The science of sport and fitness is one of the most rapidly growing fields of research in the Western world. As technology advances, we receive almost daily updates on VO2 optimization methods, intramuscular mitochondrial response data, biochemical feedback loops and almost every other physiological aspect of training. All of this scientific research has led to the debunking of several long-held training principles, three of the most common ones I’ll explain below.
Myth 3: In order to build well-rounded lats, you should hit them from both sides by doing pulldowns to the front as well as to the back.
Intuitively, it makes sense to want to work our lats from both angles. After all, we work other muscles, such as our glutes and abs, from multiple angles--so why not follow the same m.o. with our lats? Because our lats are different. Think about why you train the other muscles from multiple angles—you might do squats, bridges, side lunges and other other exercises to get a well-rounded backside, but you do that because your “glutes” aren’t just a single muscle; they’re actually three different muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) running along three different planes, with three separate sets of insertion points. So, if you want a total butt workout, you have to work each muscle from a different angle.
Your lats, however, are a single muscle; the latissimus dorsi is one big muscle running under your arm and around to your spine. This means that if you work the muscle, you work the entire muscle, so there’s no added benefit to working it from multiple angles. A few recent studies have even used electromyography (literally: electric muscle graph) to show that latissimus dorsi muscle fiber activation is identical when performing pulldowns to the front or to the back (the two exercises do work the biceps, deltoids and pecs differently, though, and these differences can be quite extreme, depending on your torso angle).
Take home message: if you want bigger lats, scrap the redundant exercises and remember the age-old mantra of “The wider you grip, the wider you get.”
Myth 2: High volume, steady-state cardio is the best way to lose fat and lean up.
We’ve all seen the “fat burning” zone on the cardio machines in the gym. Physical capabilities aside, if you’ve ever had the mental stamina to complete a solid hour within that zone, I bow to you. Boredom never fails to overwhelm me after about 10 minutes. Fortunately for me and for the rest of you out there who struggle to get through a long cardio program, slow and steady isn’t the only way to win the fat burning race.
Studies have shown that you can get the same skeletal muscle carbohydrate and lipid oxidation (i.e., fat burning) results from a.) 40-60 minutes, 5 times per week, of continuous cycling at 65% of max effort as you can with b.) sprint training that takes a third of the time. The sprint training workout consists of 30 seconds of all-out sprinting, followed by 4.5 minutes of active rest (walking) and repeated 4-6 times just three days per week.
If you like to “get away from it all” for 4-5 hours every week with the long, slow grind of traditional cardio work, go for it. But if you’re like me and simply dread the prospect of enslaving yourself to a machine or a seemingly endless road, go the sprint route and enjoy the extra free time.
Myth 1: Lifting heavy weight alone will maximize your strength gains.
A very good friend of mine, (a 6’4”, 275-lb behemoth of a man with chiseled abs and rock-hard quads) also happens to be a weightlifting coach. The motto in his gym is “If you want to lift heavy weights, you gotta lift heavy weights.” In other words, there’s little sense in regularly squatting 350 pounds for 15 reps if your goal is to squat 700 pounds for a single, because your body must be given the opportunity to adapt to gradually-heavier loads. I agree. However, science and real-world application both say that (while this philosophy is part of the equation) it’s not the end all, be all of strength gaining (sorry, John).
The other part of the strength equation is training for speed and explosiveness. The faster you lift a weight, the faster your muscles engage and the faster your muscles engage, the less energy you waste getting from point A to point B. In other words, the faster you are, the more efficient you are and we all know efficiency is key when working out. I’m not telling you race through every exercise you do, as there are certainly benefits to prolonging some movements. However, if you’re looking to become bigger and stronger, consider becoming faster as well. Increasing your lifting speed and explosive power will help you get that big weight up just as much as having strong muscles.
We’ve all heard some doozies of fitness myths out there, so send me some you’ve heard and I’ll tackle them in future articles.
Jessica Gereau – Jessica has a BS in Kinesiology from San Francisco St. University. Before becoming a certified personal trainer she achieved a personal weight loss of 60+ lbs, and this has motivated her to help others obtain similar goals. She founded Gym Class Fitness Studio in the Bay Area as a place where people can learn what she learned along the way - that cookies are a part of life, and the hard way is the only way. Jessica currently carries certifications for ACSM and NASM.