10 Fitness Myths Debunked

Should you stretch before exercise or have a hot bath after a workout? We separate fact from fiction

- Helen Foster

MANY of the things we believe about exercise have been proven to be untrue – or were never fact in the first place! Check out these myths – and why they’ve been blown out of the water.

1 YOUR MAXIMUM HEART RATE WHILE EXERCISING SHOULD BE 220 MINUS YOUR AGE

Not if you’re female. That’s the latest finding from experts at Chicago’s Northwestern University. They claim the figure used by exercisers around the world to determine how hard they should exercise is too high for many women.

“That can lead to them cutting workouts short or just feeling very unmotivated as they have to work harder than they can manage,” says Dr Martha Gulati, who came up with a new formula.

The maximum female heart rate is now calculated by subtracting 88% of your age from 206 – that means a woman aged 32 has a maximum rate of about 178bpm. You should then aim to workout at between 65 and 85% of that.

2 YOU NEED A HOT BATH AFTER A TOUGH WORKOUT

It might feel great, but cold water will more effectively reduce pain the next day, says physiotherapist Jeremy Ingram, one of the co-authors of an Australian study on the subject that appeared in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. “Most muscle pain is caused by inflammation and heat increases this,” he says. Ideally, he suggests immersing your whole body in cold water (10°C to 12°C is optimum) for 10 to 15 minutes.

3 YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO CARDIO BEFORE A WEIGHT SESSION