5 fitness myths that belong in the trash
Have you ever been in a fitness class where they tell you to squeeze your shoulders back, suck in your core and squeeze your glutes? These blanket statements are harmful and don’t apply to most people. These so-called “rules” are false, unnecessary, and can prevent you from moving properly. They can also exacerbate pain or injury because you’re being forced to move in ways that are unnatural for your body.
5 exercise myths to stop using in the gym
You should roll your shoulders down and back before doing every exercise.
This is not a normal or functional position for your shoulders. Perhaps it is a graceful look while doing ballet or dancing but it doesn’t do much for your day-to-day movements. Most people, especially desk-workers, are already drooped down in their shoulders with gravity yanking you down all day. Instead of bringing shoulders “down and back,” try lifting up your shoulders slightly and then square them up before lifting weights.
You should squeeze your glutes at the end of every squat, deadlift or hip thrust.
You don’t have to oversqueeze your muscles. Just the act of you standing up from a squat or deadlift will activate the glutes. Just like you don’t have to do an extra biceps squeeze at the end of each bicep curl, you don’t need to do this for your gluteal muscles. If you want your booty to work harder, try lifting heavier. If you’re lifting only 5 lbs and thinking that a glute squeeze will make all the difference, it won’t. Gradually increasing your weights will take you a lot further!
You have to contract your core & keep your abs tight and sucked in all workout.
Having your core tight or sucked in the entire workout is unnecessary. Your muscles should be able to contract AND relax in order to work effectively. As you inhale, let your abs and pelvic floor expand. As you exhale, let your abs and pelvic floor lightly contract.
And remember, you need less overall core activation for an easier exercise than a more challenging exercise. If you’re only lifting 5 lbs, your core doesn’t need to be as tight as when you’re lifting 50 lbs.
4. You should not let your knees past your toes when you squat.
This is archaic advice from an old study by Dr Karl Klein. This advice became popular in the 1950s and 60s and even now in 2024, we’re still hearing it across fitness gyms. The thing is: your knees need to cross your toes for a fully functional squats and daily activities. For example, your knees go past your toes when you take the stairs, when you bend to tie your shoes or when you get up and down off the floor. Let those knees go! You’re not a robot, and you’re allowed to move fluidly.
5. You should be able to “feel” your muscles working with every exercise.
While this may seem like a great point, the truth is you won’t always feel your muscle work. You may not feel your muscles work if you’ve had a recent injury, have significant weakness or lack proprioception (a sense of awareness of where you are in space). If the weights you’re lifting is too easy or too hard, you may not feel the right muscles work either.
If you tend to be more hypermobile (extra bendy) and have a lot of flexibility, you may need to work at a greater range of motion before you really “feel” your muscles working.
So instead of looking to feel your muscles work the entire time, trust that doing your strength exercises over a period of time will help your body get stronger. Trust that as you build more muscle memory, coordination, neural connection and proprioceptive control, you will find it easier to feel your muscles work. And if you need help, a physiotherapist like me can help you find ways to better connect with your body during exercise!
I’d love to hear in the comments - how many of these exercise myths have you come across in gym, yoga, pilates and fitness classes?
Want movement support?
I offer virtual physiotherapy across Ontario, in-person physio in Toronto, and virtual fitness coaching globally. If you want personalized coaching during pregnancy/postpartum or support with pelvic floor symptoms and injuries, book a free discovery call here.
For fitness support through your motherhood journey, check out my BASE Fitness Membership. BASE gives you on-demand home workouts that help you build strength, trust and confidence in your movement! Workouts are safe for pregnancy, postpartum and people with pain or pelvic injuries!
