A guide to avoiding common myths that you often hear in the gym. This section is an introduction and some common training myths.If you have plenty of free time and are extremely bored, try checking out the free translation engine at Alta Vista by clicking on this link:
http://world.altavista.com/tr
Translations typically are done with people extremely familiar with the language, and they do a much better job than the computer because of something known as context. Certain words mean different things within their own context, so when I say, “Shoot!” because I’ve stubbed my thumb, it means something entirely different than when the captain of a firing squad yells the same word. Computers have an extremely difficult time understanding context, because they must follow a set of rules established by humans. We humans sometimes lose meaning to context as well.
Coming back to the translation engine, if I said something like, “You should avoid leg extensions with heavy weight because they place extreme stress on the knee joint, but this risk goes away when lighter weights are used for therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes,” you would probably understand what I was trying to say. If I take this same phrase to Alta Vista, translate it to Chinese, and then back to English, then this is what comes out of the engine:
“You should avoid the leg extension and heavyweight because they place the extreme stress in the knee joint, but this kind of risk gets out of the way when the quite light weight is used for the treatment and the reclamation goal.”
Not to bad, huh? The computer understood the context well, and retranslated this without distorting too much of the meaning. If we then take this phrase, translate it to Spanish and then back to English, our next generation will read:
“You must avoid the extension and heavyweight of the leg because they put the extreme tension in the joint of the knee, but this class of risk leaves the way when the absolutely light one is used for the treatment and the goal of the recovery.”
Just for kicks, I did the opposite, and translated to Spanish first, then Chinese. This is what I got:
“You must avoid the leg the extension and heavyweight because they exert the extreme anxiously in this knee joint, but this kind of risk leaves when the quite slight weight is used purports for the treatment and rehabilitates.”
My point here is that we lost something in all of the translations. While my original phrase was “avoid leg extensions with heavy weight” the translation became “avoid leg extensions and heavy weight” … if someone were told this, they’d only be squatting, and they’d only squat with lighter weights. This is not what I intended!
It doesn’t take a computerized translation engine to cause these types of problems. Many of the research publications and clinical trials that are quoted by supplement companies or people selling “exercise systems” were originally written in a foreign language and translated to English. This has its own problems, but it gets even worse. Even native English publications are consistently taken out of context. For example, one study might demonstrate that ducks who are fed whey protein and corn feed gain 15% more muscle mass than ducks that are restricted from eating at all. I could easily take this study and report on my product, “Recent studies prove that our proprietary protein and corn carbohydrate blend produces as much as a 15% gain in muscle mass”. Likness, et al. [The effects of whey protein and corn feed supplementation on Eastern African ducks]. You get the point. It sounds good, there is even a nice reference, but what you don’t know is that the other ducks were starving!
These problems with translation and context have led to a number of myths that pervade society and prevent people from realizing their full potential. Let’s explore a few of these myths, in no specific order.
Squats are bad for your knees
What a blanket statement! “Squats are bad for your knees.” I hear so many people tell me, “I have a knee problem so I only do leg extensions, not squats.” What?! Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Trust me, I know about bad knees. I’ve completely blown my right ACL (anterior cruciat ligament) and had full reconstructive surgery – they used a piece of my patella tendon as a substitute ligament and attached it to the knee joint with stainless steel bolts. What was the key to my ultimate recovery? Squats. An improperly executed squat can be horrendous for your knees, but there are various styles of squats that shift tension to different parts of the body. The key to stabilizing the knee joint is to build the muscle that surrounds it, and the squat is one of the best ways to do this.
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Satan invented Smith machine squats
I ran foul of this myth myself. ISSA teaches us that between the leg extensions, free weight squat, leg press, and smith machine squat, the smith machine squat is one of the worse exercises. It can be under certain circumstances, but this is by no means a “black & white” rule. I personally don’t like machines that lock someone into a range of motion that isn’t always natural. The smith machine can certainly be used safely, however. If you do not know how to properly align yourself within the machine or use it as a “crutch” to allow you to push heavier weight than you are accustomed to, it can certainly wreak havoc. Knowing how to use the machine, however, can make an effective tool to use when your routine needs some variety and you want a change of pace.
Leg extensions are bad for your knees
This follows the same vein as the previous myths. Leg extensions with extremely heavy weights place a lot of stress on your knee joint. Is this bad for your knee? I don’t know; I haven’t seen your knee. Some people with strong joints may be able to support the heavy load and will strengthen their joint and muscles. Some people have no place doing this, and are making their own death wish. It really depends on the individual. During my recovery from surgery, I certainly didn’t wake up from surgery and begin squatting 300 pounds. I had to move through therapy, and initially, that therapy was performing leg extensions with lighter weights. This did not destroy my knee joint; it rehabilitated it! Every exercise has its place and time depending on the individual who is going to perform the movement.
You must always avoid a rounded back when exercising
Ugh! This is the bane of modern exercise programs. Most trainers would rather have their teeth pulled without anesthesia than be caught recommending an exercise that (gasp!) involves rounding of the lower back. In actuality, the back should remain flat for most exercises. I teach a concave back method, or slight lordosis, because most people round excessively. Once someone has abdominal control and well-developed spinal erectae (the muscles that protect the spine) then there is no reason not to use a flat back – not rounded, not concave. Furthermore, how do we strengthen the back? By allowing it to round or come close to rounding under controlled conditions. Hyperextensions and good mornings won’t be as effective at strengthening the back muscles unless they are allowed to become involved. Again, a rounded back in certain situations spells trouble, and instead of understanding context, this has become a myth that the back should never become rounded!
Never perform stiff-legged dead-lifts with a rounded back
I’m assuming that this myth came from the previous example. I know so many people who would faint if they caught me teaching someone to do a full range stiff-legged dead-lift with a rounded back at the end. In reality, it has its place. Is a bench press a chest exercise? Not really – it’s an upper body exercise, and many muscles (such as the triceps) work with the chest to complete the lift. A stiff-legged dead-lift with a concave back is great to isolate the hamstrings, but what if you want to strengthen the lower back muscles and hip flexors at the same time? By allowing a full range of motion, and allowing the back to round at the bottom, you gain the benefit of a compound movement that strengthens the lower back at the same time as the hamstrings and hip flexors. More bang for the buck, if you ask me! So if I’m trying to isolate hamstrings, I’ll stop before the back loses its state of lordosis, but there is certainly a place for the full range during a phase of someone’s program!
Performing a military press to the back of the neck is bad and can only cause injury
This is similar to the “squat/knee” and “rounded back” myths. A military press does put more strain on the rotator cuff or shoulder. How can you make the rotator cuff stronger? By controlling the strain you place on it, and overloading the tension, so that it compensates by becoming more stable and strong! If you have existing shoulder problems such as an injury or simply a weak rotator cuff, then this exercise is definitely not the best selection. One common modification is to simply stop when the upper arms are parallel to minimize the stress placed on the rotator cuff. For a perfectly healthy adult with normal shoulder function, however, this may be a great mass builder that can actually help to prevent injury to the rotator cuff!
Explosive movements are bad for your joints
Our knee joints are pounded when we run. When we play basketball, our joints take one for the cause. Even catching a ball will place explosive force on your elbow and shoulder joints. What about when we fall? The truth is, explosive movements happen in real life, and your joints must be prepared. What better way to prepare a joint for an explosive movement than to explode? Plyometrics are a type of exercise that involves explosive movements, and are great for strengthening joints. If you are involved in a sport like baseball, basketball, or tennis, then wouldn’t you rather condition the joint through a controlled explosive movement, rather than wait for the random circumstance in a game and become injured as the result? Excessive explosive movements are bad, but controlled movements combined with proper control drills and stretching can actually strengthen the joints and prevent injury.
You shouldn’t work a muscle if it is already big enough
The fact is that our genetic potential limits the amount of muscle we can build. Muscle gains have been studied extensively, and 95% of gains happen in the first 5 years of training and then rapidly diminish after that. The average adult loses muscle mass each year as they age, so you must continue to train intensely just to maintain that muscle mass! If you do not work the muscle, you not only stand to lose mass, but strength as well. If you lose strength around an important joint (for example, if you stop training leg muscles that surround the knee joint) you stand to lose stability in that joint and increase risk of injury.
Cardio is the best way to burn fat
Cardio uses fat as the primary source of fuel during the activity. The problem is that this doesn’t really mean much. You’ve heard of working out “in the zone” where you burn most of your calories from fat. The zone is light – once you start working out intensely, you move out of the “fat burning zone.” Here’s the catch – you are always burning fat, just at different rates. In the zone, you might burn 300 calories at a rate of 70% – meaning 70% of those calories come from fat. With intense cardio, you might burn 600 calories during the same time frame, but only 40% from fat. Guess what? Just because the zone is 70% and the high intensity is 40%, you still burned more calories from fat by working out intensely (240 calories versus 210) and in the 24 hours after exercise, you will continue to burn more calories after an intense session. Weight training not only burns more calories per hour than cardio, it also raises your metabolism more, and also stimulates the growth of muscle mass which burns many times more calories than fat even at rest. Studies prove that a balance of resistance training and cardiovascular exercise is the most effective way to lose fat and keep it off. In the context of watching someone during training, cardio may burn more fat, but in the context of an entire 12-week program that is balanced between cardio and resistance training with healthy nutrition, it is all of these factors that contribute to maximal fat loss, not just the cardio!
Weight-lifting decreases flexibility and makes you “muscle bound”
This one just won’t go away. I hate to pull a Hollywood card on this one, but has anyone seen Van Damme do a split? I don’t see his hamstrings getting in the way. The truth is that gaining muscle without stretching will make you muscle bound. Anyone who incorporates appropriate stretching will successfully lengthen the muscle through the joint and allow their flexibility to increase with their muscle mass. In fact, in my opinion, flexibility is essential for gaining optimal muscle mass – without stretching, muscle can become fascia-bound. Without stretching, ligaments and tendons cannot grow to adapt to the size of the muscle, and the result will be issues with your joints. Ronnie Coleman, at 287 pounds, was able to perform almost a full split during the 2003 Olympia. Stretch, grow, and you will be fine – take it all in context!
More is better
More is not always better. John Berardi stated at a recent seminar that we are all sedentary. We might think we’re active, but compared to our ancestors, even elite athletes are sedentary. We simply superimpose a dose of activity over our inactive lifestyle. He further mentions that there is a dose/response relationship, so that more doses do provide a better response, if recovery is taken into consideration. The average person has a family, job, and other stresses that impose recovery demands, so trying to train like an athlete with hot tubs, deep tissue massages, and other therapeutic modalities at their disposal is asking for injury, not progress. Learn to balance your training with your lifestyle, and understand that sometimes less is better if you require more recovery! Again, it is a context issue … in the context of an elite athlete who has access to steroids and advanced recovery methods, a 3-hour training session is fine. That same training session does something completely different to the average Joe.
