5 exercise myths... BUSTED!

Canterbury exercise gurus Jess Feek and Natacha Sanguinetti sort the fitness fact from the fiction

1 YOU CAN LOSE FAT IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF YOUR BODY

“Spot reduction” is possibly the greatest myth that the fitness industry has ever seen. When you lose body fat, you unfortunately can’t choose where that is. Have you ever been frustrated that those 300 ab crunches aren’t giving you a six-pack? Sure, hundreds of crunches will burn energy around your body, but they won’t specifically burn fat off your waistline. What it will do, though, is build strength around your core, so you have the stability to exercise and move well.

2 RESISTANCE TRAINING MAKES WOMEN BULKY

What some women don’t often realise is that it’s actually really hard to build muscle because the rate of building muscle for females is a lot slower than men. Women who intentionally try to bulk up have to put in a lot of hard work when it comes to their exercise regime and ensure their nutrition is specifically focused on building muscle. However, consistent strength/resistance training has many benefits – including increasing bone density and protecting your joints from injury – and this transfers well to everyday activities, such as lifting, carrying and moving. If you’re doing bodyweight training or lifting weights in the gym, just make sure you are using the correct technique.

3 YOU HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE TO DO YOGA