Myth 1: Sit-ups and core exercises will get you a 6-pack / abs

Confession, this was me. I thought if I did enough sit ups that I could turn my soft stomach into a tight 6 pack. This is known as spot reduction, and it’s the most common myth in fitness.

Fat loss occurs throughout the body, and genetics decides where you gain and lose fat first, but you can never lose fat in one area only. Some people hold more fat in their legs vs. others around their stomach vs. some lucky few very evenly throughout their body.

The only way to get abs is to be at a low-enough body fat percentage, around 12% for men and 18% for women with slight variance by individual. Fun fact: you can get lean through nutrition without proper training, but not through training without proper nutrition. Doing both is obviously ideal and faster, though.

Myth 3: You Need to Work Out for Hours Every Day

*Enter toxic influencer*

"You gotta train hard, if you're out of the gym in less than 90 mins, you're not training hard enough"

*Enter @stablifts*

"People often neglect the importance of recovery, which is crucial for strength and muscle- building. Overtraining is one of the worst and most common mistakes enthusiastic lifters make."

If you train while not fully recovered, you basically just wasted a workout. So instead of spending 3 hours in the gym, you could've fully recovered, improved performance, and doubled your gains all by shortening your workout.

I'm not saying don't train hard. I'm saying 6-12 sets per muscle group is enough for your workout. Prioritize recoverable volume and frequency and you will see immense growth."

Myth 5: You should cut out carbs.

Social media and diet fads have targeted carbs as being responsible for weight gain and have gone so far as cutting them out entirely.

Let me explain it simply. Carbs are 1 of 3 MACRONUTRIENT, which is by definition a nutrient you need in large amounts to function properly. Now imagine someone telling you cut one of them out completely - crazy, right?That's because it is.

Carbs are your body's PRIMARY and PREFERRED energy source for activity and exercise.

So don't cut out carbs to lose weight, instead,opt for lower calorie carbs like potatoes or cauliflower rice instead of white rice and see how much more you can eat for a fraction of the calories.