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10 Training
Myths Exposed!
by Joe DeFranco
This article
originally appeared on www.T-nation.com
Nothin' but the Truth!
During your time in the gym, you’ve
probably noticed that the same training questions
are discussed amongst athletes and fitness buffs day
in and day out. You know the questions I’m talking
about: "What exercises will shape and tone my
muscles because I don’t want to get too bulky?"
And let’s not forget this classic: "How
do I get a better peak on my biceps?"
The list goes on and on. Unfortunately,
these questions are usually answered by one of the
gym’s under-certified personal trainers, or
worse yet, the local gym legend. The gym legend is
the guy whose arms are twice the size of his thighs,
he’s been on the same routine for the past ten
years, and his physique hasn’t changed since
the first day he lifted a weight. Oh yeah, he still
lives at home with his mommy. (Hopefully, you sense
my sarcasm.)
The popular answers given to these questions
by the self-proclaimed experts have created gym myths
that are older than your grandmother’s wedding
dress. These myths have been around for so long they’ve
actually been accepted as truth. Below I've exposed
ten of the most popular training myths and I’ve
revealed the truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth!
After reading my list, do yourself and
your gym a favor: print out a copy of this article
and discreetly leave it lying around your gym. Maybe,
just maybe, one of the members or trainers will pick
it up, read it and learn something. Hopefully, it'll
help them to open up their minds and they'll finally
learn the truth. This will make your gym a much happier
(and more productive) place to train.
Let’s get to it!
The Top Ten Training Myths
Myth #10: Preacher curls work
the lower biceps.
First of all, there's no such thing
as a "lower" biceps. It’s impossible
to contract the lower portion of your biceps without
recruiting any other portions.
Still not convinced? Well, you might
be thinking that whenever you complete a tough set
of preacher curls, you get a pump in your biceps just
above the bend in your elbow. After all, it’s
your "lower" biceps which creates your biceps
"peak," isn’t it?
Okay, here’s the deal. The prime
movers in the preacher curl are your biceps brachii
and the brachialis. The biceps brachii consists of
a long and short head and it crosses over two joints
(your shoulder and elbow). On the other hand, the
brachialis only crosses over one joint (the elbow)
and it lies underneath the biceps brachii. It originates
on the middle of your humerus and inserts on the radius.
When performing a preacher curl, your
upper arms are placed in front of your upper body
(shoulder flexion). For a muscle to be fully activated,
it must be stretched at both ends. Since the biceps
brachii attaches to the shoulder, it can’t be
fully activated because the angle of the preacher
bench places the shoulders in flexion. This places
a large portion of the load on the short head of the
biceps brachii and the brachialis.
Remember that the brachialis lies underneath
the biceps brachii and it originates lower on the
upper arm. When the brachialis gets "pumped,"
it pushes the bottom of the biceps brachii forward,
creating what appears to be a "lower biceps."
Myth #9: Basketball and baseball
players shouldn’t lift weights because it'll
make them tight. This will ruin a basketball player’s
ability to shoot and a baseball player’s ability
to hit and throw.
It amazes me that this myth is still
around. After all, check out the success of Michael
Jordan, Shaquille O’Neil, Barry Bonds and Mark
McGwire, just to name a few. Did the added muscle
on their frames ruin their careers? I don’t
think so!
First of all, we must not forget that
research has shown that full range resistance training
is still one of the best ways to develop functional
flexibility. A properly designed strength training
program, in conjunction with playing your sport, is
the best way to make your strength and flexibility
gains "sport-specific."
In other words, one of the reasons that
Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman, can’t shoot a basketball
like an NBA star is because he doesn’t play
basketball as much as they do! It’s that simple.
Let’s also not forget about injury
prevention. Basketball is a much more physical game
than it used to be. And although baseball isn’t
considered a "physical" sport, it's one
of the most stressful sports on your shoulders and
lumbar spine. Strength training is imperative to staying
healthy and overcoming the muscular imbalances created
by playing these sports.
Finally, hitting a baseball, stealing
second base and jumping up for a rebound are some
of the most explosive activities in all of sports.
Without a strong and powerful lower body, you'll never
reach your full potential in these activities.
Has lifting weights ruined Barry’s swing?
In short, baseball and basketball players
can and should lift weights!
Myth #8: Activating the transverse abdominis
(pulling the stomach inward) is the key to stabilizing
your spine when squatting.
This is one of the most hotly debated
topics among strength coaches and physical therapists.
Personally, I feel that "pulling in your belly"
is potentially dangerous when squatting.
When you pull your belly inward, it
tends to flex the spine, a.k.a. round your back. This
is the last thing you want to happen when you have
a heavy weight on your back! After all, unsupported
spinal flexion under a compressive load is one of
the most common causes of disk herniation. Unless
you want to herniate a disk while doing a nosedive
onto the floor, I'd advise against pulling in your
stomach while squatting.
The correct technique would be to contract
your erector spinae (arch your back) and fill your
stomach with air by taking a huge breath. Then, hold
your breath while forcefully pushing your belly out
during the most strenuous phase of the lift (Valsalva
maneuver). This technique will not only stabilize
your spine by increasing the intra-abdominal pressure,
it'll enable you to squat more weight!
Remember that both techniques of stabilizing
your spine have their place in training. For example,
I feel that learning how to activate your transverse
abdominis is a valid and valuable technique during
the lifting of lighter loads. It’s also very
important for lower-back rehabilitation.
On the other hand, if you’re participating
in heavy strength training, I'd highly recommend performing
the technique I described above. Remember, attempting
a max squat is a lot different than teaching an abdominal
crunch to someone who just had back surgery.
Note: Even after
this article gets printed, I’m sure this myth
won't go away. I just have one request to all of
the physical therapists and rehab specialists who'll
choose to debate me regarding this topic. I don’t
care how many books you’ve read or how many
college degrees you have, if you’ve never
had a heavy weight on your back, you’re not
qualified to argue this topic!
I’ve always found it funny that
all of the people who preach pulling in your belly
during heavy lifting can’t even squat off the
toilet with a newspaper. Practice before you preach!
Is this man tucking in his tummy?
Myth #7: It’s important to build an
aerobic base of conditioning before getting into more
intense anaerobic work.
There's no physiological basis for this
statement. Having an aerobic base doesn’t help
you perform or recover from anaerobic work. Think
about this, do you think a marathon runner would be
able to withstand the demands of an intense football
game? On the other hand, do you think that one of
the NFL’s superstars would be able to complete
a marathon?
Of course not! This is because the physiological
demands of both sports have about as much in common
as Howard Stern and Kathie Lee Gifford. Yet athletes
who participate in anaerobic sports still tend to
associate getting in shape with long, slow, distance
training. Nothing can be further from the truth.
A more productive alternative to jogging
or cycling a couple of miles would be to perform multiple
anaerobic activities with short rest intervals over
a prolonged period of time. For example, performing
a GPP (general physical preparedness) workout that
consists of bodyweight calisthenics (jumping jacks,
bodyweight squats, squat thrusts, etc.), movement
skills (power skipping, side shuffling, backpedaling,
etc.) and mobility drills, is far superior to linear,
slow, long-distance running.
By performing exercises that challenge
an athlete’s relative strength, balance and
coordination in a continuous fashion, we’re
able to improve their endurance without the loss in
muscle mass, strength and speed that’s associated
with the slow distance method.
Why would the man on the left want to train like the
man on the right?
Myth #6: Athletes shouldn’t bench press
because it’s not "sport specific."
I always find it funny that the bench
press is singled out as the one exercise that isn’t
sport specific. I have a secret for you: No exercise
is sport specific! Playing your sport makes the strength
that you gain in the weightroom sport specific!
Don’t get me wrong, certain exercises
are more productive than others. But, remember that
it’s impossible to duplicate the speed, intensity
and technique of the athletic field in the weightroom.
Therefore, no exercise you perform in the weightroom
can be classified as a sport specific exercise.
The bottom line is that the bench press
is a great, multi-joint, free-weight exercise for
developing strength in the chest, triceps and shoulders.
What’s wrong with that? I’m not saying
that the bench press is the most important exercise
in the world, but it can be effectively incorporated
into the training routine of most athletes.
Myth #5: Women should focus on performing
aerobic activities because weight training will give
them a "manly" appearance.
This myth just won’t go away,
mainly because of bodybuilding magazines. People associate
females who strength-train with the female bodybuilders
pictured in bodybuilding magazines. Professional female
bodybuilders usually resemble men because of the massive
amount of anabolic, androgenic drugs they consume.
However, these "females" shouldn't
be confused with drug-free women who incorporate resistance
training into their fitness programs. The next time
that this topic comes up, remember the following facts:
1) Much of the difference in muscle
mass between males and females is attributed to
hormones, specifically, Testosterone. On average,
men produce ten times more Testosterone than females.
Unless you’re a female who's taking anabolic
steroids or other male hormones, lifting weights
will not make you look like a man! It’s actually
harder for most females to build muscle compared
to their male counterparts.
2) There's also a difference in muscle
mass distribution between men and women, especially
in the upper body. If you do build a significant
amount of muscle, you still won't look masculine.
So, it's important to remember that
male hormones and muscle mass distribution are the
two main reasons that men usually carry more muscle
than woman. Ladies, get in the weightroom!
Do these female athletes look too manly?
Myth #4: Olympic lifts are the only way to
get explosive.
Most people say they perform the Olympic
lifts because they're "explosive." The truth
of the matter is that any lift can be explosive! By
incorporating the dynamic-effort method with sub-maximal
weights into your program, you can turn any lift into
an "explosive" lift.
For example, if a man who can box squat
500 pounds were to train with 275 and focus on accelerating
the weight, the box squat would then become an "explosive"
lift. This example can hold true for many other exercises
as well. By training with weights that represent 50-60%
of your 1RM in a given lift, science has proven that
the weight is heavy enough to produce adequate force,
yet light enough to produce adequate speed. And we
should all know that speed times strength = power.
Another reason I feel the Olympic lifts
are overrated is that they take a long time to teach
and most athletes are horrible at them. After all,
Olympic lifting is a sport in and of itself! Olympic
weightlifters spend their entire lives practicing
these lifts and some of these athletes still never
perfect them!
The reason that most non-Olympic weightlifters
aren’t great at the Olympic lifts is usually
because they aren’t strong enough in the right
places. After assessing an athlete’s power clean
or power snatch form, I usually conclude that their
technique flaws are due to a lack of hamstring, glute
and low back strength. This assessment usually means
that I end up prescribing more deadlift variations,
reverse hyperextensions, glute-ham raises, pull-throughs,
etc.
This is called the training economy.
Getting stronger in the deadlift, reverse hyperextension
and glute-ham raise will improve your power clean,
but it doesn’t work the other way around. Basically,
I choose the exercises that give my athletes the best
"bang for their buck." Another benefit of
my "economical" exercises is that they're
much less stressful on the wrists, elbows and shoulders
compared to the Olympic lifts.
Myth #3: The best indicators of a good workout
are how tired you are after the workout and how sore
you are the next day.
This is a myth my most dedicated athletes
still have a tough time dismissing. Most hard-working
individuals equate a good workout with being exhausted
and sore. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve
had athletes say, "You didn’t even make
me puke" after a workout. My response is usually,
"I didn’t make you puke because I didn’t
want to make you puke. Making you puke would be easy.
Getting you stronger, faster and more flexible actually
takes some work."
Puking is one of the most catabolic
things you can do to your body. If your goals are
increased muscular strength and/or muscular hypertrophy,
you should do everything possible not to puke during
your training!
Fatigue is another popular indicator
people use to rate the productivity of their workouts.
Remember that the goal of your training session should
dictate how you feel after your workout. For example,
if you’re going to perform a plyometric workout
with the goal of improving your vertical jump, you
shouldn’t be exhausted after the workout.
Actually, a properly designed plyometric
workout should stimulate your neuromuscular system
and you should feel better than when you started the
workout. On the other hand, it’s good to be
exhausted after a tough practice that was designed
to get you in "game shape" for your given
sport.
Finally, I’ve never read any research
that links post-exercise soreness to strength gains,
hypertrophy gains or improved athletic performance.
Who the hell wants to be sore anyway? Think of DOMS
(Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as an unfortunate
side effect of training, not a goal of training.
Remember that it’s easy for a
coach to make an athlete tired, but it takes a true
professional to get an athlete stronger, faster, more
flexible and better conditioned.
Myth #2: Strength training will stunt the growth of
children.
It still amazes me that parents won’t
hesitate to get their young children (6-7 years old)
involved in sports such as football, gymnastics, basketball
and soccer, yet they feel that participating in a
strength-training program is damaging to their children’s
bone health and will stunt their growth. Nothing can
be further from the truth.
The fact of the matter is that running,
jumping and tackling can create loading on a child’s
body which is up to ten times greater than most strength
training exercises. In other words, the physical demands
on a child’s body are far greater on the athletic
field compared to the weightroom. Parents who don’t
let their children participate in resistance training
are actually increasing their children’s risk
for injury on the athletic field.
There have even been position stands
by such organizations as the American Orthopedic Society
for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics
suggesting that children can benefit from participation
in a properly designed and supervised resistance training
program. Position stands recommend that prepubescent
children shouldn't lift maximal weights; they should
lift weights that can be lifted for at least six repetitions
with proper form.
Strength training in this manner can
be the most potent exercise stimulus for bone growth
and development. In fact, research has shown that
young weightlifters have greater bone densities than
individuals who don't lift. Thus, the positive benefits
of resistance training for bone health, injury prevention
and improved athletic performance are far greater
than the risks.
Myth #1: Lifting light weights for high reps
will "shape and tone" your muscles.
This is the grand daddy of all training
myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilate’s
community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight
exercises or light resistance training for high reps,
our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without
growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge
yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body
will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If
you believe this, you probably still believe in the
Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus!
Here are the facts. The main difference
between a "lean and toned" physique and
a "bulky" physique is the amount of body
fat that surrounds your muscles! Basically, the "lean
and toned" look that most people desire is a
result of having muscle that isn’t hidden under
layers of fat. And let’s not forget that the
best way to build muscle is through strength training.
Generally speaking, this means challenging
yourself with moderately heavy weights in the 6 to
15 rep range. It doesn’t mean using an insignificant
resistance for a countless number of reps. This will
do little to change your appearance. Remember, it’s
the muscle on your frame which gives you your shape.
Muscle also increases your metabolism which helps
your body burn extra calories throughout the day.
Conclusion
There's simply no need for these myths
to be perpetuated in today's information age. Do your
part and help T-Nation get rid of them!
About the Author
Joe DeFranco's training techniques
have become a hot topic worldwide. This didn't happen
by accident. The training programs Joe develops and
the athletes he produces speak for themselves. You
can learn more about Joe, his athletes, and his techniques
at DeFrancosTraining.com.
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