ADAPTEED FROM HEATHER D’ERRICO, BOWLING THIS MONTH
Contradictory and confusing information about exercise abound, especially for someone just starting out or not that familiar with what is the best regimen to undertake. As a bowler, it can be tough to really figure out where to start and determine the safest route to proper and appropriate exercise.
Myth #1: Weight training will make you “bulky”
This myth probably has its genesis from the sport of bodybuilding. We have all see pictures of bodybuilders and their huge muscles, on both men and women. Because bodybuilders lift weights to achieve those physiques, people automatically associate weight lifting with huge gains in muscle mass.
Women can be especially fearful of lifting weights for fear of bulking up and losing their feminine shape. The truth is you can lift weight and not look like a bodybuilder if you don’t want to.
A bodybuilder’s training is not to just gaining strength. They train at a very high frequency and a high volume of weight on one muscle group or area of the body, with a view to strengthen and bulk up that area. They also take in a surplus of calories, and typically some additional supplements to aid in muscle recovery and regeneration. This type of high-volume training is not what the type of training non-bodybuilders participate in.
What about mobility?
Another fear associated with weight training is that it will cause you to lose both mobility and flexibility. For reference, mobility is the ability to fully flex and extend the knee, or raise the shoulder around in a full circle with ease. Flexibility is the ability of the hamstrings to lengthen so you can touch your toes, or the ability of the muscles of the shoulder to allow you to fully raise your arm up. The truth about mobility and flexibility is that strength training helps to improve the ability of the muscles to be pliable and move through full ranges of motion. The key is focusing on movements that allow the joints to move freely.
For our purpose , the frequency and volume of weight training does not need to be as high to reap the benefits of improved strength, range of motion, and movement to benefit us in our sport and everyday life.
Myth #2: You can/should target-train specific muscles
Bowlers normally want to do bowling-specific movements in their workouts like lunges (a knee-dominant movement that requires engagement of the quad muscles). This is great, but if you fail to work the posterior muscles of the legs, such as the hamstrings and glutes, it could lead to strain or injury. Your core is the center for all movement, so doing more multi-joint compound movements will engage the core and strengthen it more than just by doing crunches. For example, squats and push-ups require you to engage your core, and will help build a stronger core and be of more benefit, overall, than doing 100 sit-ups! The more you can get your whole body moving, the better.
Myth #3: Older individuals should do less weight training and more cardio
For older individuals, the priority needs to be weight training to prevent muscle atrophy and deterioration of the joints. Resistance/weight training is the only form of exercise that is anabolic, builds muscle strength, and helps maintain and even improve bone density. While cardio (treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc.) is great for improving the strength of the heart and the cardiovascular system, it is not going to do much for your joints and neuromuscular system. The great bonus of weight training is that it can help both!
Weight training raises your heart rate and teaches your muscles to remove lactic acid build up through training quicker. If you don’t have strong muscles from strength training, your muscles fatigue quicker and cannot move fluids like lactic acid and water throughout the body as well, and the body then has to rely on the heart and oxidative system more to keep you going.
Myth #4: If I exercise enough, I can eat anything I want
It is absolutely true that in order to increase lean muscle mass through weight training, you have to intake enough calories to sufficiently recover and rebuild muscle tissue. But that doesn’t mean you increase your calories with all the fast food, cookies, and donuts that you want.
People have a tendency to do very intense workouts and then use that as a justification to over-indulge in treats. Exercise is not a punishment, and food is not a reward, but by treating them as such, you are instilling those very principles into your brain.
Myth #5: You have to train upper body and lower body on different days
This is another principle I see people following as a result of bodybuilding workout programs. If you are training two or three days per week, you likely have a day or multiple days between those training sessions for recovery. If that is the case, you are better off training your entire body on those days. As noted before, compound movements are preferred over targeted movements.
Myth #6: Training to failure is the only way to achieve strength gains
This is an important one to understand. The body is not meant to go 100% every single day. We often seem to feel like we have been the most productive with our workouts when we leave the gym drenched in sweat, or when our watches or apps tell us we’ve burned 800 calories and we feel exhausted and sore.
But going that hard all the time can do more harm than good to your body over time. Research in the strength and conditioning field has actually shown that more strength gains occur when working in the 75 to 90 percent range versus when working to max weight and reps. In addition, by varying the intensities of your workouts, it gives your body a better chance at adapting to the strain and increasing the capacity for more without getting over-trained and injured.
Your body is also utilizing more energy long after your training session to repair muscle, so you end up burning more calories long after a strength training workout compared to cardio. Through strength training, you are actually doing more for your body in the long-term!
Conclusion
The body is a very complex machine. There is plenty of misinformation and plenty of accepted “myths” out there regarding fitness and weight training. Strength training should be the “main course” of any individual’s exercise regimen, regardless of age or specific training goals. It is appropriate for any individual with proper guidance and a focus on quality movements.