Are you smashing it at the gym but not seeing any results? The chances are that you’ve fallen victim to bad advice. But don’t worry, it’s so easy to do now a days. New research is overturning long believed tips about the best ways to work out. No panicking: our star trainers are always here to update your routine so you can achieve the results you’ve been working so hard towards.
Eating less does not mean weight loss
Yes, you heard correctly. Eating less does not create the need to burn body fat. Instead, it creates the need for the body to slow down. Contrary to popular opinion, our bodies hang on to our body fat and will often opt to burn muscle tissue instead. Only as a last report, if our bodies have no other option, will it start to burn body fat. So for the best weight loss results, you need to eat healthy and blast your workout!
Resistance training does not bulk you up
If resistance training was all it took to get bulky then just about everyone that touched weights in the gym would be getting bigger. For the majority of us, resistance training is a necessity to achieving that fully sculpted appearance that we so desire. To get bulkier we need to be in a calorie surplus where we are eating more calories than we burn and training with moderate weights.
Crunches are the key to flat abs
They may be the most iconic abdominal exercise around, but doing crunches is not actually the best way to slim your midsection. Doing crunches does not burn off a lot of calories, so they don’t help in a major way with fat loss. While crunches do tone a small portion of your abs, moves involving your distal trunk – which includes your shoulders and bum – more effectively engage your entire core. So you will tone your abs far more dramatically if by doing planks and bridges.
Static stretching is sacred
While it’s often repeated that static stretching is a must before workouts, recent studies have proven that “static stretching done pre workout can reduce performance and power”. While static stretching should still be a part of your post workout routine, dynamic stretching should be your focus at the start of a workout.