Myth busting is unfortunately a key part of any fitness professional’s job, due to the vast amount of health and fitness misinformation being spread daily over social media.
It’s no secret that the credibility of fitness social media influencers is overwhelmingly poor. According to a recent BMC Public Health article by Maher & Colleagues (2023), “Around two-thirds of the leading fitspiration accounts (Instagram) audited lacked credibility or contained potentially harmful or unhealthy content.” I’d hazard a guess that the author’s were being generous with that conclusion.
There’s absolutely practitioners posting excellent fitness content on social media every day, however they’re often lost in the noise of the charlatans spewing BS.
It’s too easy to place the blame exclusively on influencers though. Lots of people you interact with on a weekly basis are also likely strong vectors for spreading health and fitness myths, whether that’s Mary in the staffroom raving about the wonders of her new detox tea or a relative criticising you for spending time in the gym just to get “big muscles.”
My aim for this episode is to challenge some pervasive fitness myths, in the hope that it will save you time and money.
- (0:00) Intro
- (0:32) Myth 1: Muscle soreness is a STRONG indicator of a good workout.
- (1:10) Myth 2: You're too OLD to workout
- (1:51) Myth 3: Ice baths are AMAZING for recovering and adapting from exercise
- (2:33) Myth 4: Squats are a GREAT hamstring exercise
- (3:30) Myth 5: Celebrities and sponsored influencers are a TRUSTWORTHY source of health & fitness information
- (4:44) Myth 6: You're NOT an athlete
- (5:24) Myth 7: Machines are INFERIOR to free weights for building muscle
- (5:50) Myth 8: You NEED to spend a lot of time stretching and working on your mobility
- (6:41) Myth 9: Working out is just for VANITY and to get big muscles
- (7:27) Myth 10: People are looking at YOU in the gym
- (7:59) Myth 11: You NEED a personal trainer
- (9:03) Myth 12: You DON'T have the time
- (10:09) Myth 13: You NEED to see a physiotherapist for rehabbing injuries
- (11:10) Myth 14: Lifting weights carries a HIGH risk of injury
- (12:28) Myth 15: You should NEVER train the same muscle on consecutive days
- (13:10) Myth 16: You CAN'T workout without growing big muscles
- (13:57) Myth 17: BIG muscles = High training IQ
- (14:35) Myth 18: You NEED to buy loads of fancy gadgets and spend a lot of money to get in shape
- (15:09) Myth 19: Children SHOULDN'T resistance train
- (15:53) Myth 20: You should NEVER train when you're injured or experiencing any pain
- (16:57) Myth 21: Behind the neck exercises are inherently DANGEROUS
- (17:29) Myth 22: Getting in shape requires DRAMATIC lifestyle overhaul
- (17:55) Myth 23: Working out a few times a week makes you SUPER interesting
- (18:27) Myth 24: You MUST squat, bench, and deadlift
- (19:01) Myth 25: You NEED to do loads of different exercises to make great progress
- (20:19) Concluding remarks
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