5 Weight Loss and Muscle Gain Myths Debunked

We all see them. In fact we are all bombarded by them.

"Lose 20 Pounds In One Month!"

"Eat Whatever You Want And Lose A Ton Of Weight!"

"Melt Away That Stubborn Belly Fat!"

"Trim Those Love Handles!"

"5 Exercises That Guarantee Rapid Weight Loss!"

"Do This One Workout To Add Pounds Of Muscle In A Matter Of Weeks!"

Now let's look at a few of these recurring themes:

Fad Diets - The "Hollywood Miracle Drink" diet, the cookie diet, the "sprinkle this on your food" diet. Don't even get me started on all the countless prepackaged, preservative-filled, premium-priced ready made meals out there, none of which I have ever enjoyed eating. Yet with all these claims, you can still "eat all your favorite foods." If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it!

Rapid Weight Loss - We are all familiar with this claim. Some say you can lose up to 50 pounds in less than two months using their plan or supplement. I've even seen one claim, by a man I used to respect, that using a particular training style could remove up to 5 inches from your waist in the first month! These claims are absolutely outlandish and are not based on a healthy approach. A vast majority of people who have seen success on these diets end up re-gaining the weight, often adding even more pounds than they lost.

Body Fat Spot Reduction - This myth has existed since Jane Fonda popularized Aerobics in the early 80's. It has been proven by quite a few studies. The body uses fat stores from all over to fuel itself, but don't get discouraged! Michael Jensen, MD, a Mayo Clinic endocrinology specialist and obesity researcher says "There is no magic bullet, diet plan, specific food, or type of exercise that specifically targets belly fat. But the good news is belly fat is the first kind of fat you tend to lose when you lose weight." (WebMD - I personally don't agree with the rest of the article, but the quote is definitely a good one!)

Secret Workout/Set Of Specific Exercises - While it's true that if you're going for a purely aesthetic look, specific exercises may have their place. But for weight loss and pure muscle gain, there are no "ultimate techniques." Truth is, it takes hard work and smart planning for either.

Rapid Muscle Gains - Yes, it is possible to gain 10 lbs. of muscle in a month. Here's what you do: Eat 4500+ calories a day, sleep at least 10 hours, lift heavy 4 days a week, and shoot steroids (you know, just to be sure). This may work for some. If it does and that's what you want, don't let me stop you. For the rest of us, though, it takes more dedication and progressive loading. A more realistic time frame for that kind of muscle gain is 3-6 months, depending on diet and training method.

Well, there you have it, 5 weight loss and muscle gain myths debunked.

So, Josh, What Should We Do?

There are books upon book and blogs upon blogs dedicated to answering this question. I will go over the basics here, to be expanded upon at a later date.

For weight loss, it all boils down to four words: Eat Less. Move More.

Simple, no? The most important part of eating right for weight loss is creating a caloric deficit. The best way to do so is to calculate your daily caloric expenditure (don't worry, there's a tool for that!)You burn quite a few calories just staying alive and doing basic daily activities, which is your baseline caloric expenditure. Everything extra is either used as energy or stored as fat.

Moving more is almost as important as creating a caloric deficit. Move around at a moderate pace. Take up a recreational sport like tennis, basketball, cycling, parkour, etc. (I love the outdoors, so I do a lot of hiking, mountain biking, and climbing. Soon I will add kayaking to the list. First I need to get over my dread of ice-cold water). It's also useful to add resistance training (weightlifting or bodyweight training) in order to build muscle. Muscle burns more calories (not a ton, like many say, but still...every little bit helps!), and strength benefits many other areas of life. This is true for both men and women (women, you don't get out of this! There is another myth I will expand on in the future about women and strength training).

What About Building Muscle?

Like above, I will give a brief overview for the moment and expand on it in a future article.

I'll simplify this one for you also: Eat More. Lift Heavy. I'll add a third one to this though: Sprint and Squat.

The first one is most important. Your body needs a lot more calories to build a good amount of muscle. Make sure you keep those calories clean though! More on that in the future.

Next, lift heavy. For pure size and strength, I recommend a 5x5 heavy weightlifting program. The two best programs are Starting Strength and StrongLifts.

It is also possible to gain weight on bodyweight/calisthenics/gymnastics and kettlebell programs, but the results will not come as quickly. Whichever method you choose, if you are new to exercise, have injuries, or are overweight I recommend starting with calisthenics to develop joint stability and strengthen the tendons before starting a weightlifting program. No matter what your level, the most important thing to keep in mind is train progressively! For more information on the importance of progressive loading, check out this article from Eat. Move. Improve.

The third element is equally as important as the first two. Out of all exercises, sprinting and squatting cause the body to release the highest amounts of growth hormone. They are also important positive stressors on the CNS (central nervous system). They also both have powerful aerobic effects.

Final Notes

There is a massive amount of misinformation that advertisers spread in order to sell their products, and it has made the worlds of weight loss and muscle gain near impossible to navigate. I hope more people will stand up with information intended to truly help those who need guidance instead of leaving them at the mercy of money-hungry advertisers and salespeople. The tide is beginning to turn, but I fear it may not be turning fast enough. We must all do our part to help spread the truth!

Train Smart!