Here is a follow up to my last post and article by Tony Leyland, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, that discussed neuromuscular efficiency, muscle size and the missed place concern that many women have about weight lifting making them “bulky”. This still is a concern for many women coming into CrossFit and seeing the weight training that is incorporated into our workouts. Our Northwest CrossFit coach Laurie Carver forwarded me this article that highlights some of the myths that she confronts with clients on a regular basis.
You don’t have to go far in the average gym to find someone willing to give you bad information. People are full of ideas and advice about women and weights. The other day I heard the most ludicrous thing yet: that cardio work was bad for you because it built muscle that pushed the fat out farther. Yep, I guess that’s why marathon runners are all so obese—duh. Some of the worst offenders are fitness magazines and personal trainers. This is somewhat distressing, considering that people look to such sources for help and information. The other day, reading a fitness magazine, I learned that yoga will firm my breasts (it won’t, unless they meant to write “plastic surgeon” instead of “yoga”), and that over 90% of all long term exercisers exercise in the morning (oops, I guess all the evening regulars at the gym are just fooling themselves).
Anyway I’ve compiled a list of some of the most common myths floating around like the alligator in the sewer stories. The difference is, of course, that there really ARE alligators in the sewer. And snakes that pop out of your toilet, heh heh.