In Part 1 of Your Ultimate Guide to Strength Training, you learned what strength training is, it’s benefits, different modes of strength training & common terminology.
In Part 2, you’ll learn some myths about strength training & why they aren’t true!
In Part 3, you’ll learn how to put together your own strength training program.
In the 4th and final part, I’ll lay out sample training programs for you!
There are so many myths surrounding strength training – from “it’s dangerous” to “not everyone should do it.”
This article is going to cover the top 10 most common ones so you can learn the truth about strength training!
Myth #1 – Strength Training Is Dangerous
Strength training is not inherently dangerous. In fact, it makes you more resilient for daily life. It allows you to perform daily activities more effectively & efficiently with a decreased risk of injury. Strength training also protects & strengthens your joints. As you lift heavier & get stronger, in addition to your muscles becoming stronger, your joints, connective tissue & bones become stronger.
So why do people have this misconception that strength training is dangerous?
Because they hear about people getting hurt while lifting. But injury is totally preventable.
Follow these 6 tips to make sure you’re staying safe, preventing injury & getting stronger in your strength training program!
- Perform exercises with proper form
- Engage the appropriate muscles in all exercises you perform
- Follow a strength training program that is primarily focused on your body’s functional movement patterns – squat, hinge, push, pull, lunge & carry
- Follow a balanced program that assigns appropriate volumes & ratios of push & pull, vertical & horizontal pushing & pulling, squatting & hinging and bilateral & unilateral exercises
- Follow a program that incorporate posture & posterior chain (back of the body) specific exercises
- Incorporate the principle of progressive overload – challenge your body continuously to force it to adapt & get stronger!
Bottom line
✅Strength training is not dangerous. It’s good for you!
✅All you have to do is:
👉 follow an intelligently designed training program
👉 incorporate the principle of progressive overload in a smart way
👉 listen to your body
So stop believing the “lifting is dangerous” myth. Go start strength training so you can reap all the benefits of getting strong!
Myth #2 – Cardio (Not Strength Training) for Weight Loss
There’s a common misconception that if you have a weight loss goal, you should do cardio instead of strength training because it burns more calories.
The only requirement for weight loss is a calorie deficit – not any specific type of exercise. this calorie deficit is created through nutrition, not exercise. You eat less calories than it takes to maintain your weight.
So why does it matter how many calories you’re burning through exercise?
I’m not saying that cardio can’t help you lose weight. I’m saying that you shouldn’t rely on exercise to burn as many calories as possible to create your calorie deficit. This is a shortsighted & inefficient approach to weight loss.
Reason #1
Your body is smart. It adapts & becomes more efficient over time, even in the case of exercise.
Take a look at how your body adapts to cardio –
As your body becomes more efficient over time & gets used to the cardio you’re doing, you’ll be burning less calories in the same workout. And the only way to get back to that same level of calorie burn is to increase how much time you’re spending or the speed or incline.
Problem solved?
Not so much.
This cycle continues, so whatever you do to keep making that cardio harder to burn the same amount of calories, your body will keep adapting to it.
The result is more time invested & a banged up body for the SAME amount of calories burned.
Your body adapts to strength training as well, but in a different way! Take a look –
Your body adapts to strength training by getting more efficient, just as it does with cardio. But becoming more efficient for strength training means you get stronger & build muscle mass.
And once your body has adapted you use this cool thing called progressive overload to make your workouts harder. You increase the weight you’re lifting or the number of sets and reps you’re performing with a weight.
The result is spending the same amount of time but making continuous progress in the form of increased strength & muscle mass. Which means a higher resting metabolism AKA more calories burned at rest!
Bottom line
✅Spend your time that you’ve dedicated to exercise on strength training and think of it as a long term investment
✅While cardio may burn more calories per session, strength training preserves & builds muscle – which is going to lead to an increase in how many calories you’re burning at rest
Reason #2
The total daily energy expenditure chart shows a breakdown of how your body burns calories throughout the day.
Most of your daily calorie burn happens at rest. This is called your basal metabolic rate. 70% of your daily calorie expenditure comes from keeping your body functioning at rest (breathing, blood circulation, etc).
Of the calories you burn outside of your basal metabolic rate, the majority come from NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis). These are the calories burned for all activities outside of sleeping, eating & exercising.
Of the calories you burn outside of your BMR & NEAT, thermic effect of food comes next. These are the calories required to digest & process the food you eat.
And last, are the calories burned through exercise. This makes up the LEAST amount of the total calories you burn in a day!
So taking all of this into account, why the heck do you care about how many calories you burn through exercise?! Wouldn’t you rather increase your BMR because it accounts for the majority of your total daily calorie burn?
The only way to increase your BMR is to build muscle mass by strength training. Cardio will not increase your BMR, because it just falls into the small portion that makes up the least of your total daily calorie expenditure.
To be very clear, I am not discouraging you from doing cardio. I’m encouraging you to spend the time you’ve dedicated to exercise on strength training. And think of it as a long term investment that has a huge return! Increasing your muscle mass leads to an increase in your metabolism which will make it so much easier to maintain the weight loss you’ve achieved through dialing in your nutrition!
Bottom Line
✅If you have a weight loss goal, you should be strength training – not just doing cardio.
✅It’s a more effective & efficient way to change your body composition
✅Less fat + more muscle = higher metabolism ➡️ easy to maintain weight loss
The benefits of strength training as it relates to weight loss:
- Preserves & builds muscle mass while you’re losing fat by creating a calorie deficit through nutrition – the result is a leaner, stronger, more defined body
- It increases your metabolism – which makes maintaining your weight loss so much easier!
- Get toned by increasing muscle & losing fat – not doing cardio
Myth #3 – Older People Shouldn’t Strength Train
There’s no age limit when it comes to strength training. Everybody should be engaging in this form of exercise in some way – even older adults.
As you age, your body naturally loses muscle mass. You’ve probably heard the phrase “use it or lose it.” If you don’t use your muscles, you will lose them.
So the frailty, weakness, low energy & just overall loss of strength & physical function that we can see with aging comes largely from inactivity. Difficulty with daily tasks such as going up & down stairs, carrying groceries, walking around are mainly due to muscle loss.
Strength training protects against this! It builds strength, stability, muscle & increases bone density & leads to:
- improvements in balance & coordination
- more strength & muscle
- better flexibility & mobility
- easier to manage weight
- reduced risk of falling
It can also reduce the symptoms of conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity, back & joint pain. And it improves sleep quality, mental & emotional health. And all of these things lead to:
- Increased self confidence & an improved sense of well-being
- Improved quality of life & decreased dependency on others
- Better overall functioning for daily life
Bottom Line
✅Strength training can help older adults stay strong & independent & continue enjoying the activities they love to do!
✅And most of all, it will help you live longer.
Strength Training Guidelines for Older Adults:
✅Focus on the basic movement patterns & strengthening the largest muscle groups
✅Master these movements with bodyweight, then slowly start increasing the amount of weight you’re using
✅Perform strength training anywhere from 2-4 times per week
✅Give your body time to recover before your next workout
Myths #4, 5 & 6
– Strength Training Makes Women Bulky
– Light Weights & High Reps to Tone
– Group Fitness Classes Count as Strength Training
Strength Training Makes Women Bulky
Just because a woman starts lifting heavy, doesn’t mean she’s automatically going to get big & bulky. The truth is everybody’s body responds to training differently. Some women absolutely have the capacity to gain a lot of muscle mass. But this depends on her specific body type, training history, type of training, etc.
However, the women that you see that are big & “bulky” probably tried really hard to get there – to build that amount of muscle & eat in a way that enabled them to do so.
I’ll also take a moment here to note that what most women perceive as “bulky” & can experience after they start lifting is actually a high level of body fat.
Let me give you an example of myself.
This pictures were taken 4 months apart. During that 4 months, I ate in a moderate calorie deficit & the only exercise I did was HEAVY strength training.
Does it look like I got bulky?
I did gain strength & muscle mass, but the results was a lean & defined look!
So tell me, do you still think heavy lifting will make a woman look bulky?
OR does having a high body fat percentage make them bulky?
Let’s take 2 scenarios…
The difference between the 2 is simply a matter of nutrition.
Here’s what often happens when women start lifting –
They lift, they don’t change their nutrition & may even end up eating more calories because they feel hungrier & the result is an increase in muscle mass but just maintaining or maybe even gaining body fat. There’s your bulkiness!
Whereas if a woman were to start lifting heavy & also alter her nutrition to lose body fat, the result would be a smaller, leaner, more defined & stronger body.
Light Weights & High Reps for Toning
Another myth that goes along with this one is that lifting light weights for high reps will tone the muscle you already have for lean look versus lifting heavy weights for low reps will build more muscle for a bulky look.
I’ve already shown you that heavy strength training doesn’t lead to bulkiness, so let’s go in another direction with this one.
First, it’s very important to point out that there is no such thing as “lean” muscle & “bulky” muscle. Muscle is muscle. There aren’t different types of muscle. It’s all just muscle!
I know… I know…
Now you’re thinking, “Well why do some people look like they have leaner & more toned muscle & some people look like they have big & bulky muscle?”
The difference comes down to the actual amount of muscle they have & the amount of body fat they have.
Toning is a combination of increasing muscle mass & decreasing body fat. And again, the only way to burn fat is to eat in a calorie deficit.
Using light weights for high reps can certainly increasing your muscular endurance, but will do absolutely nothing for your body composition & will not help you achieve the toned look you likely desire.
That lean, defined & toned look you want comes from losing body fat & building muscle mass. And if you’re not challenging your muscles, you’re not forcing them to adapt & they won’t get stronger or defined.
In order to increase muscle mass, you have to follow the principle of progressive overload. And lifting an 8 lb dumbbell 25+ times week after week does not count as progressive strength training.
Group Fitness Classes = Strength Training
So now maybe I’ve convinced you to start strength training.
But does using those 10 lb dumbbells in your bootcamp class count?
Absolutely not.
That is not strength training. Remember, part of the definition of strength training is that it is progressive.
Let me ask you…In your bootcamp class…
- Are you consistently increasing the amount of weight you use?
- Are you ever utilizing rest periods of at least 1.5 minutes between sets?
- Are you ever pushing your muscle to near failure within less than 20 reps?
Likely not, right? And that’s why your class does not count as strength training.
There’s no continuity, not enough intensity & no consistent strength or skill progression.
Bottom Line
✅ Don’t be afraid of heavy weights
✅ Get on an intelligently designed strength training program
✅ Change your nutrition
✅ And then you’ll experience the transformation your body will go through to become leaner, defined & stronger!
Myth #7 – Variety is Key in Strength Training
(AKA The Muscle Confusion Myth)
So you’re scrolling through instagram & see somebody doing this all new exercise or the best new workout routine that you just have to do to shock your muscles & confuse them to get the best results!
Here’s the problem, though – muscle confusion isn’t “a thing.” You can’t confuse your muscles.
Strength training does not have to be complicated & you don’t have to continuously look for the next best exercise or training program.
The truth is – The best exercises are the most basic ones. And the best workout routine is one that is primarily made up of these exercises. The best exercises are the ones that are based on your body’s natural movement patterns – squat, hinge, push, pull, lunge & carry.
Focus on building strength in these exercises & get your variety from increasing the amount of stress you put on your muscles.
This is where progressive overload comes in. You push your muscles to do more over time by increasing the amount of stress you put on them in the form of heavier weight, more time under tension (performing your reps slower), increasing your speed & acceleration, using advanced variations of exercises, performing exercises with better movement quality of technique, and using a larger range of motion.
This increased stress forces your muscle to adapt and this is how you get stronger!
Also, don’t get fails into the trap of program hopping. Program hopping refers to starting out with a training program, then ditching it after a couple of weeks to start a new program.
If you don’t stick with the same program for a period of time, how can you expect to make any progress?
You’re not giving your muscles the repetitive tension that is required to progress.
Stick to the same program for enough time to see measurable progress. And stick to the basics that work and have the most carryover to daily life.
Because isn’t that why you’re training? It’s not to just get better at some new fancy looking exercise. You’re training to build strength that will make your daily life better!
Build a strong foundation in these basics movements to get the most out of your training.
Bottom Line
✅ Follow a strength training program that is primarily made up of basic, compound movements
✅ Stick with the same program for at least 4 weeks so you can make & see measurable progress using progressive overload
✅ Stick to the basics, be consistent & challenge yourself continuously!
Myth #8 – I Should Strength Train Everyday
If strength training is so good for you, then you should be doing it everyday, right?
Not exactly…
Let’s take this scenario for example:
You start strength training. You feel awesome & so that motivates you to keep going, which is great! Until you don’t take a rest day. And you end up never allowing your body time to recover – leading to an increased chance of injury and always being sore & tired. Some more severe side effects are decreased performance, extreme fatigue, hormonal changes (especially in women), poor sleep, decreased immunity, no appetite, mood changes & many more.
More isn’t always better. You don’t have to strength train every single day to get good results. In fact, you shouldn’t because it’ll hinder your results. Your body requires time for rest & recovery. Rest days are as important as you workouts. They go hand-in-hand and can’t work without each other.
Building strength is a 2 part process. And neither part will work without the other.
Without working out, the body doesn’t have any stimulus to change. And without the rest, there’s never any adaptation to the stimulus…therefore, no change.
Taking enough rest days is also important to your training longevity. If you never take rest days, you may end up associating strength training with always feeling tired, sore & burned out. And this is enough to even lead you to not continuing at all.
Now that you know that rest days are indeed quite important, let’s talk about what you should be doing on those days. Hint hint…it’s not just sitting around on the couch all day. There are activities you should be doing to help with the recovery process. Walking, stretching & mobility work are all important components that aid & speed up your recovery. And let’s not forget nutrition. Quality food, ample protein and a lot of water are essential. Give your body the tools it need to heal & rebuild so you can get stronger.
Bottom Line
✅ Allow 24-48 hours rest before directly working the same muscle group again.
✅ Rest days are as important as your workouts. They don’t work without each other.
✅ Your body gets stronger while you’re resting!
Myths #9 & 10
– Spot Training Works
– Muscle Soreness Equals an Effective Workout
Spot Training
If you want to lose fat around your stomach & thighs, should you only do a ton of ab & leg exercises?
And if you wake up the next morning & those body parts aren’t sore, does it mean your workout wasn’t effective?
Spot training is the idea that you can lose fat & gain muscle definition in one specific body part if you do exercises that only target that muscle group.
Unfortunately, spot reduction doesn’t work. Everybody loses fat from different areas of their body at different rates.
But it would be nice, wouldn’t it? Just do a ton of ab exercises & you’ll have a 6 pack!
Well, wouldn’t we all have 6 packs if that was the case?
You can build muscular strength & endurance by doing this, but it won’t result in fat loss. The point is, just like you can’t control where you gain weight, you can’t choose what body parts you lose fat from. You need to focus on overall fat loss.
The driving factor of fat loss comes down to nutrition. Muscle definition is a combination of muscle growth & fat loss.
So if you want to lose fat in a specific area, you need to create a sustainable calorie deficit, increase the amount of protein you’re eating, get strong by lifting heavy & be consistent with these 3 things long enough to see results.
Muscle Soreness
Now that we got spot training out of the way, let’s tackle the topic of muscle soreness.
If you aren’t sore the day after a workout, does it mean you didn’t work hard enough & that your workout wasn’t effective?
Absolutely not!
There’s this misconception that muscles soreness in the days following your workouts means it was an effective one OR if you aren’t sore after a workout it wasn’t effective.
But soreness is not a measure of a good workout!
Let’s talk about what muscle soreness actually is. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the muscular pain that begins 24-48 hours after a workout. It is the results of inflammation from small tears in your muscle fibers that are cause by:
- focusing on the eccentric (lengthening/lowering) portion of an exercise
- performing a new exercise or one you haven’t done in a while
- increasing the intensity of an exercise
Here are some actual indicators of an effective workout:
Your goal shouldn’t be to feel sore after a workout. If you are sore, that’s fine. But just know that it’s because of the factors listed above. If you aren’t sore, it doesn’t mean your workout wasn’t effective. Focus on the actual indicators of a good workout. And track your progress & performance over time. If you see that you have been progressing, then you know your workouts have been effective (soreness, or not).
Bottom Line
✅ Focus on overall fat loss by dialing in your nutrition
✅ Strengthen your entire body by doing basic, compound movements
✅ Focus on the actual indicators of an effective workout
✅ Track your progress
✅ Be consistent
Click here to read Part 3 – Design Your Own Strength Training Program!