1- Running for hours on end will help me shed the pounds
One of the major misconception is that today people feel that cardiovascular exercise and steady state aerobics are the best way to get fit, healthy and lose weight. However, as i have mentioned in my previous writings, it is not the most effective way of doing so as the effects of steady state cardio can often be negligible, and without proper diet and resistance training will probably yield minimal results.
2- But i dont want to use weight because i dont want to get too big
Lots of people i talk to are of the opinion that if they start using weights or start doing resistance training within a few months they will look like this guy;
but this kind of look would take many years and copious amounts of 'vitamin S'to achieve, so trust me on this get in the gym.
3- Women who use weights will end up looking manly
Men and women have very different muscle make ups. Men can build much stronger heavier physiques than women, the only way a woman could look manly through weight training is through using steroids. In fact weight training for women has many benefits including; a higher sex drive, reduce in osteoporosis in later life and a higher metabolic rate increasing fat loss.
4- I can turn fat into muscle
This is a pet hate of mine. Fat and muscle are two completely different tissues which serve very different functions in the body. Increasing muscle mass will burn more calories and aid fatloss but you cannot turn fat into muscle.
5-Training more is better
I personally know a couple of guys who are in the gym 6 days a week consume 2000 calories a day with a goal of getting bigger. What they don't know and what i have been trying to tell them is your body adapts through rest, in fact training only starts the process. Rest and eat well you will get the results you want.
6-Eating very little will help me lose weight
True eating very little will help you lose weight but this will mainly be water and equal proportions of fat, muscle fiber and internal organ tissue aswell as putting your body under a great deal of stress and possibly getting very very sick. By far the best way to diet is to work out how many calories you need a day then minus 500. Consume these in six small meals a day, do not go over 3 hours without eating as this will make you tired, grumpy and more likely to give up.