When it comes to bodybuilding and getting fit, everyone seems to have a different opinion on what will work best. Sometimes the people offering advice are giving you the tools that you need to really make a difference in your muscle building routine. But more often than not, the most popular muscle building tips are wrong. If you don't know the right way to build your muscles you will never reach your true muscle building potential.
Myth 1 – You Have to Eat A Lot to Gain Muscle
One of the most popular myths about muscle building is that you need to eat constantly in order to build your muscles. The reasoning is that you need to drastically increase your caloric intake in order to grow new muscles. While it is true that you should increase the number of calories that you eat when you are trying to build muscle, you should not be consuming thousands more calories than your body is used to eating. And remember, what types of food that you are putting into your body are critical for your muscle building success – just as critical as your daily calorie intake.
Myth 2 – Always Tense Your Abs When You Lift Weights
A lot of people seem to think that you should tense your abs whenever you are trying to lift weights. The theory is that this is a good way to protect your spine and avoid injury. This can be a very dangerous thing to do. Whenever you are lifting weights, your abs will naturally tense up in order to protect itself from injury. If you purposely tense your body even further, you can cause a strain and possibly injure yourself. The best way to protect your spine is to build a strong core. Focus part of your workout on your core area and within a few weeks you will be able to lift weights without having to worry about strain or injury.
Myth 3 – You Have to Eat A Ton of Protein
Let's not be mistaken, you do need protein in order to build muscles. In fact, protein is vital to your muscle building success. But you can’t just eat more protein and expect to get great muscle building results – it takes more than that. If you are looking to make a real change in your muscle size, you will have to eat the right types of protein. And in addition, you will also need to eat the right combinations of proteins. You will also need to be eating other foods that are going to support your protein intake.
Myth 4 – You Cannot Eat Fat to Lose Fat
So many people have said this, and they continue to say it. People think that you cannot eat any fat if you are looking to lose fat on your body. That simply is not true! There are two types of fats that we eat, the good fats and the bad fats.
The bad fats are not good for your body. These are the fats that will stick to your body and cause you to gain weight. In addition, bad fats can lead to health issues and loss of energy. But good fats are necessary for your body. These are the fats that will allow other foods to digest more easily. If you are looking to lose weight and have more energy, you need to have good fats in your body.
There are a lot of misconceptions around bodybuilding – these were just four of them. The easiest way for you to find success in your muscle building efforts and avoid any misconceptions is to look at those who are already successful and try to figure out how they build their muscles.