4 myths about exercise to bust for good

Once upon a time, exercise was just reserved for those New Year-resolutions that inevitably didn't last.

While this can still be said for some people, it would be fair to say that it is becoming more prominent in the lives of most of the population. Governments around the world have preached it, and to some extent the advice seems to be working. Of course, the statistics on obesity are still scary, but few would disagree that exercise is seemingly being pushed more.

However, in and amongst all of this advice are a lot of misconceptions. Through today's post, we will now take a look at some of the biggest myths to come out of the exercise niche.

Myth #1 - Pectoral exercises increase the size of your breasts

Unfortunately, as much as we would like to believe this, it isn't true. If you are looking for this area of your body to be larger, a breast augmentation is probably the only way forward.

If you turn to exercise, you'll generally be able to affect the area underneath the breast. Granted, in some cases this can "lift" them and ultimately trick the eye into thinking they are bigger, but in terms of a physical change this just isn't going to happen with standard exercise.

Myth #2 - Cardio is the answer for weight loss

First and foremost, there's absolutely nothing wrong with cardio exercises. As the name suggests, this is something that helps your cardiovascular system, and today's day and age this isn't a bad thing.

However, whether or not it is the most efficient method to lose weight is debatable. Running for hours upon hours will burn calories, but not as many as if you turn to resistance training. It's here where your metabolism increases to record levels, and subsequently your fat continues to burn long after you have finished your exercise.

Myth #3 - Ab exercises will kill your belly fat

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work like this. In short, you can't target exercises to certain areas of fat in your body. Sure, by performing abdominal exercises, it's going to make these muscles stronger. This doesn't correlate with the amount of fat in this area though - you'll need to concentrate on your whole body if you are going to succeed with this.

Myth #4 - Stretching will eliminate the chance of injury

Finally, let's conclude with one myth that seems to have been doing the rounds for a number of years.

Generally, people will turn to stretching before their workout in a bid to reduce the chances of injury. It's something we are told that we have to do, and as such we follow this advice.

Well, as the tone may have already given away, such advice is false. Instead, you should be turning to gentle cardio for around five minutes before your main session begins. This will deliver sufficient amounts of blood to your muscles, which can then reduce the chances of muscular tears. Stretching on its own, just can't do this.