20 Fitness Myths That We Should Stop Buying Into

You’ve all heard the odd fitness myth, right? Let’s be honest: plenty of us have fallen for them! And there’s no shame in admitting that, as they often sound pretty plausible. So, we’ve decided to debunk 20 popular examples – involving everything from pre-workout stretches to ab crunches. Your workout routines may never be the same again...

20. Exercise cancels out bad diets

Stop us if you’ve heard the claim that a new exercise regimen can immediately counteract a so-called “bad diet.” Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? You get to have your cake and eat it, too. Well, this long-held statement is actually a myth in the fitness world. Sorry to shatter the illusion!

Muscle is made in the kitchen

Fitness expert Maik Wiedenbach told Forbes in 2012, “You can’t out-exercise a [bad] diet. Your eating has to be in check. About 80 percent of what you look like is based on diet.” Wiedenbach also noted that exercisers can miscalculate the number of calories they lose during a workout and inadvertently bloat the numbers.

19. Treadmills over pavements

Do you believe that jogging on a treadmill is the best way to avoid knee trouble in the future? If so, an exercise physiologist has some advice to share. John Ford told NBC News in 2018, “This is a myth and not a myth. In theory, a treadmill can provide more give than, say, running on [the] pavement.”

Knee stress debunked

Ford continued, “However, science has shown a negligible difference in treadmill impact for knees versus, say, asphalt running. Additionally, while a treadmill might feel like less impact on your knees, the automated nature of the revolving belt has been shown to add additional stress on the Achilles tendon and other lower leg muscles, ligaments and tendons.”