The other day at the gym, I overheard a conversation between two people and it made me think.
Person 1 to Person 2: “Bro, don’t train two body parts on the same day. The protein you take will get confused and won’t know where to go!”
Me: 🤯
I realized I would have believed unwarranted nutrition and workout information like that a few years ago.
Over time, I’ve learned to not take any such claim literally and to do my research and consult with professionals before believing these tall claims.
Let’s explore these four entertaining myths and examine how they stack up.
Workout Extra to Negate Calories from Your Favourite Foods
Virat Kohli worked out for 2 hours to burn calories and recover from indulging in chole bathure(8:33).
Do you also believe you can exercise away your dessert?
Not only common people, even even elite athletes who have internalized age-old beliefs.
While exercising is important for improving your health and burning calories, it’s not as simple as a direct trade-off between the treadmill and your favorite indulgence. A 155-pound person running 2.5 miles in 30 minutes can burn about 290 calories. And if you’re as fit as Virat, your body will have adapted to training and burn fewer calories for the same workouts.
In addition, studies show that exercising is a fraction of our total daily energy expenditure. Instead of punishing yourself with extra exercise, an effective way is to plan a small calorie deficit for a few days and indulge in your favourite lip-smacker, guilt-free.
Fasted Cardio Burns Maximum Fat
On the other end of the spectrum of the myth-o-meter is the miracle that is fasted cardio.
Fasted cardio, or working out on an empty stomach, many believe, is a magic bullet for fat loss. The theory is, that hitting the gym before breakfast boosts fat burning, since the body, lacking fuel from a meal, taps into stored fat instead.
Are you convinced?
Don’t you wish the truth was that simple?
While it’s true that your body might use more fat to fuel a fasted workout, it doesn’t translate to overall fat loss. A study found that fat loss was similar whether participants ate before exercise or not. Another study found that although fasted cardio may burn higher calories from fat, it might burn fewer total calories than exercising after eating.
So don’t torture yourself and make fasted cardio your defacto fat-burning routine.
And talking about cardio, running isn’t the only form of cardio.
Cardio = Running
Running is often used interchangeably with cardio workouts and the believed to best way to burn calories.
After all, why bother with a gym when you can simply hit the pavement? Correct?
Well, hold on for a moment, while I catch my breath. Running is indeed an excellent form of cardio, but it’s not the only one. Other forms of cardio, like swimming, cycling, and brisk walking, can offer comparable, if not greater, benefits for different people. These alternatives are particularly beneficial for those who find running a tedious task.
HIIT is as effective, and sometimes superior, to continuous endurance training in terms of cardiovascular adaptations. Studies suggest that HIIT can result in greater improvements in VO2 max, a measure of cardiovascular fitness, compared to traditional endurance training like running. HIIT may also improve VO2 max to a greater extent than steady-state cardio like running, indicating better oxygen delivery to muscles.
Next up, is the evergreen topic of protein.
It’s Tough to Get Enough Proteins from Plant-Based Sources
When was the last time you saw someone flexing their muscles and revealing that the secret of their bulging biceps is cabbage?
Well, when you think of vegetarian food, protein is the last thing that you associate it with, right?
The truth is, that plant-based foods can be good sources of protein. Plants like lentils, chickpeas, tofu, and quinoa have a considerable amount of proteins. Combining plant proteins can provide all the essential amino acids your body needs, and they come with bonuses like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, plant proteins often have less saturated fat compared to animal proteins.
Next time you hear a gym tale or receive a forwarded message about exercise or nutrition, remember to look for evidence before discarding it as a myth or accepting it as truth. Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out onto the treadmill!
References
- https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2018/march/the-workout-debate-experts-weigh-in-on-cardio-vs-hiit
- https://www.ideafit.com/personal-training/hiit-vs-continuous-endurance-training-battle-of-the-aerobic-titans/
Author – Shubhankar Roy
