2019-10-01 Australian Men\'s Fitness

THE BELIEF
Always wear a belt

THE TRUTH
“Wearing a weight-
training belt for
non-maximal lifts
has been shown to
decrease the body’s
ability to recruit the
muscles that stabilise
the spine,” says trainer
Joel Proskewitz. “They
can help keep your
core braced during
maximal compound
lifts, but people wear
belts when sitting on a
bench for a biceps curl,
which is ridiculous.
Strengthen your core
through planks and
deadlifts – it’s the best
way to keep the spine
stable all the time.”

THE BELIEF
To lose fat, train in
the fat-burning zone

THE TRUTH
It’s true that there’s
only one way to lose
weight, but exercising
in the fat-burning
zone – around 65% of
max heart rate – isn’t
it. “You need to burn
more calories than you
consume. That’s how
you shift fat, regardless
of the activity or
intensity,” says trainer
Karl Bickley.

THE BELIEF

Exercise

before eating

THE TRUTH

The theory goes that

it’s best to train on

an empty stomach

because this creates

a calorie deficit that

speeds up your

metabolism for the rest

of the day. “The best

time to train is when

you have time to train

hard and effectively,”

says Bickley. “Research

suggests that the best

time is between 5pm

and 6pm, when our

body temperature is

highest, but I’d advise

you to train when you

find it best suits you.”

THE BELIEF

No pain, no gain

THE TRUTH

“The muscles must

work hard during

exercise and the

‘good’ pain you feel

from muscle burn is

necessary for growth,”

says Proskewitz. “But

this pain should be

tolerable. Any pain

that is too much to

bear indicates that

you’re pushing too

hard and is likely

to result in injury.”

THE BELIEF

Fat can be turned

into muscle

THE TRUTH

“Fat and muscle are

two very different

tissue structures

and you can’t

transform one

type into another,”

says Proskewitz.

“However, building

muscle tissue

will facilitate the

accelerated burning

of fatty tissue, which

will make you leaner

as you get stronger.”

THE BELIEF

Lift light and long to

improve muscle tone

THE TRUTH

“There’s no such

thing as training for

muscle tone, but you

can train to increase

muscle size and burn

The truth

Men who train

strenuously for two

hours and 20 minutes

each week reduce

their chances of having

heart problems by

40% , according to a

study in the Canadian

Medical Association

Journal. However,

lifting heavy weights

or holding static moves

can raise your blood

pressure, especially

if you don’t breath

properly through the

move. You shouldn’t lift

weights if your blood

pressure is higher than

180/100, and if you have

high blood pressure,

always check with

your doctor before

starting any new

training program.

Thebelief

Training hard risks

a heart attack

PRESSURE

POINT

Lean on me

Fat doesn’t turn

into muscle –

but muscle

can help you

burn fat.

“Fat and muscle are two very different tissue structures

and you can’t transform one type into another.”

the fat that covers

the muscle,” says

Proskewitz. “Lifting

a heavy weight

fewer times will

build muscle and

burn fat, helping

you look leaner.”

THE BELIEF

Running is bad

for the knees

THE TRUTH

An 18-year study at

Stanford University

in the US found it

was non-runners

who were more

likely to suffer from

osteoarthritis, a

painful degenerative

joint disease, than

those who ran

regularly. The

findings suggest

that pavement-

pounding can

strengthen the

connective tissues

that stabilise

the knee joint,

preventing pain

in the long term.

THE BELIEF

Muscle is all

about genetics

THE TRUTH

“Your unique

blueprint for how

you look is certainly

genetic: for instance,

you have no

control over your

bone structure,”

explains Dr Nick

Evans, a consultant

orthopaedic surgeon.

“But even though you

are born with a fixed

number of muscle

fibres, you can make

your muscles bigger

through regular

strength training.”

There’s hope yet!

OCTOBER 2019 MEN’S FITNESS 49