Myths & FAQ

Myth - Wearing extra clothing to sweat more during a workout will help you lose weight

No it won't. I see this a lot. People wearing hoodies, beanie hats, sweat jackets etc whilst working out. Sorry guys but this isn't helping you burn more calories. What this will do is make you sweat more, reducing the amount of water in your body and lowering your weight. This is extremely temporary weight loss and will last until your next intake of food/water. When you do eat or drink, your body will store that water to rehydrate itself and avoid ongoing dehydration.

Unless you are doing this type of weight loss for a specific reason (a fight weigh in or a photoshoot for example) then all you are doing is making yourself uncomfortable wearing unnecessary clothing and causing dehydration

Will I lose muscle doing cardio?

This used to be the age old myth which stopped people developing their cardio respiratory system. The answer is NO. As long as you work the muscle properly, feed your body and allow it to repair, hypertrophy will occur

What should I eat?

This is a big subject and probably differs for a lot of people. To keep it short, to lose weight you need to eat less calories than you burn (calorie deficit), to gain weight you need to eat more calories than you burn (calorie surplus). In theory this can be done by eating anything as long as you stick to those rules but that wouldn't be a good idea. You should eat a balanced diet consisting of foods you enjoy and which provide you with a source of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. If I could be specific in one area, it would be to keep your refined (processed) sugar intake to a minimum. A high sugar intake can lead to health problems. There is a lot of information on the Nutrition page which may help you with this

How do I know if Personal Training is right for me?

You don't until you try it. You may be exactly where you want to be and happy with all aspects of your health and fitness. If this is the case, you probably don't need a Personal Trainer. If you want to push past your current limits and improve but don't feel you can do this yourself, then a Personal Trainer will almost certainly help. Want to try before you buy? I offer a free taster session to all new enquires. This way you'll have a better idea if the investment is right for you

Myth - When you get older, all that muscle will turn into fat

No it won't Muscle is muscle and fat is fat. They are completely different tissue types and one does not and can not become the other. It would be difficult to maintain the same levels of exercise throughout your life (assuming you are always exercising to the best of your ability). Age related muscle deterioration, reduced bone density, slower metabolism, reduced maximum heart rate, reduced V02 max and changes in circumstance are some of the reasons age can affect the intensity at which we exercise. The body can't continue to out perform itself forever and so the "athletic" body type someone once had might not always be there. The muscle hasn't turned to fat, people just get older and their bodies change

What is DOMS?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness When your muscles feel sore following a workout - That's DOMS. This can take anything from 24-48 hours to happen. So you might go to the gym on Monday, workout and wake up feeling fine on Tuesday. Not do any exercise on Tuesday and go to sleep as normal. Wake up on Wednesday and think "What's happened, my body won't move". That's DOMS creeping up on you and taking its time to do so. The more you exercise and the more variety that exercise has, the less you will feel DOMS. It's always good to have a recovery programme too. Stretch frequently, try not to be still all the time, use a foam roller and massage your muscles. All this will help avoid DOMS and improve your overall recovery

Is diet or exercise the best way to lose weight?

Exercise. There is virtually no downside to exercising. The benefits are many but for me, the best one is the positive mood exercise can bring. It is the number one antidepressant and I don't know about you, but I like feeling happy.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't also look after your diet, you definitely should. Don't use exercise to offset other unhealthy lifestyle choices. Increase that happy feeling by eating clean, unprocessed foods and drinking plenty of water

How long should I exercise for?

My answer to this might be different to other people. You should exercise for as long as you can within the time limits you have. If you have an hour free, use the full hour. If you have longer, use it. Hard work is what's going to get you the results you want. Don't finish your workout just because you've hit a certain time frame. If you can carry on, carry on. Great if you've been in the gym for an hour but how hard have you trained during that time? Your body will tell you when it's done. Try to use this as your gauge

When is the best time to exercise?

I think this one comes down to personal preference. There is no increased calorie burn from exercising at a certain time of the day. If you exercise when you first get up, you may feel more awake and energetic afterwards. If you exercise in the evening, you may feel more tired having been at work all day. Regardless, the end result will be the same. The type of training, intensity and duration of the workout will ultimately dictate how effective it is. You may find you have more energy to fuel your workout in the evening having eaten your daily meals before hand, You may find exercising on an empty stomach makes you feel lighter and less sluggish. My advice is try exercising at different times that fit in with your commitments. The time that males you feel best is probably the best time for you. Don't feel you should be in the gym at 5am because that's when you will burn the most calories. You will burn the same calories at 5pm doing the same workout

Should I stretch before a workout?

If this is static stretching - touching your toes, pulling your arm across your chest, then maybe not. Stretching a cold muscle in this way can lead to injury. If the stretching is dynamic - twisting your torso, circling your arms, then yes. Dynamic stretches help prepare the muscle for exercise by going through a range of motion without causing additional stress. You should choose dynamic stretches relevant to your planned workout. There is little point stretching your legs prior to doing pull ups

Myth - You should drink lots of water during exercise

No you shouldn't. Yes, you should absolutely be hydrated and if you're exercising for long periods, it will be necessary to keep taking water on board. If you're exercising at a high intensity for a short period of time (around 30 minutes), then you won't need to take much water on board and I would advise waiting until you finish. Having water sloshing about in your stomach is not only uncomfortable but it will probably make you feel worse than before you drank it. I've seen lots of people drink and drink during workouts only to end up stood over a bin throwing it back up. Sip your water with a view to simply wetting your mouth. Save the big gulps for when you've finished

Myth - You should do lots of sit ups if you want good abs

Not true. In order to see your abs, you need to have very little fat on your stomach. The less fat you have, the more defined the muscles underneath will appear. What you really need to do if you want good abs, is make healthy lifestyle choices. Eat the right types of food, exercise, get enough sleep and vary your exercises to make the muscles work hard. Doing sit ups isn't bad but if you don't get rid of the fat, you'll never see those abs

If you have any other questions, please let me know and I'll post them with an answer here

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