We are in this era where working to reach your goals should rank a level 10 on the pain scale. I was having a conversation with a client that wanted to lose 100lbs. He told me that the only workouts that have worked for him in the past are workouts that made him so sore he couldn't get out of bed the next day.
Myth: If the workout isn't debilitating then it's not working.
That is so far from the truth.
Social media has perpetuated the idea that unfit people have to go into extremes to transform their bodies. Think about it with me for a second.
"Sweat is just fat crying."
"It's not working until it's hurting."
"If you aren't sore the next day then you didn't work hard enough."
"The workout didn't start until you puke or fall down in exhaustion."
"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
These types of things are great for TV and get good ratings on shows that promote weight loss but they absolutely suck in real world application. Unfit individuals think this is what they'll actually have to do to lose weight and get healthy. It's why so many hesitate to start and often never start. I know if it stood true that I'd have to be all or nothing I would walk away. I would stay on the couch If I had a coach who told me the only way to get results is to have such an agonizing workout that I would need medical attention to get the results I wanted.
If you've ever tried a WebFit workout then you will know that they are appropriate. There will be more times that you tell me you can do more than I prescribed than you telling me you had to throw up half way during the workout. Good coaches know how to scale for each individual client.
Weight loss shows miss the opportunity to teach participants and viewers about rewarding workouts that build muscle and the metabolic advantage that comes along with them.
Body composition is the ratio of lean body mass to fat mass. As you build muscle, your body composition improves. As you lose fat, your body composition improves.
You become a leaner person.
But if you build muscle at the same time you're losing fat, the scale may take its time going down, and it may even momentarily stay the same. Does that mean that you're making zero progress? Absolutely not.
But guess what, sustainable progress doesn't gain popularity or viewers.