Bodybuilding is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports in existence. It is not actually a sport at all, but rather a lifestyle. Those who are truly committed to the art of bodybuilding will eat, sleep, and breathe the bodybuilding lifestyle 24/7. As difficult as it is, once you start making progress and start seeing noticeable gains, you’ll be hooked and will find it hard to switch off. One of the problems with bodybuilding is the fact that people often pass opinion off as fact. You’ve likely heard of ‘bro-science’ in bodybuilding, which is precisely that. As a result of bro-science, miscommunication, and ignorance, there are now a number of myths associated with bodybuilding, that we need to stop believing. Here are just a few of the most common examples of what we mean.
Don’t train if you are sore
If you’re familiar with exercise, you’ll likely be aware of DOMS. DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, and it is basically soreness in your muscles following a strenuous workout. Now, some people believe you should not train at all if you are sore. In truth, it is perfectly acceptable to train when experiencing minor DOMS, as this is a sign that your muscles are recovering. A little soreness may be uncomfortable, but it won’t hinder your progress. The thing to remember here is that soreness is not the same as being injured. If you are injured, you should never train until fully recovered.
You can eat like crap if you are bulking
When bodybuilders bulk, they are basically looking to pile as much muscle mass onto their frames as possible. In order to do so, they need to train heavy, and increase their caloric intakes to create a surplus. Some bodybuilders will ‘dirty bulk’ and will basically eat copious amounts of junk food each day. Sure, they’re training hard so they gain weight, but they gain more fat and water than they do muscle, and they find it harder to trim down and burn fat when cutting because they have more fat to lose. When bulking, you still need to eat healthy and nutritious foods, just more of them.
Creatine is a steroid
Okay, if anybody ever tells you this, please ignore them. Creatine is a popular supplement used by athletes and bodybuilders that helps to increase ATP production. ATP is used by the cells in the muscles for energy. Therefore, the more you produce, the more energy your muscles will have and the more you will do when training. Creatine is NOT a steroid. We actually produce creatine naturally.
Crunches are the answer to abs
If you want a set of six pack abs, everyone knows you need to do stomach crunches, right? Well, whilst crunches are great for working the abdominal muscles, the key to revealing your abs is losing the layer of fat that is hiding them. You could do a million crunches per day if you were able, but if your body fat percentages were too high, you wouldn’t be able to see them until you lost the weight. It really is that simple. Typically, you need to get to around 13% of lower body fat before your abs become visible. Revealing your abs should be done via a combination of diet and exercise.
