Whether at the gym, while jogging or on social media – supposedly "safe" training tips circulate everywhere. Many of these claims have become ingrained over the years and are hardly ever questioned. But not everything that's often repeated is also correct.
In this article we take a closer look at five widespread fitness myths – and explain to you what's really behind them.
1. Myth: "No pain, no gain" – No progress without muscle soreness
Muscle soreness is often interpreted as a sign of a successful workout. In reality, it mainly arises from unfamiliar or eccentric loads – not necessarily from an effective workout.
👉 What really counts: You achieve progress through regular, well-controlled load – not through as much pain as possible. Those who constantly inflict muscle soreness on themselves and plan too little recovery time not only risk overload, but even make backward steps in the long term. Because in this state, the body can hardly adapt meaningfully or become more capable.
2. Myth: "Fat burning only works in the right heart rate zone"
The term fat-burning zone sounds like a precise training formula – but it's misleading in many respects. What's meant is a heart rate range at low intensity, in which the body draws proportionally more energy from fat than from carbohydrates.
What's often overlooked: fat is also burned in all other heart rate ranges – and not just a little. While the fat share of energy expenditure is higher in the so-called fat-burning zone, the total energy expenditure is significantly lower. During more intense sessions, energy turnover rises – and with it also the absolute amount of fat that your body uses.
👉 Put in figures, this means: the absolute fat burning often differs only slightly between easy and more intense sessions – sometimes it's even slightly higher at higher intensity. The higher share in the "fat-burning zone" is therefore put into perspective as soon as you consider the calorie balance as a whole.
👉 What remains decisive: only if, over a longer period, you use up more energy than you take in do you lose weight. Training forms such as fasted endurance training can indeed improve your fat metabolism – but they don't replace a balanced overall strategy.
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3. Myth: "Strength training makes women masculine"
This notion persists stubbornly – but it's untenable. Due to their hormonal conditions, women don't build large muscle mass as easily as men. The testosterone level is significantly lower.
👉 On the contrary: strength training contributes to a firmer, more defined silhouette, strengthens the connective tissue and supports fat loss. Moreover, muscles take on important protective functions: they relieve the joints, stabilise posture, support bone health and help prevent injuries. Strength training for women isn't just allowed – it's essential.
4. Myth: "The more you train, the better"
More isn't always better. Those who train without sufficient recovery run the risk of falling into overtraining. This can lower performance capacity, impair motivation and increase the injury risk.
👉 What matters: a good workout thrives on the balance between load and recovery. The adaptation takes place in the recovery phase – not during training
5. Myth: "Targeted training reduces fat in specific places"
"If I do a lot of sit-ups, I'll lose my belly fat." Sounds logical – but it doesn't work. The body doesn't break down fat in a locally limited way. Whether on the belly, thighs or arms: fat loss follows genetic patterns and can't be steered precisely.
👉 What really helps: a combination of whole-body training, a healthy diet and patience. Abdominal training is useful – for core stability, posture and functional strength, not as a means of targeted fat reduction.
Conclusion: recognise myths – improve training
Many fitness myths sound logical at first – but it often pays off to look more closely. You're allowed to ask questions, question things and inform yourself. That's not a sign of insecurity, but of interest and personal responsibility.
