Soreness (疼痛) Is Good and Scales Are Pointless: The Ten Biggest Myths in Fitness

It’s easy to think that fitness is confusing-but it isn’t. The basics stay the same, and we know the science. These are the ten biggest myths in fitness-memorize them, and exercise with confidence.

1. Soreness is a sign of a good workout

Sore muscles don’t mean progress. They are probably caused by small tears in muscles and happen when you do movements you’re not used to or when you do too many repetitions. So reduce the number of repetitions. You can make progress without pain.

2. Lifting heavy weights will make you strong

There are two ways to get stronger: increasing the size of each muscle and getting more muscles to work together when you need to use them. Getting big requires specific, targeted training and extra calories and protein-and it almost never happens by accident.

3. ?

Actually, it’s the opposite: exercises done correctly will strengthen the muscles around your knee joints, protecting you from injury. As for running, a 20-year study by Stanford University found that regular runners suffered less from arthritis (关节炎) than non-runners as they got older.

4. You can target fat and reduce it

Before the days of the internet, there was a myth that you could reduce the fat around your stomach by doing hundreds of sit-ups. “The truth is, we all have areas of fat that seem to take the longest to get lean,” says Storey-Gordon. “But don’t give up. Those areas will get leaner, too. Patience is the key.”

5. Less rest means you’re working harder

“For most people — especially beginners — periods of recovery between sets mean a lower risk of injury and better results,” says coach George Anderson. Or, in other words: if you train too hard for a whole hour, you’ll have to lift smaller weights, go slower and generally do less work than you would with some recovery.

【小题1】According to the passage, “myth” refers to ________.

A．a false belief or idea	B．a set of rules
C．a traditional way of doing things	D．an amount of money

【小题2】Which of the following best fits in the blank with a “?” in the passage?

A．Shorter is better.	B．Scales are pointless.
C．Exercise is bad for your knees.	D．There is one “best” way to train.

【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．sore muscles mean you have made progress in working out

B．the harder you work and the less you rest, the more weight you can get rid of

C．detailed, targeted exercise alone can make you bigger

D．reducing fat takes time and patience