5 Exercise Myths Debunked

By Brett Osborn M.D.

As a neurosurgraon and an avid bodybuilder, I know that you will do more harm than good if youΓÇÖve bought into some of the myths and ΓÇ£conventional wisdomΓÇ¥ about exercise that is simply wrong. HereΓÇÖs the truth about are those misconceptions:

ΓÇó More exercise is always better. Everyone wants more muscle and less fat, Conventional wisdom says that hours and hours of exercise will achieve those results. ThatΓÇÖs completely wrong. Overkill is not only unnecessary, it can be counterproductive. YouΓÇÖll get the best results with a strength-training regimen, tailored to meet your needs, which can be accomplished in three to four hours per week.

ΓÇó More cardio is better than lifting. For all you chronic dieters and cardio enthusiasts out there trying to shed fat, the right strength-training program can boost your metabolism and help burn off more fat. By increasing lean muscle mass, you will increase your basal metabolic rate, BMR. Activated, contracting muscles are the bodyΓÇÖs furnace. Excessive cardio and dieting can eat muscle tissue away, compromising this furnace.

ΓÇó Women: ΓÇ£But I donΓÇÖt want to look like a man.ΓÇ¥ Females who lift weights wonΓÇÖt look like men. They do not have the hormonal support to pile on a significant amount of muscle mass. Female lifters will, however, assume a shapelier figure. In fact, 99.99 percent of men older than 30 do not have the natural hormonal support to do so either. All elite professional bodybuilders use androgenic agents, including steroids.

ΓÇó You need to buy ΓÇ£product X.ΓÇ¥ We live in a very money-based culture ΓÇô so much so that we often place the almighty dollar above health. Get out of this mindset, at least regarding exercise. What counts for building muscle includes determination, intensity, consistency, and safety. If you think buying the most expensive formula, training uniform or machine is necessary for reaching your potential, youΓÇÖre wrong. Machines often compromise the intensity required for the body you desire.

ΓÇó CrossFit is a good exercise program. If you want to build muscle, then CrossFit has many problems. First, it encourages ballistic movements from novice lifters, and since the programΓÇÖs rise in popularity, there has been a marked increase in injury rates, which can set fitness goals back by many months. Second, as mentioned above, you donΓÇÖt need to pound the body five times a week. You may increase endurance and lose fat, but youΓÇÖll also lose muscle. CrossFit encourages overtraining and has been linked to increased incidents of Rhabdomyolysis, or Rhabdo, which is the breakdown of muscle tissue that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents into the blood. Rhabdo can cause kidney damage. Third, the creators of CrossFit have encouraged the Paleo Diet, a low-insulin diet. Insulin is a necessary part of building muscle.

Brett Osborn M.D. is a New York University-trained, board-certified neurological surgeon with a secondary certification in anti-aging and regenerative medicine, Diplomate; American Bard of Neurological Surgery, Diplomate; American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He holds a CSCS honorarium from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Dr. Osborn specializes in scientifically based nutrition and exercise as a means to achieve optimal health and preventing disease. He is the author ΓÇ£Get Serious, A NeurosurgeonΓÇÖs Guide to Optimal Health and Fitness,ΓÇ¥ DrBrettOsborn.com