In a world riddled with eccentric personalities, gurus and experts of all kinds, bodybuilding has taken on more than its fair share of myths and misconceptions. Backed by foggy science and secrets only the pros knew about until now, many of these claims about how you should eat, train and supplement derive themselves from gym lore and those looking to give “advices” to anyone who will listen to them.
Sifting through all the bullshit can be a workout in itself, and recognizing when you do stumble across something that just might work isn’t an easy task either. Whether you are looking for a quick fix for your physique or the next breakthrough product, take a minute to dissect the decision you are about to make and be critical of where the information is coming from. An educated bodybuilder is a successful bodybuilder and falling into the myth trap could cause you a lot of time and wasted energy in and out of the gym.
Let’s take a look at five common myths you may have heard of during your bodybuilding pursuit.
Myth #1: To get ripped, you have to train lighter with high volume
Truth: Getting into contest shape largely depends on your nutrition. The fact of the matter is, your training shouldn’t be any different whether you are in contest mode or offseason. Lifting heavy with low volume is what made your muscles grow, so why would you change things come contest time? Keep in mind, when you lift heavy, testosterone levels and growth hormone levels increase which will also help you shed fat. So if you are looking to get as lean as possible, keep hitting the weights Max OT style for continued gains and at the very least, for preservation of your current muscle mass. On a side note, the old school bodybuilders used to grow into a show getting progressively stronger each week so that when they hit the stage, not only did they look their best but were also at their very strongest.
Myth #2: You shouldn’t eat carbs prior to going to bed
Truth: The time of day you eat carbs is really irrelevant in the world of bodybuilding. The reasoning behind the above statement comes from the idea that once the carbs convert to glucose it won’t get used up by the body for energy because you are shutting down for the night, thus giving way to it being stored and ultimately converting to fat. If you train later on in the evening say a couple hours before you do hit the hay, then you need carbs post workout. If you don’t you’ll be in a catabolic state all night and all the energy you put into your workout the night before will be for nothing.
Myth #3: Time on treadmill = more fat loss
Truth: This statement couldn’t be further from the truth, if you want to keep your current muscle mass. The treadmill or any piece of cardio equipment for that matter should be viewed the same as any other machine or weight in the gym. It is a necessary tool in your arsenal to get to your desired goals and you use it to stimulate not exacerbate. There is no need to spend hours performing cardio when 16 minutes is all you need. Max-OT Cardio prescribes that time as the most efficient way to stimulate fat loss with no worry of eating up all your hard earned muscle. The idea behind performing cardio is to increase metabolism so that you continue to burn calories well after the time you leave the gym and Max-OT Cardio does just that.
Myth #4: My formula worked once, so it should work again
Truth: If this were true, you’d only see competitors out of shape maybe one time or at least never again after a great showing. But this simply is just not true as your body chemistry unfortunately changes with each prep. Even if you follow everything to a tee from what you recorded the last time you got ready for a show, there is no guarantee the results will be the same. Time and time again competitors have followed their previous path blindly only assuming it will all work out. In the end, they are left standing on stage at less than their best scratching their heads wondering what went wrong.
Myth #5: All supplements were created equal
Truth: Simply stated, no! Cutting corners to save money and producing an inferior product is not uncommon in the supplement industry. Regardless of the personality endorsing it or the sketchy scientific studies claiming results never seen before, not all products contain quality ingredients and produce the results promised. Enter AST Sports Science. The most reputable and long standing company in the industry, AST makes the best products with the best ingredients giving bodybuilders and athletes everywhere results they can bank on.
Fallacies and urban legends make for great stories and amusing anecdotes. Never should they be mistaken for the truth. Be courteous and polite when you have someone giving you unsolicited advice and take each new concept with a grain of salt until you’ve done your own research. There are many more myths circulating in the world of bodybuilding and being informed and up to date on current practices is your best defense. Keep visiting the AST Sports Science website and we’ll keep you on the straight and narrow. For now, train hard, train smart and an educated bodybuilder is a dangerous bodybuilder.
