Mythbusters: Gym Edition!
Have you ever seen the Mythbuster show, where two dudes take on a widely assumed notion and then determine if it’s a myth or if it’s real? The most memorable episode for me was whether running through the rain actually makes you less wet. Spoiler alert! Turns out that running in the rain actually makes you wetter! Anyway, I’ve had to tackle a couple of myths lately with some clients, so I thought maybe it was time to share them with the masses! Let’s go!
You are not making progress if you’re not sweating in the gym. Though i’ve never taken a survey the subject of sweating, I think it’s a safe bet to say that most people prefer not to sweat in their daily lives. However, if you go into the gym, my guess is that most people think that sweating is an indication of how hard you are working. If your heart rate is up, most likely you’ll break a sweat and the higher that heart rate goes, the more you sweat, but it’s less of an indication of how hard you are working and really an indication of your body temp. Sweating how our body regulates it’s normal temperature while doing any sort of activity. Just like a dog panting, the hotter you are, the more you will sweat. The reality is that being hot, doesn’t mean you are working any harder. Think about it. On a hot summer day if you’re sitting outside, you’re likely sweating, but sitting isn’t usually considered hard work. You can lift heavy and get stronger without breaking a sweat.
Jiggling body parts are an indication that neglecting a body part. Your muscles can also jiggle! Fat is not the only thing on your body that should be able to move freely. The other day I commented on how strong my client’s arms were looking. She agreed and then immediately lifted up her arm, gave it a jiggle and said “yeah, but I still have this” referring to her wiggling tricep. This wasn’t just a great reminder for me that I shouldn’t have commented in the first place, but it also reminded me that people think that heavy gym goers don’t have wiggle and jiggle in their bodies. That the muscle that she was moving wasn’t muscle but lose extra skin. Here’s the thing, if you’re using someone like Arnold Swarzenneger as an example of a person who is so ripped that they don’t jiggle, you’re kidding yourself. The fact is you’ve only seen someone like him pumped up in movies. Literally, models and actors who have to look jacked likely have a trainer bringing them weights on set to pump up their muscles before shooting. Then oiling them up to pronounce that pump. If you went to Arnold’s home in his prime and he was sitting on the couch and you asked him to wiggle his arm around, you would see the same thing - a muscle moving without being asked to activate.
You should be moving faster and moving more. Oftentimes people think they need to blast through a set of reps at high volume to increase muscle mass. While wanting to be able to move quickly isn’t a bad thing, it is not necessary to build muscle. In fact, I would argue that moving quickly through exercises is more likely to lead to some sort of injury because technique is easier to fall apart. Speed is a great thing to train, but there is a time and a place for that sort of movement. If your goal is to build muscle try using a 2-3 second tempo throughout the exercise. Incorporating plyometric movements after your warm up and before a lift is a great way to train speed, agility, wake up your muscles and get your heart rate up.
If you can’t lift heavy, you don’t deserve to use certain equipment like a barbell. The only thing that should hold you back from using a piece of equipment is your ability to do so safely. If you can lift a barbell safely, you deserve to lift a barbell. If you can lift a set of dumbbells, you deserve to use the dumbbells. How do you know if you can lift those things? The only way to really know is to pick them up. In essence, if you know how to do a lift safely using any piece of equipment, it doesn’t matter if you can only use the minimum weight (like a 35/45lb barbell) or you can add on 200lbs. You deserve to use the equipment that is provided.
Remember, there is no right way to go to a gym or to exercise. You have to find what is best for you. The bottom line is, however you can manage to fit in movement is the right way. Though it may be less comfortable to walk through the rain, you will be dryer in the end!
