In a world where ‘fake news’ is everywhere, and where people can share ridiculous stories on social media with the touch of a button, we find it increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. In the world of bodybuilding, and general health and fitness, things are no different. You’ll often find that when it comes to bodybuilding, everybody is an expert. That guy over there with a hot dog in one hand and a beer in the other? He’s a bodybuilding expert. That woman over there, drinking a chemical-laden “diet” soda and replacing 99% of her meals with chemically-enhanced powders? She’s clearly a trained nutritionist, right? Wrong. Often, you’ll find that the people with the strongest opinions on a subject, have no real knowledge of the subject at all. Here are four common bodybuilding myths that you need to stop believing right now.
You can turn fat into muscle
This is one of the most common bodybuilding myths in circulation, and it’s been around for decades. We’re not sure where it originated, or why it stuck, but it just does not seem to want to go away. Often, you’ll see people that are clearly overweight, talking about how they’ll turn their ‘fat into muscle’ when they start back at the gym next week. No, they won’t! The reason they won’t is because it’s impossible. Fat will always be fat and muscle will always be muscle. You can’t magically alter the biological structure of something just by lifting weights. You can REPLACE fat with muscle, but you can’t turn fat into muscle.
High reps for toning and low reps for building
Again, another common myth in the world of bodybuilding is that in order to build muscle you need to do low reps, and to tone muscle you should perform high reps. This is not always the case. You can build muscle with high reps, just as you can tone your muscles with lower reps.
Creatine is a steroid
Creatine is NOT a steroid, yet there are plenty of mis-informed individuals out there that are convinced that it is. Creatine is a naturally-occurring acidic compound that is found within our bodies. It assists with the production of ATP, which the cells in the muscles use as a source of energy. Because it is so beneficial from an athletic perspective, it is also sold as a sports supplement. Supplement? Yes. Steroid? No!
Fats and carbs need to be eaten separately
As well as protein, the human body also needs healthy fats, just as it needs carbohydrates. Some people out there, will tell you to never combine the two together as doing so will cause you to gain fat. If you’re following a ketogenic diet in which you consume protein and fat, with very few carbs, then yes, this is true. If you’re simply trying to eat a fresh, healthy, and nutritionally balanced meal however, then combining healthy fats with complex carbohydrates will do you no harm at all.
