5 Secrets the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
Secret 1 – Long, slow, boring cardio is NOT the best way to burn fat
Day in day out I see the same people at the gym plodding along on the bike or cross trainer reading a magazine while they “workout” and day in day out they don’t see the results they desire and wonder why. This is why the commercial fitness industry gets on my nerves. I see health and fitness professionals recommending 90 minutes at the gym doing mostly long, slow, boring cardio when the truth of the matter is that they’d get better results form doing 3 x 45 minute workouts a week from SMASH Training. SMASH Training workouts are specifically designed to burn fat and tone muscle in the most efficient time possible and some of the workouts you don’t even need a gym!
Secret 2 – Green tea is good but won’t really help you burn that much fat
Now it has been proven that green tea can help you burn a bit more fat during moderate exercise. However my point is this, the amount is so minuscule that if you look at the big picture is it worth it? If you enjoy green tea then please carry on with drinking it but I used to drink 6 cups of green tea a day because I thought it helped me burn more fat. When I assessed this behaviour though I discovered I wasn’t enjoying it. Just because a magazine says you should eat or drink something doesn’t mean you have to. Enjoy what you put into your body and you will feel better for it.
Secret 3 – However many sit ups a day you do, it won’t get you a 6 pack
Please, if you’re doing loads of sit ups in your workout, STOP!!! Doing lots of sit ups is not going to get you a six pack, having low body fat gets you a six pack. If you have seen any photos of me, you have seen that I’m in pretty good shape and I’m here to tell you, I don’t do sit ups or many abdominal exercises! I focus on keeping my body fat low and keeping good form during exercises to get my abs to pop.
Secret 4 – Eating at night or skipping breakfast doesn’t make you fat
This is probably one of the most ridiculous old wives tales of nutrition. The truth is that it doesn’t matter when you eat, it is more about what and how much you eat. If you eat more calories than you burn you will put on weight. If you eat less calories than you burn you will lose weight. I sometimes eat just before I go to bed because that’s the only time I get to eat dinner. I don’t skip breakfast but I know plenty of people in very good shape that do. It is only recommended that you don’t skip breakfast so you don’t binge eat later on in the day.
Secret 5 – High reps and low weight does not tone your muscles
This is one of the biggest myths of all, which is why I find it the most annoying! I see many people at gyms just doing low weights for about 15 reps. They could do more but “15 reps seems about right for toning muscle”. For body composition to change you need to put your body under some good old fashioned strain. To tone muscle even a tiny bit you need to have the weights you lift making you really struggle at 8 reps. Anywhere between 5-10 is a good rep range. Just, remember if you can do more than 10 up the weight making sure you keep good form throughout the exercise or do a different exercise that hits the same muscles.
