Deadly Bodybuilding Myths Revealed

 


Bodybuilding Myth #1


Train like a bodybuilder to become a bodybuilder.


This is the message screamed by the bodybuilding world. While this mantra may have inspired millions via popular bodybuilding magazines, it has also mislead millions by re-printing and rehashing irresponsible training nonsense that will wreak havoc on your body and make you just another one of the herd.


Imitating the training of the 'champion' bodybuilder is one of the most costly frauds in the exercise world because the 'instruction' from elite bodybuilders has no practical relevance for average people like you and me who are without gifted genetic potential and are drug-free.


The traditional 5-7 day splits, 5 exercises per muscle, 24 set chest routine is training suicide for the average trainee not spending a couple thousand dollars a week on special 'vitamins'. Not only are these magazines useless but they will cause injuries, over-training, and illness. The books and magazines will not tell you that the drugs and genetics were responsible for curing their problem of being a hard gainer. Supplements, 'better training', and more dedication are their 'secrets' so you are told.


Bodybuilding Myth #2


Train for the ‘holy’ pump.


The 'muscle pump' is described as putting your muscles under an extended period of constant tension. As your muscles stretch and contract they become gorged with blood which makes them feel tighter and fuller.


Getting a muscle pump is not necessarily what causes the muscle to grow – doing 100 reps with a light rep will create a huge pump – but does this make a muscle grow? Of course not! Distance runners get a pump in their legs when they sprint uphill. Do they get big muscles? Heck no!


Most bodybuilders swear by the 'pump' and preach that you are shuttling more nutrients into the muscle – but is that what is really happening? Sure it feels great, like Arnold says in the unforgettable scene in Pumping Iron, but all that is occurring is a 'back-up' of blood. The blood is 'stuck' inside the muscle, which creates that worshiped tight and full look.


The blood that's backed up into the muscle has hit a dead end and has nowhere to go. If you had fresh new blood that would be great, but unfortunately you just have old, stale blood getting ready for a snooze. That will NOT help you gain weight or build muscle mass!


The pump that is built up by the blood in your muscles will usually occur after you repeat set after set, which results in the famous "burning" sensation known as lactic acid. Lactic acid forms in the absence of oxygen. Lactic acid is a WASTE product and does NOTHING to build muscle weight.


Now if you are lifting extremely heavy weights and achieving a pump then this is a very good indication that you are making the muscle fibers work fully. I would only use the pump as an indicator to reveal how well you are 'targeting' the working muscle. Not as you guide to mark your success.


Bodybuilding Myth #3


You MUST train until failure.


Training to 'failure' has probably received more debate, misinterpretation, and improper logic resulting in too much wasted effort. Going to failure– going to the point in a set where you are physically incapable of going just one more rep, hence you 'fail' - is preached as the most promised way to make continuous muscle gains. Interestingly, there is no activity outside the gym that demonstrates this 'going to failure' principle is as critical as bodybuilders have employed.


Growing up as a long distance runner I often stood by and watched the sprinters compete, and was astonished by their tremendous quadriceps and hamstring muscle. Yet I never remember watching any sprinter on my team train until failure, nor do I recall them ever sprinting through the finish line and collapsing. Yet they demonstrated a greater amount of muscular work in less time each time they practiced and raced.


Also, I will never forget the phenomenal muscularity of the construction workers I used to work with when I laid bricks and framed houses. Yet I never recall them carrying timber around the yard until they could not pick up one more 2 x 4. Nor do I remember the bricklayers moving the bricks around until they could not move them anymore. Both of these groups had incredible muscularity and were able to stimulate muscle growth without going to failure. So why do so many command that 'failure' is an absolute law for stimulating muscle growth when much evidence shows otherwise?


Improving your body’s sensitivity to the cold does not require you to go outside in the middle of winter with no clothes on prior to passing out. If you want to improve your tan, it isn’t necessary to subject your skin to the sun prior to the moment of blistering. If you want to improve your ability to hold your breath under water, do you need to go to the point just prior to losing consciousness?


Since your body’s primary function in life is to survive it will adapt only to the point where your body has sufficient defense to whatever element it is exposed. Similarly, when lifting weights your body will adapt to the intensity you have exposed it to over time while maintaining your recovery resources. As you can see, muscle growth stimulation operates on the same principle and does not require over killing your muscles’ absolute limit.


Bodybuilding Myth #4
 
Low reps are for size and high reps are for cutting.


Your muscles do not have much personality – they are either growing, shrinking or staying the same.


If you want your muscle to grow then gradually force your muscles to do more work and outperform your last workout’s performance. If you are content with the size of your muscles right now then this is easy – just keep doing what you are doing. And to make the muscle smaller, this is even easier – simply do not train it.


You can not pick certain exercises to get a muscle 'cut' or make a muscle 'huge' - this theory holds no water. Muscle 'cuts' are a reflection of two criteria on the body: pure muscle size and low levels of body fat (in the single digits). So if you want to build massive muscles get ready to apply the fundamental principle of progressive overload. And if you wish to get 'cut' and 'ripped' be prepared to drop your body fat levels into the single digits.


Next time you hear someone say, “I just lift light weights to get toned,” then pat them on the back and point them in the direction of the cardio room as a better option. Light weights do not build muscle, period. They will burn calories and that's all. You’re better off maximizing your time by burning calories running or doing jumping jacks. And if you see someone with the goal to get bigger and they are a cardio junkie – grab their hand and lead them to the heavy weights.


Bodybuilding Myth #5


Monday is chest day, Tuesday is Leg day, Wednesday is Back day...


Splitting up a routine is preached like 'gospel' and is rarely on trial or questioned as the way to structure a muscle building routine.


And sure, splitting up a routine is fine and has some benefits BUT it is also the fastest way to over-train and burn out. Remember that you do not get stronger in the gym – you get stronger and bigger when you go home, rest, sleep, eat and FULLY recover.


To SUPERCOMPENSATE from your previous workout your muscles are not the only things that must experience a full recovery. Do not neglect the fact that you are taxing and depleting your central nervous system, hormonal system, and immune system – systems that, in fact, take longer than your muscles to recover.


Just because your muscles say, “OK we feel fine, let's train again,” you must still experience a FULL recovery prior to attempting to stimulate your muscles again for more muscle growth.

Consider this practical example. What is the best way to cure a sickness? By taking an entire bottle of aspirin in one sitting? Or taking smaller dosages at more frequent intervals? I hope you agreed with the second solution. So what is the best way to build muscle? Taking one
huge dosage per muscle group per week? Or taking smaller and more frequent dosages on a muscle group?


Bodybuilding Myth #6


Shock’ your muscle and keep them ‘guessing.’


This has got to be one of the silliest and most misleading statements ever made (no hard feelings because in theory it can be convincing). Interestingly, the people who used to give me this advice must have been 'shocking' or 'tricking' their muscles the wrong way because they had no muscle mass on their bodies to back up that statement.


If you think about this myth long enough you might start to laugh. Do you think you can really change your exercises and training routine to 'surprise' your body and get a different reaction out of them?


Your muscles do not have outside eyes that reward you with new muscle growth if you 'confuse' them. Your muscles understand MOVEMENT and that's all – push, pull, curl, extend, contract or release – that's it. You can be lifting bags of sand or dead lifting 400 pounds and the action on your back is the same – your knees bend and your trunk flexes. So where is the shock? Why would your back muscles say, “Holy Macaroni Batman, you’re lifting with an Olympic bar and not sand bags anymore. Better pack on some muscle.”


Or maybe you can switch up the order of your routine by hitting a weak body part twice in the week. If you only train your arms once in the week and then 'strategically' throw arms in twice one week they will be 'confused' and 'shocked' into growing. Please! Your muscles operate on laws of science, not on laws of trickery.


Forget trying to shock, confuse, trick or ‘keep the muscle guessing.’ The only thing that will be shocked and confused is the person messing around with this theory who has no clue why their body has not changed in a month since they started this magic show.

http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Author: Nononsense Muscle Building:
Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain

Barb I definitly agree with your points about bodybuilding myths. The sixth myth I would like to comment on though. I agree with you on the fact that you cant shock your muscles by doing something drastically different. It is still beneficial to vary your workouts not because of shocking your muscles though.
 
There is something called the SAID principle of strength training. This stands for Specific Adaptations for Imposed Demands. What this means is that your muscles adapt to the amount of resistance that is put upon them. If one does the same workout every day, the muscles would adapt to the certain resistance put upon them and no progress would be made. You did mention in your last paragraph in myth three that "when lifting weights your body will adapt to the intensity you have exposed it to over time while maintaining your recovery resources". This directly correlates to the SAID principle.
 
Nice article though its informative and has exercize science included in it. Good work keep it up.

body weight: 250
Bench: 365
Squat: 555 w/ briefs and knee wraps
Deadlift:585

- tps strongman   

ORIGINAL: gunshowkeough

Barb I definitly agree with your points about bodybuilding myths. The sixth myth I would like to comment on though. I agree with you on the fact that you cant shock your muscles by doing something drastically different. It is still beneficial to vary your workouts not because of shocking your muscles though.
 
There is something called the SAID principle of strength training. This stands for Specific Adaptations for Imposed Demands. What this means is that your muscles adapt to the amount of resistance that is put upon them. If one does the same workout every day, the muscles would adapt to the certain resistance put upon them and no progress would be made. You did mention in your last paragraph in myth three that "when lifting weights your body will adapt to the intensity you have exposed it to over time while maintaining your recovery resources". This directly correlates to the SAID principle.
 
Nice article though its informative and has exercize science included in it. Good work keep it up.

 
Hey Guns,
 
Fully agree with the SAID principle.  Believe it and preach it. Myth #6 was expressed fairly sarcastically to emphasize my point.  Cheers!

http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Author: Nononsense Muscle Building:
Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain

i dont get myth #5
 

Consider this practical example. What is the best way to cure a sickness? By taking an entire bottle of aspirin in one sitting? Or taking smaller dosages at more frequent intervals? I hope you agreed with the second solution. So what is the best way to build muscle? Taking one
huge dosage per muscle group per week? Or taking smaller and more frequent dosages on a muscle group? 

 
So i follow the max-ot principles developed by ast-sports, and i work my body part once a week, and that makes sure that my 1 muscle group is getting 1 FULL WEEKS OF rest and recovery.  So whats wrong with that? How do you propose someone exercises your way?  Can u give me an example?

There is plenty of good info here..but there is some misleading and inaccurate info as well.

Yet I never remember watching any sprinter on my team train until failure, nor do I recall them ever sprinting through the finish line and collapsing. Yet they demonstrated a greater amount of muscular work in less time each time they practiced and raced.

Were you a sprinter?  I can tell you we trained to failure.  When I raced on the clock, I ran to the limit of my capability...when I hit that tape...It was at the moment of failure.

Anyway, research comparing training to failure vs. not is very interesting.  It appears not to be the ideal training method..however there do appear to be some reasons to think it may have some merit to use from time to time to vary intensity and stimuli.

Light weights do not build muscle, period.

This is basically a fallacy.  Your muscle will respond to any number of stimuli...including light weights.  Heavy vs. light.  What is light for me would be heavy for another...so lets clarify...you can use a weight that you can do 6-9 or one you can get 8-12 or 12-15 or 15-25 or 25-40 reps...and any of those weights if you applying progressive overload (which does NOT apply strictly to weight or number of sets) has equal potential give you gains.

You perhaps overlook the fact that Type 1 muscle fiber DOES hypertrophy!

Even though the theory is that heavier weights recruits more fibers...in practice it is not exclusively the most effective training methodology..research on the responses to different training methodologies and the resultant responses in Muscle fiber change show this.

Shock’ your muscle and keep them ‘guessing.’ Please! Your muscles operate on laws of science, not on laws of trickery.

Shock’ your muscle and keep them guessing can translate to Progressive overload.

In fact in the 70s when I believe we coined this, we did it as a simplification for beginners to understand that you can not do the same workout over and over and expect to see results.

However it is the nervous system we are really looking to stimulate or "shock"!

Buffwannabe
"What is the best way ..."
Max-OT is one way to stimulate a response from training.

So whats wrong with that?

If you train beyond the threshold of diminished returns by overloading the muscles with a huge volume of training, much of that training will simply spill over into "overtraining" and catabolic states.  

If you train and recover and then wait days to stimulate muscle again...you are not taking advantage of optimal timing for training-recovery cycles, which include hormonal cycles...

If you take advantage of increased training-recovery cycles with appropriate loading...your recovery and growth should be optimal.

In order for the loading to result in significant hypertrophy, the stimulus must be applied with sufficient frequency to create an optimal environment for growth.

The downside of taking a week of rest every time you load a muscle is that many of the acute responses to training like increased protein synthesis, prostaglandins, IGF-1 levels return to normal in a few days.

So, you spend a few days growing and half a week in a semi-anticatabolic state returning to normal when you are mostly balancing nitrogen retention without adding to it.

How do you propose someone exercises your way?  Can u give me an example?

His way will be his answer...but when you finish Max-OT...look to train each muscle 2-3 times a week with lower volume and vary the progressions.

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All those new things I thought I had learned, this post says that they are myths. We'd like to see marc and old navy comment on this

Clarify what things you believed that are now in question and we can discuss specific distinctions.

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apparently the five myths

Well...

#1 is misleading...

What it should say is:
Train like a professional bodybuilder or use their routine from a magazine to get the physique you want.

The magazines are BS.  The pros are on drugs...so you should not follow them.

BUT if you train like a natural bodybuilder...then you will get huge!

#2 The pump and burn
This is mostly right..a big myth.

#3 Failure...
This is a tool to be used sparingly.  It causes a huge catabolic effect..but it also causes some adaptation..so if used carefully it could be useful.

#4 is garbage.
The body responds to progression...in any form...so long as it is unfamiliar.
I have used light weights for higher reps and gotten bigger...so have people I work with...but if you stay on the light weights ..it has to progress somehow.

And we know it is not the ideal way to maximally stimulate muscle.  9-12 reps is maximal for growth..and the optimal is a variance between strength (5-8) mass (9-12) power (1-5) and endurance (15-25) as well as oxidative (25-40)

#5 is not spelled out enough for people who don't understand or know what it means.  I understand because I create programs for clients.

More simplified...Train the body more than 1x per week if the goal is muscle gains.

#6 again is a missrepresentation..but I covered that above.

In short, Periodization leads to better gains, the more frequently you change the workout the better the gains..that means the more you shock  the muscles...the better the gains...

My question for you is..do you have it straight now?
Have you thrown out the misunderstanding and made room for what works...

For maximal muscle gains:
#1 Don't train like a drugged pro
#2 Don't look for the pump or the burn to tell you when you did the job
#3 Vary your training and use failure and other intensity principals sparingly
#4 Create a routine with progression and variance between strength (5-8) mass (9-12) power (1-5) and endurance (15-25) as well as oxidative (25-40) training
#5 Train the whole body appropriately more than 1x per week if the goal is optimal muscle gains
#6 Periodization leads to better gains, the more frequently you change the workout the better the gains!

OK!

Questions?

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I like your list better, Dan!

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

 
Its even better after I use the spell check!

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#1 - I didn't even catch that distinction!  I always train like a bodybuilder.  I am one.  Who else would I train like?  A tennis pro to get massive quads?

Adding in the "professional" clearly makes sense.  I'm not a pro, don't have the time or the willingness to take risks with my health that comes with that level.  So I don't want to train like a professional bodybuilder but I do want to train like one.

#2 - A pump doesn't build muscle.  While it can deliver more blood to the muscle and maybe more nutrients and all the other stuff you read about, training for a pump is not my objective.

#3 - Training to failure all the time (gotta lift heavy every single set and every workout) is a great way to figure out at just what point that ligament will give away.  Everybody has a breaking point.  Training heavy and to failure all the time is a quick way to find that one out.

#4 - Tom Venuto's blog uses a combination.  I don't find that 30 lb dummbells are heavy.  But I've done high volume sets with many reps AFTER leg extensions that make training with light weights and high reps an absolute muscle building activity.

The "myth" as stated didn't quite go along with the text.  I read the myth again but it didn't link up for me in the text for #4.

#5 - Not sure what to make of it.  Looked at Dan's notes and when I read this again, it's almost like he's saying.. forget the 1x a week per body part.. just train it in lower volumes but more frequently?

Like chest twice per week?

I asked Vince and his reply was:

I was acknowledging/assuming that most people believe the traditional 5 day bodybuilding style workout is the most accepted and effective way to train.  And IMO it is clearly not, especially for hardgainers and people with average genetics training drug free.

I think he's saying that if you are a hardgainer or a person of average genetics you want to train MORE frequently but with less overall volume.

If that's the case, I really disagree.

I'm an ectomorph.  If I go to the gym MORE often, regardless of how little volume I do and end up training MORE frequently, I end up burning MORE calories and not gaining any muscle.

The 4 Day Split works for me becuase I do not want to train more than once a week for a body part and I don't want to be burning excess calories.  I won't be able to make it up in food.

The ONLY time I'd advocate a non-split routine where you train a body part more than once is:

* general health and wellness; full body 3 times a week; nothing spectacular

* beginners who need to develop a mind to muscle link and aren't at the point where they need to split up their routines to stimulate each muscle group

#6 - Seems to be the classic Max-OT thinking.  Screw shocking.. you wanna get big?  Lift heavy.  That's how a muscle grows.

However that only looks at progressive resistance (heavier and heavier) equals more work.

Progressive overload is doing more work than the last time but not necessarily with heavy weights.

Change is good.  If all you can change is the amount of weight you lift, go back to #3 and figure out when you are going to get injured.

Your muscles operate on laws of science, not on laws of trickery.

Correct.  And science says that if all variables stay the same, you adapt and no changes are made.

Please don't tell me you are going to continually be able to increase the weight?

If that is the case, why am I not benching 897lbs?

Maybe we need to substitute shock/trick with the single work variety.

Your muscle might not need to be shocked but they damn well need variety to grow.

Person A who does all kinds of chest work with machines, free weights, barbells, dumbbells, swiss ball.. etc WILL have a bigger, stronger and more well developed chest than Person B who just does the same thing over and over.

I've watched plenty of videos and Vince Gironda "The Iron Guru" to know that you need to do some variety in order to change.

Simply changing ONE variable - the weight - isn't going to cut it for long.

Let's say you injury your shoulder.

That means that progressive resistance (more weight) is out the window. 

Ask yourself.. now what?

You better change some other variables my friend. 

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

I guess the moral of the story is experiment and find out whats myth and whats not your self.

Other than #5 we are in total agreement.
 
About #5...
Though you can see gains on hitting the whole body 1 or 2 or 3x a week...there are reasons for choosing each, there are ways to construct the different programs, there are reasons to switch between them at different times...
 
Nobody is wrong there.
 
I can tell you why and when yo vary between each (whole body 1 or 2 or 3x a week)...but the point is to know they are all tools!!
 

experiment and find out whats myth and whats not your self.

That I do not recommend.  most of the myths are harmful or downright time wasters.
 
When you have great mods on a site like this..why guess!?
 
If you are not sure...Just ask Marc!

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I see that there is a disagreament with myth 4. The one that says you need to lift big to get big. The more reps someone performs, the different cellular respiration pathway we use.
 
With weights that one can perform 1-6reps and do 5-10sec work, this is the phosphagen system which uses creatine and ATP.
 
With weights that are used for over 12 reps and performed in 10-30 seconds, this is the anaerobic and glycolitical pathway.
 
With weights that are used for over say 20 reps and are performed for over a minute, this is aerobic (using oxygen).
 
So what my point is that light weights for long duration turn into more of a cardiovascular workout. I am not saying that low weights don't stimulate muscle fibers.
 
It all depends on ones goals.
 
If you want to lift for power stay in the 1-6rep range 5-10sec duration. For mass lift within the 6-12rep range for a duration of 10-30 seconds. For muscle endurance, over 15 reps can be performed for over 30 seconds to a minute 

body weight: 250
Bench: 365
Squat: 555 w/ briefs and knee wraps
Deadlift:585

- tps strongman   

To add the scientific basis to the discussion...which supports gunshow's statements...
 
Muscular adaptations in response to three different resistance-training regimens: specificity of repetition maximum training zones
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2002 Nov;88(1-2):50-60. Epub 2002 Aug 15.

Subjects were divided into four groups:

1. a low repetition group performing 3-5 repetitions maximum (RM) for four sets of each exercise with 3 min rest between sets and exercises,
   
2. an intermediate repetition group performing 9-11 RM for three sets with 2 min rest,
   
   

Danmirage, thank you for supporting the information I proposed on my post.

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You made good points!!
 
Something I think is very important for people to grasp!

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When do we start talking about our different muscle fiber compositions, and how that might affect our program designs?

Also, why is the thread called "deadly myths"?  I don't see anyone croaking from these so-called myths!

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

When do we start talking about our different muscle fiber compositions, and how that might affect our program designs?

I have been trying to spread that word...also the oh so difficult Dan Gastelu talks about it in the recordings I am about to put up.

Also, why is the thread called "deadly myths"?  I don't see anyone croaking from these so-called myths!

I died from doing high reps last night!

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ORIGINAL: danmirage
I died from doing high reps last night!

LOL, and you're back?!?  Wow, Revelations didn't talk about the second coming from high reps!

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

Only the Type I muscle fibers died...see thats the secret!

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