10 Muscle-Building Myths You Need to Forget About

Many athletes – and non-athletes – set high muscle-building goals for themselves. While there are many proven strength-training exercises and workouts that will make you stronger over time, there are also a lot of myths that so-called physical fitness experts still promote.

Furthermore, the Internet is often another source of misinformation when it comes to strength training. Here are the most common muscle-building myths that you should forget about because they won’t make you stronger at all.

© Can Stock Photo / stryjek

Eating More Protein Will Give You Bigger Muscles

Eating enough protein is an essential component to successful strength training because it contains the amino acids that your muscles need to grow.

However, the key is enough protein. Yes, you will need more amino acids than the average person not in a strength training program.

Just because you start consuming large amounts of protein, it doesn’t mean that you are going to start building really big muscles. Instead, you will likely just end up with more belly fat. Therefore, when you begin strength training, you need to find a good nutritional guide that will tell you the right amount of protein to eat.

Consuming Carbs Isn’t Necessary for Building Stronger Muscles

Many people who want lean muscles try to eliminate all carbohydrates from their diet. Unfortunately, not consuming enough carbs is a big mistake.

That’s because carbs give your body the energy it needs to sustain itself during longer workout sessions. Without them, your body will get tired more easily, and you won’t be able to build the strong muscles that you want. Just like many things in life, moderation is the key to consuming carbs.

You Can’t Build Stronger Muscles Without Protein Supplements

The obsession with getting enough protein makes many novice bodybuilders buy expensive supplements to enhance their workouts.

However, paying big bucks to put more amino acids into your body is actually unnecessary. As long as you are eating a well-balanced diet that includes enough protein to help your muscles grow during your strength training exercises, you don’t need to buy expensive supplements to take during workouts.

Lots of Reps Equal Lots of Big Muscles

Another common muscle-building myth is that the more hours people spend lifting weights at the gym, the more muscles they will build. However, instead of spending several hours lifting weights that focus on a single muscle at a time, focus on complex moves that will involve more muscles.

That way you can strengthen a greater number of muscles in less time. You can find a lot of good strength training exercises online.

You Must Constantly Change Your Exercises

Many people mistakenly believe that you can’t build stronger muscles by doing the same exercises every day. However, as long as your strength-training regiments are exercising several muscles during your workouts, you will be able to build bigger muscles. Just make sure that you continue to add more weight – as you get stronger – to make the exercises more difficult.

Crunches Are the Only Way to Reduce Belly Fat

Most people engaging in strength-training programs want more lean muscles and less belly fat. That’s why many people will turn to crunches as a way to burn belly fat.

While doing crunches is fine, the truth is that any exercises you do will burn calories. Once you start burning more calories than you are consuming, you will reduce your belly fat. Therefore, if crunches aren’t your favorite exercise, you can do something else that you like better.

Any Protein is Good Protein

Another widespread strength training myth is that protein is all the same as long as you eat enough of it. The truth is that if you consume too many foods that are high in fats, you will end up gaining weight instead of gaining bigger muscles. Therefore, you need to consume lean protein.

For example, foods like white-meat poultry and fish, beans, and Greek yogurt all contain high amounts of lean protein. You can find more examples of foods with lean protein online.

Stretching Isn’t Necessary After Strength Training

One of the most dangerous muscle-building myths is that is isn’t necessary to stretch after  your workouts. That’s because many people view strength training exercises as slow workouts, so they think that their muscles will be fine afterwards without stretching. The truth is that if you fail to stretch after weight lifting exercises, you can end up with very sore muscles the next day. Therefore, after your workouts, you need to spend a few minutes to stretch to get your muscles back into normal form.

Machines are Better Than Lifting Free Weights

Many people pay for expensive gym memberships because they believe that they will build bigger muscles using machines than by lifting free weights.

The fact is that if you use the proper form, lifting free weights can be just as effective as machines when strengthening your muscles. However, the key is using proper form. That’s why you might want to consult some online weight lifting videos to make sure that you are doing your exercises correctly.

Anyone Can Build Huge Muscles Instantly

Lastly, it’s a huge misconception – often promoted by selling strength training programs – that anyone can build big muscles in no time. Since many people are impatient and like instant gratification, the idea that you can get big muscles in little time is appealing.

Unfortunately, successful strength training takes a long-term commitment. Everyone’s body is different. While it might take some people less time to strengthen their muscles, others will have to work harder and longer. Therefore, your muscle-building goals should focus on the end result, not how long it takes you.

In short, if you are serious about building stronger muscles, then you need to consume enough lean protein to help your muscles grow. You don’t have to buy expensive supplements and you don’t have to give up eating all carbs. In fact, you don’t even have to get a gym membership to start exercising. You can start lifting weights at home – just make sure that you are doing it correctly.

Find a good strength training video to watch online. Remember, building bigger muscles takes time, so the important thing is to not give up after a short time.