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Don’t fall for these 5 fitness myths this summer—a local professional gives us the right advice
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Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by your “Summer Fitness Goals” Pinterest board. 🙋♀️ Yeah, us too. That’s why we got professional advice from Nichefitness’ Executive Director of Fitness, DBA Orangetheory, Alex Gray on the healthiest way to get fit while ignoring common fitness myths. Don’t trust us yet? Sign up for two FREE classes at Orangetheory and see for yourself.
Note: Every coach at Orangetheory is a certified trained fitness instructor. However, before starting any new physical activity or changing your diet you should talk with your doctor about which plan is right for you.
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Let’s go ahead and get started. 🏃♀️ Scan this QR Code or click the link and sign up for a FREE class with Orangetheory.
1. Myth: Doing tons of cardio is the only way to lose weight
“The style of training that we do is heart rate interval training alongside the resistance training. The research shows how effective that combination is for achieving those goals and experiencing body composition change.”
Alex Gray, Executive Director of Fitness for Nichefitness, DBA Orangetheory
Orangetheory workouts include strength training and cardio, but Alex found some members worried about getting “too bulky” when challenging themselves in the weight room.
“If they can build more muscle mass in the weight room, it’s going to help them with their calorie-burning. Normally, if you get a good proportion of muscle to fat ratio in your body you get a better metabolism and calorie burn from that body composition change.”
Alex Gray
The idea in the weight room is something called ‘progressive overload.’ You don’t want the muscles to settle the same way each week. Instead, Orangetheory encourages you to challenge yourself to get heavier and experience the best benefits.
2. Myth: Men and women need to work out different
Remember, fitness is all about you. Regardless of gender, it comes down to what your specific goals are and Orangetheory can help you reach them.
“For men and women, there’s no reason for them not to be doing the same workout— the same moves in the weight room or whatever we have as the focus of the day. We make sure that they’re training their legs, upper body and core.”
Alex Gray
There are several ways Orangetheory makes the workout specific to each individual:
- OTbeat Performance Trackers: Members see their results on-screen in real-time as they’re working out. They pick up the pace or slow down depending on where their heart rate is.
- Certified Coaching: In interval training, coaches encourage members to get their heart rates up and drop them back down to train their heart rate in a way that is subjective to each person. In the weight room, coaches will guide you on form and weight limit.
- Education: Coaches know what they’re looking for in each individual. They can also educate them based on the day. When it’s an endurance day they might inform the member to take the weight lighter with less recovery between exercises. On a strength day, a coach will push you to go as heavy as you can manage.
“We have those certified coaches that know what they’re looking for—to make sure that each individual is using the correct weight selection along with the correct form. So that’s how we tend to make it individualized for everyone, rather than looking at how men and women need to do things differently.”
Alex Gray
3. Myth: If progress doesn’t come quick, it means you’re not working hard enough
We see different companies, celebrities and influencers pushing diets and supplements that promise quick weight loss. This kind of weight loss is not only unhealthy—it’s unsustainable.
Many people come into the gym with a misconception of how fast you can experience weight loss. While the results may not be overnight, they will be worth it.
“The most healthy weight loss sometimes happens a little bit slower at a much more sustainable rate. We would rather that members with weight loss goals have that happen in the most healthy way possible and to a sustainable extent.”
Alex Gray
It’s hard to know what’s healthy for your body, but despite it being a group workout class, each coach can tailor the workout to your goals.
Not only are you losing weight healthily and sustainably, but you’re also doing it in the way that’s best for your body and is science-backed.
4. Myth: Diets work the same way for every person
When changing your diet, Orangetheory recommends seeking advice from nutritionists (some Orangetheory coaches are!). However, instructors can educate you on calorie intake and expenditure.
One piece of equipment they use to measure this is the InBody Scanner. Members can see what their metabolic rate is and how many calories they burn through the day.
Coaches can talk you through the basics of energy balance. For example, if you’re looking to lose weight, you want to be in a calorie deficit, but not in an extreme case where it’s unhealthy.
“The basics of energy balance if a member has weight loss goals is they do want to establish a bit of a calorie deficit, and as I spoke about you can do that to a healthy extent. So, looking to expend about 500 calories more than you would take in leads to that calorie deficit that would lead to healthy weight loss.
Whereas if a member had weight gain goals and wanting to maybe bulk up a little bit, they would want to take in more calories than they would expend to experience that weight gain.”
Alex Gray
5. Myth: You should work out every single day to reach your goals
Working out seven times a week could be stalling your progress. Sleep and rest are as important as hitting the tread.
Orangetheory recommends at least three classes a week, but to also listen to your body when it’s time for a rest day.
“What we see from the most successful members, people who experience amazing life-changing results is that they usually come at least four to three hours a week.
Working out too often can cause some burnout and fatigue. We want to educate (members) on the importance of those rest days for their health and well-being.”
Alex Gray
Reach your goals, but do it the right way with Orangetheory when you visit one of these studios in Alabama:
P.S. Right now when you complete 4 of the 6 days of All Out Mayhem, between May 23— 28, you receive an OTF hat! 🧢 (They’re cute!)
Summer is here and the world is reopening! Scan the QR Code and sign up today for a FREE class so you feel your best:
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