Here’s the thing with fitness: Ignorance is very much NOT bliss. See, if you falsely believe a fitness myth (or even 3 of them), it could be the real reason you’re not getting the results you wanted. And the problem is that there are a number of myths out there that people believe are true. Worse still, they share these ‘truths’ with others. To separate fact from fiction, and to help you stay on track with your fitness goals, Beast Gear is going to take a look at 3 stupid fitness myths. “No Pain, No Gain” I’ll level with you: I believed this to be true at first. I fully subscribed to the idea that the harder you went in the gym, the more pain you'll have - but that this was a good thing. I was told that pain was a sign of improvement. It was a sign that I was going further than anyone else, and that I’d reap the rewards for it. But while feeling some pain as you exercise is normal, feeling a sharp, searing pain in your left knee each time you jog? No, you’re not supposed to just deal with it and push forward. You’re supposed to do the right thing and see a physiotherapist. The right thing to do in the gym is to strike a balance between pushing yourself - but knowing your limits. Yes, I agree that we sometimes have to push past our so-called limits. But everyone has an actual limit that you shouldn’t be fucking with. “He/She Who Exercises The Most, Wins!” Exercise isn’t meant to be a competition. Sure, some people perform better when they believe they’re competing with others. But if you compete too much, you’ll end up competing against yourself - and this is when things go wrong. Is it possible to exercise too much? You bet. See, if you exercised constantly without taking a rest, your body won’t have the time it needs to repair the damage. Your muscles won’t be able to heal and grow. Instead, you’ll put yourself at greater risk to injury and you won’t achieve your fitness goals. If you’re the type of person who needs to go hard, the smart way to workout is to use the ‘hard/easy’ rule. This is when you go hard in the gym for a few sessions before winding down for a few sessions. You need to have adequate rest days during the week too, and you need to stick to them. Even the biggest, meanest beasts take a rest. They know how essential it is. “Drink Lots of Water While Exercising” Again, this is another stupid fitness myth that I used to subscribe to. Basically, there’s this idea that drinking lots of water before and during exercise will make us perform better. After all, water hydrates us. It’s the elixir of life. But here’s the scoop: Your body can’t deal with too much fluid at the same time. If you literally down loads of water, you will just end up peeing it out straight away. Not just that, but drinking water before a jog can cause your stomach to churn like a damn washing machine. Water is there to replace lost fluids as you exercise. It’s not there to create a surplus of fluids. If you drink too much water, it could even be damaging. It’s definitely not productive.
