There are some beliefs about physical activity that are so deeply rooted in the world of fitness that it is hard to believe that they may be wrong. Whether it's free body training, running or weight, false myths are everywhere. But for a little longer: here's 5 denials.
Conviction #1: The longer you train, the better
It has been shown that three 27-minute sessions of HIIT training per week (for a total of 81 minutes) have the same aerobic and anaerobic effect as five 60-minute cardio sessions per week (i.e. 300 minutes). Benefits include accelerated metabolism, more calories burned, and increased muscle strength.
Conviction #2: Free-body training does not grow muscles
Exercising your muscles by putting up a fight with your body not only strengthens them, but also develops your functional mass. The muscle grows through an alternation of progressive effort and rest that accustoms it to carrying an ever-increasing load, and it does not matter how this resistance is opposed: the shoulders, for example, do not feel the difference between the risings with the weights and the Pullups. If someone tries to convince you of the opposite, tell them that by applying the right endurance, following the right diet and with the right rest, free body workouts help muscles to grow.
Conviction no. 3: Strength training is not needed for running
Strength training increases neural impulses and, as a result, improves performance by increasing the rate of force development (RFD). RFD measures the speed at which muscle strength is generated. The amount produced in the initial phase of muscle contraction can have a huge impact on performance.
For example, during a 100 m sprint, professional sprinters running at top speed spend less time on the ground per stride than non-professional sprinters, yet are more powerful and produce greater ground reaction forces. The high RFD of experienced runners allows them to generate a lot of force in a short time by projecting them forward very quickly; in practice they run faster. Well, with constant strength training you can improve both RDF and neural impulses.
Conviction n°4: running is only a matter of legs
The stabilizing force of your run is the muscles of your abdomen: it is thanks to them, in fact, that your posture remains straight and stable in sprints and distance races. The better they perform, the longer you can sustain an optimal running style. So if you devote part of your weekly training to your abdominals, you'll have an unquestionable increase in your running performance and efficiency.
And that's not all! Unlike you might think, the movement of the race also involves your arms and shoulders. To get an idea of how important they are, try running with your hands joined behind your back: the faster you accelerate, the more difficult it is to maintain stability without using your arms. In fact, these muscles are only trained to a very small extent by the race (they are involved but not necessarily subjected to resistance), so don't expect to see any major aesthetic changes.
Conviction n°5: Situps = turtle
Believe it or not, you already have the turtle. Where? Well, the abdominal muscles are naturally segmented, although they are usually hidden by a layer of body fat. The secret to having sculpted abdominals that you see is therefore to have a low percentage of fat mass and not necessarily very strong muscles. So it is not enough to do abdominal exercises, you also need to be thin enough.
In addition, the muscles of the bust are articulated around the spine, shoulder blades, loins and stomach, making up a complex system of interconnected anatomical structures. Classic abdominal exercises such as the Situps and Crunches make specific muscles work, but to sculpt the abdominals at 360 degrees you should opt for a more complete training.
Let's recapitulate:
When it comes to fitness, you should not take certain statements as absolute truths, but rather rely on the science of training. A brief analysis is enough to show that not everything they tell us is true.
