6 Myths About Diet and Exercise

We've all heard it and we've all had our own theories about fad diets and fitness trends. From no carbs to CrossFit, everyone is an "expert" on fitnessology (just made that up. Sounds legit, doesn't it?).

The following is a quick list of myths that circulate the health and fitness world that just aren't true:

1. Chemicals are bad for you
     -Tricalcium phosphate, Disodium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan, Sucralose,        
     Acesulfame, Potassium, Vitamin A Palmitate, and Vitamin D3

If that all sounds scary to you, then you should send your mother an angry text message before reading on because what I just listed there are the ingredients found in milk. That's right, the same chemicals that your parents force fed you as a baby. I'm not quite sure where the origin of this fear for chemicals came from, but I think what people mean by chemicals is pharmaceuticals. If that's the case, then I can see the argument. But it's because of blurred lines that we've arrived to the point where "chemicals" just means bad stuff. Everything is made out of chemicals, so don't be so quick to dismiss something just because someone told you that it's a chemical.

Mmm, Tricalcium Phosphate 

2. Squats are bad for the knees

Truth be told, the reverse is actually true. NOT squatting is bad for your knees. And really, the issue isn't with the exercise, it's with improper form. Which can be said about anything mechanical you do with your body. Seriously, try getting out of bed without bending your knees or only using your arms. That would be bad form. Any exercise (or movement) when improperly executed is a dangerous one and the reason people get hurt when they squat is because they try and pack on more weight on the bar than they can handle, have improper form, or are not flexible enough (yet) to execute it. There are dudes squatting 700lbs and somehow they are not wheel-chair bound.

Looks like the dude can walk just fine to me!

3. Stretching before a workout is bad for your joints

This one is a pretty heavily contested issue in the sports world. In my experiences, doing dynamic (moving around) and static (paused, holding a stretch) stretching before a workout actually increases my range of motion during an exercise. The critique is often that when you are not warmed up and begin to stretch, the muscle/joint will tweak and you'll hurt yourself. This is very true in fact that going from a state of inactivity to stretching can irritate or even injure you. The solution to this however is to warm up. Routine can go: 5 minute cardiovascular work, 2 minutes dynamic stretching, 15 minutes deep/static stretching, then weight-lift. You'll feel a lot better and find your range of motion dramatically increased. Doing so over time will grant you flexibility that pays off big time in the weightroom.

Mr. Olympia Competitor Kai Greene certainly takes advantage of stretching for flexibility

4. Fats make you fat

Fats do not make you fat. Eating healthy fats promotes good blood flow, is anti-inflammatory and actually has cognitive (your head muscle) benefits. Behind carbohydrates, fats are actually the second easiest of the macronutrients (carbs, protein, fats) to be converted into energy (which is good in case you wanna, you know, do stuff). You get fat by eating more calories than you burn. 1 pound of body fat is made from 3500 excess calories. Therefore, if you eat roughly 500 more calories in a day than you burn off, you'll be gaining 1 pound a week. This is how you get fat. Leave the fats out of it.


5. Doing a million sit ups will give you abs

Abs are made in the kitchen. Simple as that. While training your core and abdominal will build mass and give you strength, if your body fat % is too high then they just won't show. This is tied to the above myth. It's why really skinny guys can have a 6 pack and dudes like Bill Kazmaier (below) - who was a strongman competitor - do not.

Behold! The muscle gut! 

6. I'm a girl and lifting heavy weights will make me bulky like the Lost Batman

This one is a shame and I feel for you ladies. There aren't a whole lot of girls that I know that want to have massive shoulders, wide backs, massive arms and a muscle gut like our friend Bill above. Thankfully for most of you, there are a bunch of physiological differences for women that aren't necessarily nurturing of the Schwarzenegger look. One of which is testosterone. Female bodybuilders (the really really really big ones) take testosterone and human growth hormone boosters to get that big. Naturally, the female body typically does not produce even CLOSE to the amount of testosterone needed to develop muscles that are huge and clunky and monster-like. Instead, lifting heavy weights will make you 1) Harder 2) Better 3) Faster 4) Stronger. Strong is sexy, ladies. Don't be afraid to build power and explosiveness while toning up by pulling heavy weight

Unfortunately, the form isn't the greatest in the world, but it still delivers the same message I'm trying to. You can lift heavy weight and not be bulky. You go girl!

These are my sincere conclusions and insight into these topics. Of course, I would love to support my claims with evidence if asked of me but in the end you must realize that these are MY thoughts and I would never claim to be an expert on the subject or some sort of information wizard (although I am pretty dang good). Open to debate and discussion!