table sugar which is 50% fructose/50% glucose) is a good source of carbohydrates.

Surprising, eh?

Just like the carbohydrates found in oats or rice, the carbs from sucrose are broken down and stored in the liver and muscles as readily available energy in the form of glycogen.

Now sucrose is indeed a nutrient void food and scores very low on the ‘satiety index’. It will not keep you as full as a carb source like potato which has an abundance of vitamins, minerals and fibre …. BUT If calories protein and fibre are matched between a diet with 200g of carbs from wholefood sources and 200g of carbs from sugar, then the overall outcome of the diet will be the same whether you’re in a calorie surplus or calorie deficit.

Due to the lack of nutrients in sucrose I always suggest my clients consume (depending on individual macro targets) between 3-6 servings of vegetables, 1-2 servings of fruit per day and they will be consuming 10-13g of fibre per 1000calories from their daily calorie target.

Rounding it up:

Hit your macros and fibre, consume a variety of fruit and veg (so your body takes in all essential vitamins and minerals) and then feel free to make up the rest of your carb intake from sugar (if you want).

It all comes down to being flexible with your carbs…

Eat what you want to eat and not what you feel like you have to eat… (That means a daily portion of Frosted Shreddies for me!)

(Photo by David Pacey)

2. You NEED to eat protein every 2-3 hours to grow muscle

Think you’ve got to eat protein frequently to build mass?

Think again.

So far, no studies have shown there to be muscle gain or fat loss benefits from eating protein every 2-3 hours, and there may even be some negatives to doing so.

It’s actually better to consume larger protein intakes spaced further apart to maximize muscle gain potential (protein synthesis) than eating fewer and smaller doses.

The Initial thought was the more frequently you consume protein the better and quicker your muscles will grow.

But when you eat a meal that contains protein, carbs and fat, your body processes all the nutrients together, and that means the duration of protein synthesis (i.e. how quickly your muscles uptake protein) is actually around 3 hours.

Even after 3 hours, amino acids (proteins) are still elevated in the body, so based on the above facts it’s unlikely that eating another meal 2-3 hours after your last one would cause further muscle gain or benefit.

In actual fact, you’re better off eating 4-6 larger protein meals per day instead of 6-8 smaller ones, and waiting 4-5 hours between each rather than 2-3.

(Photo by Sandstein)

3. You Can “Tone” Your Body

You cannot shape or mold a muscle.

You cannot tone or lean a muscle.

You can do 2 things to a muscle:

You can make it bigger.

You can make it smaller.

That’s it.

A toned or defined muscle comes from having a body-fat percentage which is low enough for muscle to be visible.

The greater the muscle you have the more 'toned' you will look at a higher bf% as your body-fat will be spread over a greater surface area.

To achieve what is known as a 'toned' physique, you need to (In order of importance):

1. Grow muscle primarily focusing on compound movements (squat, bench, deadlift, rows, military press) and get stronger between the 6-12 rep ranges.

2. Lose body fat through diet and/or increase your energy expenditure.

3. Grow MORE muscle.

4. The more frequently you eat the more fat you’ll burn.

Eating smaller meals more often does not ‘fire up’ your metabolism.

It’s a commonly held misconception that eating more frequently boots your metabolism due to something called the TEF (thermic effect of food).

The TEF is the amount of energy/calories it takes in order for your body to process what you eat.

Let’s look at an example:

We’ll compare eating 1800 calories over 6 meals, versus eating 1800 calories over 3 meals. The 6 meal protocol will have an increase in TEF and boost metabolism more frequently than the ‘3 meal group’.

Great, you may think – more meals equal more boosts in TEF, so what’s the issue?

If you eat 1800 calories over 6 meals you will be consuming an average of 300 calories per meal, and you increase your metabolism for a ballpark time of 2hours until it returns to base line.

If you eat 1800 calories over 3 meals, you will be consuming an average of 600 calories per meal and you increase your metabolism for 4 hours (double) until it returns to base line.

As TEF is also dictated by the size of the meal, the outcome is exactly the same. Over the course of a day, your calorie burn through TEF will be the same whether you split your calories into 10 tony meals, 5 slightly bigger ones or one huge one.

There is no fat loss benefit to eating frequent meals throughout the day.

Eating more frequently can even increase hunger due to a hormone known as ghrelin being released more regularly and stimulating appetite.

Even without the above science-y bit what would you rather eat 3-4 large satiating meals per day or 6-8 small ones…which will make you fuller for longer and thinking about food less?

I know which I’d prefer.

5. You MUST squat and deadlift to get big legs

I haven’t squatted or deadlifted in 2-3 years (maybe even 4 for deadlifts) due to injury.

Anyone who tells you that you MUST do a certain exercise; ask them why and see if they can answer you without stuttering.

You can still stimulate the exact same muscles and do very similar movements to the squat and deadlift by using other exercises and machines.

Some of my favourite lower body exercises are

-Romanian deadlifts

-Stiff legged deadlifts

-Barbell hip thrusts

-Hack squat

-leg press

-dumbbell split squats

-front squat machine

-seated leg curl

-lying leg curl

Don’t get me wrong squatting is great, I loved squatting and wish I still could do it but the main rules when it comes to training are twofold - enjoyment and progress.

If you like what you do, you’re motivated to train, and you’re getting results, why change?

Personally, all I need to ask is – “Has my leg development suffered?”

I can categorically state that – nope, it hasn’t.

If you are enjoying your program, progressing by overloading the muscle, adding, weight, reps or intensity and seeing the results then don’t worry that you are missing this exercise or can’t do that one.

Squats and deadlifts are awesome, but they’re not the be all and end all.

The Wrap Up

The nutrition world really shouldn’t be about extremes, yet extremes make sexy headlines, and these sell.

If someone gives you a blanket statement about how you should eat, or says you “must” or “never” do something, it probably means they’re promoting a myth, so keep an open mind, be critical, and try not to fall into the trap of thinking that there’s a certain way you have to do things.

Have you fallen for one of these?

No worries – at some stage we all have, but the important thing is that you keep learning, and realize that actually, thins fat loss and muscle gain business isn’t all that complicated.

#fitnessmyths #sugar #muscle #protein #carbs #legday