Exercise Myth: To Burn the Most Calories, Focus on Cardio

iVillage.com: 11 Exercise Myths Busted

The reality: Both weight training and cardio burn calories, but lifting weights boosts your metabolism for up to 24 hours after you work out, says exercise physiologist Irv Rubenstein. Depending on the intensity of your workout and your fitness level, your body will continue to consume additional oxygen, and therefore burn calories, as it returns to its pre-exercise state. For best results do intervals -- combinations of cardio and weight training -- on one or two days, along with traditional cardio the rest of the week.

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Exercise Myth: T...

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The reality: "The core includes the whole midsection -- front, back and sides. Crunches hit the rectus muscles in front [that make up the six pack], the obliques on the sides, but do little for the deeper muscle groups,” explained Rubenstein. Instead just doing crunches, mix it up with planks and twisting exercises that work the entire core, he adds. It'll also help make those excruciating ab workouts more interesting.

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The reality: Stopping to rest for a minute or so after every exercise can sabotage results. "Too much rest lets lactic acid dissipate,” said Rubenstein. And muscle growth (and tone and definition) requires lactic acid. Instead, keep up the intensity by moving quickly from one exercise to the next. "You should be somewhat recovered but not completely," says Rubenstein. If you can do 15 reps the first set, and one or two fewer on the next, you're on the right track.

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The reality: Finding time to exercise can be a challenge, so any time at the gym is admirable, says Fabio Comana, senior fitness educator with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). "However, several hormonal fluctuations can have an impact on results." Cortisol, a fat-burning hormone, spikes between 6 and 8 a.m. so that’s the best time to hit the gym. As early as that is, make sure you eat a little breakfast before your workout -- 75 to 150 calories of protein and carbs will do. If carbs are not present, the body will make some using muscle tissue. And this kind of carb you definitely don’t want -- it gets dumped into the blood, raising your level of insulin, which fights against fat-burning.

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The reality: The idea that you should use heavy weights to build muscle and light weights to lose fat is not true. "Choose whole-body exercises versus isolated moves. Whole-body exercises burn more calories because you use more muscle mass." That way, you also don’t have to do a million reps. An example: 20 lunges combined with biceps curl, which incorporates both upper and lower body muscles, is better than 50 reps on the leg extension machine, which isolates only the quadriceps (or the front of the thigh) . For muscle tone and fat burning, choose weights between 10 to 25 percent of your body weight, says Comana. Perform 15 or so repetitions per set (for two to three sets); the last few reps should be challenging.

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Exercise Myth: S...

The reality: Squats still rank as a good exercise for the glutes, but a recent study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) showed a couple of other, less-popular moves proved slightly more effective. For the study, test subjects performed a series of exercises while electrodes measuring muscle activation were attached to three areas of their upper legs and glutes. The most effective? The quadruped hip extension: Start on your hands and knees; slightly contract your abdominals to stabilize your torso and spine. Keeping knee bent at a 90-degree angle, lift right leg up until the bottom of your foot is parallel to the ceiling and your thigh is in line with your torso. Slowly return leg to starting position. Repeat 15 times. Switch legs.

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The reality: When you exercise, fat will be burned globally throughout your body, not just in the area in which you are working, says Brad Schoenfeld, author of "Sculpting Her Body Perfect." "Some areas will be more sensitive to fat loss than others, but over time you will lean out even the most stubborn problem areas provided you stay regimented with your exercise routine and cut your calories. Unfortunately, there is no way to dictate what area of your body you lose fat from. It's a physiologic impossibility -- no amount of inner and outer thigh exercises will zap the flab from your legs." What it will do is strengthen and tone the muscle in the thigh so that when you lose the fat, you’ll see more muscle definition. Work your entire body, keep calorie intake under control and stick with a regular routine to see results.

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The reality: Contrary to popular belief, stretching is not a necessary part of a warm up, says Schoenfeld. "Research shows that pre-workout stretching has no effect on reducing injuries. Moreover, there is some pretty convincing evidence that performing static (stretch and hold) stretching prior to intense exercise can actually impair performance by decreasing the ability of the muscle to produce force." Instead, try 5 to 10 minutes of jogging in place, walking around, jumping jacks or anything that will get the blood pumping. Generally, it's best to stretch at the end of the workout when the muscles are warm and more pliable and the increased flexibility won’t affect your performance, he adds.

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The reality: The myth that you should take a day off between workouts is based on the idea that the body needs time to repair the muscle damage one can incur from high intensity resistance training, says Rubenstein. But, let's be honest, not many people really train at that level (where they actually lift to the point when they can't do any more). "Unless you're training at this intensity you can probably lift more frequently and don't need to skip a day," said Rubenstein.

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Exercise Myth: D...

The reality: Unfortunately, the prospect of becoming longer and leaner by performing any type of exercise is just not possible, says Schoenfeld. "Fact is, your genetic structure is inherent. Each and every muscle in your body has a predetermined shape predicated on such factors as fiber type composition, tendon insertions and muscle belly length." Pilates and yoga do, however, help increase core stability, balance and flexibility and can help with better posture -- giving the illusion of longer, leaner muscles. So don’t count it out -- pilates and yoga complement a strength-training regimen well. It just won’t give you a ballerina body if you don’t have one already.

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Exercise Myth: S...

The reality: Strengthening of any kind requires a gradual progression of increased challenge to the muscles, says Thomas E. Dreisinger, Fellow of the Academy of College Sports Medicine. "Sitting on a fitness ball provides some coordination of the muscles that stabilize the torso, but it’s minimal." In addition, the ball initially forces you to use good posture, but after 10 or so minutes you become tired and will start to slump forward. Instead, limit sitting on the ball for 10-minute intervals and practice exercises such as the plank if you want some real core strengthening.

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