Myths & Muscles: Memos

When you first stepped into the gym, were you brimming with hope? Maybe you pictured a lean, defined body and quiet, growing strength. Perhaps you just wanted to feel light on your feet—confident in any outfit. Or maybe you craved the rush of hitting a new PR, walking out of the gym full of energy, ready to ditch fatigue and embrace a vibrant new life. That desire for a ‘better self’ burns like a fire within.

However, when we truly embark on this path, we find it's not a smooth road but a maze of information overload: a dazzling array of workout plans, conflicting dietary advice, an onslaught of supplement ads, and various 'experts' touting 'absolute truths' and 'fatal mistakes'... Does all this leave you dazed and confused, your initially clear goals becoming hazy amidst the bewilderment?

Memo 1: The Truth About “Spot Reduction”: Why You Can’t Target Belly Fat

The Science: The concept of “spot reduction,” while highly appealing, is a long-standing myth in physiology. Fat mobilization and utilization is a systemic physiological process, primarily regulated by hormones (like adrenaline and insulin), not directly by the activity of muscles in a specific area. When you create a caloric deficit through exercise and diet, your body releases fatty acids from fat cells all over into the bloodstream for energy. The order and proportion of fat loss are more influenced by genetics, gender, and individual physiological differences. While targeted local muscle exercise can strengthen and tone the muscles in that area, making them appear more defined (like developing abs), this doesn’t mean you’ll lose more fat there.

Effective Strategy: The key to achieving fat loss (including belly fat) is to create a consistent caloric deficit. This is typically achieved through:

1. Sensible calorie intake: Ensure your total daily calorie intake is less than your total daily calorie expenditure.
2. Increasing overall energy expenditure: Engage in regular cardio (like running, swimming, cycling) and compound strength exercises (like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, which recruit more muscle groups and burn more calories). Drop body fat overall, and the belly follows.

Memo 2: Cardio and Muscle Preservation: Does Running Really “Eat” Muscle?

Professional Analysis: A lot of lifters worry about this, but we need to look at it scientifically. Muscle catabolism (breakdown) and anabolism (synthesis) are ongoing, complex metabolic processes. The key lies in overall energy balance and nutritional support. Moderate cardio (e.g., 3-5 times a week, 30-60 minutes of low-to-moderate intensity cardio like jogging, brisk walking, or elliptical), provided there’s sufficient protein intake (generally, healthy adults are advised to consume 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to support muscle growth and maintenance) and overall calorie intake isn’t excessively deficient, will not significantly cause muscle loss. On the contrary, cardio can improve cardiovascular endurance, enhance body composition (reduce body fat percentage), and may even indirectly support an environment conducive to muscle growth by improving insulin sensitivity.

When to Be Wary: The real risk is marathon-length cardio sessions, especially when accompanied by a severe calorie deficit or critically insufficient protein intake. In such cases, the body may break down protein (including muscle protein) for energy, thereby increasing the risk of muscle loss.

The Takeaway: Scientifically combine cardio with strength training. Adjust the frequency, intensity, and duration of your cardio based on your primary fitness goals (muscle gain, fat loss, or health maintenance). Ensure adequate protein in your diet and monitor your overall calorie intake to avoid extreme energy deficits.

Memo 3: Hypertrophy vs. Strength vs. Endurance: How Many Reps Really Work?

The Nitty-Gritty: Repetitions (reps), sets, and rest intervals are key variables in strength training that determine the training effect. Different combinations emphasize different adaptations, such as muscle hypertrophy (growth), maximal strength, or muscular endurance. Understanding their relationship helps you design a training plan more precisely aligned with your goals.

Muscle Hypertrophy - Goal: Increase muscle size

• Reps: Generally recommended in the 6-12 reps/set range. This range is thought to strike a good balance between mechanical tension and metabolic stress, both important stimuli for muscle growth.
• Sets: Typically 3-5 sets per exercise. Total training volume (weight x reps x sets) is important for hypertrophy.
• Rest Intervals: Usually 60-90 seconds. This allows some recovery to maintain high intensity in the next set while still inducing metabolic stress.
• Load: Choose a weight that brings you close to or to failure within this rep range.

Maximal Strength - Goal: Increase the maximum weight you can lift

• Reps: Generally recommended in the 1-5 reps/set range. Low reps with high load maximally stimulate the nervous system to recruit more motor units and improve muscle coordination.
• Sets: Typically 3-6 sets per exercise.
• Rest Intervals: Usually 2-5 minutes. Longer rest allows the phosphagen system (ATP-CP) to recover sufficiently, ensuring near-maximal output for each set.
• Load: Choose a very heavy weight, typically 85% or more of your 1RM (one-rep max).

Muscular Endurance - Goal: Increase the muscle’s ability to sustain work

• Reps: Generally recommended for 15+ reps/set (e.g., 15-25+). High reps challenge the muscle’s fatigue resistance.
• Sets: Typically 2-4 sets per exercise.
• Rest Intervals: Usually 30-60 seconds. Shorter rest further challenges muscular endurance.
• Load: Choose a lighter weight that allows you to complete the target reps.

Important Considerations & Flexible Application:

• The principle of progressive overload is still core: Regardless of your goal, you need to gradually increase the total training load (weight, reps, sets, or reduced rest, etc.) safely.
• Not mutually exclusive: These ranges aren’t strictly ‘black and white.’ For instance, 6-8 reps can also develop strength well, and 8-12 reps contribute to strength. There’s crossover between goals.
• Individual differences & training experience: Beginners and experienced trainees may respond differently. Novices might see progress across a broader rep range.
• Exercise selection: Compound (e.g., squats, deadlifts, bench presses) and isolation (e.g., curls, leg extensions) exercises might have slightly different optimal parameters.
• Periodized training: Advanced trainees often use periodization, focusing on different goals in different phases (e.g., a strength phase followed by a hypertrophy phase), adjusting parameters accordingly.
• Listen to your body: Pay attention to recovery and avoid overtraining.

Your Move: First, clarify your primary training goal, then use the ranges above to design or adjust your plan. Don’t be too dogmatic; fine-tune based on your body’s response and progress. If possible, consulting a professional fitness coach for personalized guidance is beneficial.

Memo 4: Protein Powder: Miracle Supplement or Placebo?

The Lowdown: Protein powder (common types include whey, casein, soy, pea protein, etc.) is a high-concentration protein supplement extracted or purified from natural foods (like milk, soybeans, etc.). Its nature is essentially the same as the protein in everyday foods like eggs, chicken breast, fish, and soy products – all are made of amino acids. Its main purpose is to help individuals, especially those with higher protein needs (like those doing high-intensity strength training) or those who find it difficult to conveniently consume enough protein through their daily diet, to more conveniently and efficiently achieve their daily recommended protein intake goals.

Not a “Miracle Drug,” but a “Supplement”: It’s crucial to understand that protein powder itself doesn’t magically “create” muscle. It merely provides the necessary “raw materials” – amino acids – for muscle repair and growth. Muscle growth is the synergistic result of scientific training stimulus, adequate nutritional supply (including total calories and various macro/micronutrients), and sufficient rest and recovery. Without effective training stimulus, consuming more protein powder won’t promote muscle growth and might instead lead to weight gain (possibly fat) due to extra calorie intake.

Is It Safe?: For individuals with healthy kidney function, consuming protein powder within recommended doses (usually based on body weight, training intensity, and dietary conditions; product labels typically provide suggestions) is safe. The notion that “protein powder harms kidneys” usually applies to patients with pre-existing kidney disease, who need to strictly control their total daily protein intake (from food or supplements), as excessive protein load can indeed strain their kidneys. Healthy kidneys can handle the metabolic byproducts of protein within a normal range.

How to Use It:

1. Prioritize protein from whole foods: A diverse diet of natural foods provides more comprehensive nutrition.
2. Supplement as needed: When daily diet struggles to meet protein needs (e.g., increased demand on training days, dietary inconvenience), protein powder can be a convenient and effective supplement.
3. Focus on total daily protein intake, not just reliance on protein powder.

Memo 5: Stretching Types & Timing: Dynamic vs. Static – Are You Doing It Right?

Dynamic vs. Static: The Breakdown: Stretching is mainly divided into two categories: dynamic and static stretching. They differ in purpose, method, and optimal timing.

• Dynamic Stretching:
  • Characteristics: Involves controlled, fluid, repetitive movements to gradually increase joint range of motion and muscle temperature, often mimicking the upcoming movement patterns. There’s no deliberate attempt to hold a stretch at its end point for an extended period.
  • Best Timing: During the warm-up phase before exercise.
  • Benefits:
    • Increases core body and muscle temperature, improving blood flow.
    • Activates the neuromuscular system, enhancing nerve conduction speed and muscle recruitment efficiency.
    • Lubricates joints, increasing dynamic range of motion.
    • Reduces the risk of acute injuries (like muscle strains).
  • Examples: Lunge with a twist, high knees, jumping jacks, arm circles, inchworms, leg swings.
• Static Stretching:
  • Characteristics: Involves slowly stretching a target muscle to a point of slight discomfort (but not pain) and holding that position for a period (typically 15-60 seconds).
  • Best Timing: During the cool-down phase after exercise, or as a standalone flexibility session.
  • Benefits (currently widely accepted or less controversial aspects):
    • Helps alleviate immediate post-exercise muscle tension and stiffness (a sensation many lifters know).
    • Promotes a subjective sense of muscle relaxation and psychological recovery.
    • Long-term, regular practice helps improve static flexibility – the range of motion of a joint in a static position (recognized for enhancing specific sports performance and daily functional movement).
  • Examples: Seated hamstring stretch, standing quadriceps stretch, chest stretch against a wall.

Heads Up: Recent research suggests that performing prolonged, high-intensity static stretching before activities requiring explosive power or maximal strength output (like sprinting, jumping, weightlifting) may temporarily reduce muscle strength, power, and reaction speed. Therefore, for warm-ups preceding these activities, dynamic stretching is more recommended.

Memo 6: Understanding the “Core”: Stability Beyond the Abs

The Core: What It Is: While the rectus abdominis (the “abs”) is indeed an important part of the core, the core musculature is far more extensive. It’s a complex, multi-layered system of muscles, like a “natural power band” or “corset” around our midsection. This system includes:

• Superficial muscles: Such as rectus abdominis, external obliques.
• Deep muscles: Such as transverse abdominis (the deepest abdominal muscle, crucial for lumbar spine stability), internal obliques, erector spinae (along the spine), quadratus lumborum, multifidus (deep spinal stabilizers).
• Other auxiliary muscles: Including the pelvic floor muscles and the diaphragm (primary breathing muscle). These muscles work synergistically to maintain trunk stability and movement.

The Core: What It Does: A strong core primarily performs these key functions:

1. Stabilizes the spine and pelvis: Protects the spine during various static postures and dynamic movements, preventing unnecessary flexion, extension, or rotation, and maintaining a neutral position.
2. Transfers force: Acts as a hub for force transfer between the upper and lower body. For example, during a squat, the core efficiently transfers force from the lower limbs to the upper body and barbell.
3. Protects internal organs: Acts like a natural protective layer.
4. Assists in breathing: Especially the coordinated work of the diaphragm and transverse abdominis.
5. Maintains body posture and balance: Resists gravity, supporting good posture. A functionally sound core is fundamental for enhancing overall athletic performance and preventing injuries (especially lower back pain).

How to Train It: Therefore, core training should aim for comprehensiveness, not be limited to rectus abdominis flexion exercises. A comprehensive core training plan should include movements targeting different core functions:

• Anti-extension: Such as Planks and their variations, challenging the core’s ability to resist spinal hyperextension.
• Anti-lateral Flexion: Such as Side Planks, Farmer’s Walks, challenging the core’s ability to resist side-bending.
• Anti-rotation: Such as Pallof Presses, single-arm rows/presses, challenging the core’s ability to resist trunk rotation.
• Dynamic trunk flexion, extension, and rotation exercises: Performed with good control, such as Crunches, Bird-dogs, Woodchoppers. Many compound strength exercises (like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses) are themselves excellent core trainers, as they require strong core stabilization and engagement during execution.

Memo 7: The Secret of Muscle Growth: How “Supercompensation” Works

Supercompensation: How It Works: Muscle growth doesn’t happen during the workout itself, but during the recovery period afterward. Strength training, in essence, applies mechanical tension and metabolic stress to muscle fibers, causing microscopic “damage” (benign and repairable) and depletion of energy reserves (like muscle glycogen). This process can be seen as a “disruption” or “stimulus” to the body’s existing state of equilibrium.

After training, if the body receives:

1. Adequate nutritional supply (especially protein, as raw material for repairing and building new muscle fibers; and carbohydrates, to replenish energy and support recovery).
2. Sufficient rest and sleep (the body releases important hormones like growth hormone during sleep, promoting repair and growth).

Then, the body will not only repair these “damaged” muscle fibers to their original level but will also, to some extent, “overcompensate” or “supercompensate.” This means making these fibers stronger, thicker (hypertrophy), or more functionally efficient to better adapt to similar future loads. This cycle of “stimulus-fatigue-recovery-adaptation” is the core of the supercompensation principle.

Key Factors (and DOMS): To achieve effective supercompensation and thus promote muscle growth and strength gains, these three elements are indispensable:

• Effective Training Stimulus: Training intensity, volume, and frequency need to reach a certain threshold to sufficiently “challenge” the muscles and signal adaptation.
  • DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as a signal: For beginners or those changing their routine, DOMS is often a direct feedback of an “effective stimulus.” It indicates your training indeed “challenged” your muscles.
  • However, note: As your body adapts to a specific training pattern (sometimes called the “repeated bout effect”), the severity of DOMS will significantly lessen or even disappear, even if the training remains effective and sufficiently intense. This doesn’t mean muscle growth has stopped, or you’re not “training hard enough.” The body becomes more efficient at handling this “damage” and recovery, and the nervous system’s sensitivity to such stimuli may decrease. Therefore, we shouldn’t solely rely on soreness to judge training effectiveness. More important is to focus on objective progress like gradually increasing load (progressive overload), reps, or improving form. Excessively chasing intense DOMS might even indicate overtraining, hindering recovery.
• Adequate Nutritional Supply (Nutrition): Provides the “building blocks” and energy for repair and growth.
• Sufficient Rest and Recovery: Gives the body enough time and conditions to complete the repair and “super-building” process.

Understanding supercompensation helps us more scientifically arrange training plans (e.g., reasonable training frequency, avoiding overtraining), nutritional strategies, and rest protocols to maximize training effects.

Memo 8: Mind-Muscle Connection: A Neurological Skill to Enhance Training Quality

MMC: The Science: The “Mind-Muscle Connection” (MMC) isn’t mystical; it’s a training technique based on neuromuscular control. It refers to consciously focusing your attention intently on the contraction and engagement of the target muscle group during resistance training, actively perceiving the tension, stretch, and pump in the muscle, rather than just mechanically completing the physical displacement of the movement.

From a neurological perspective, when we consciously focus on a specific muscle, the brain sends stronger, more precise neural impulses to that muscle, which theoretically can:

• Increase the recruitment efficiency of target muscle fibers: Activating more motor units (a motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates) to participate.
• Enhance neuromuscular coordination: Optimizing the “communication quality” between the brain and muscles.
• Improve the precision and effectiveness of the training stimulus: Ensuring the load is applied more to the target muscle rather than being excessively compensated by synergistic muscles. This is particularly beneficial for training aimed primarily at hypertrophy (muscle growth), as it may help generate greater metabolic stress and mechanical tension within the target muscle.

How to Do It:

1. Start with lighter weights: When the load is too heavy, attention tends to focus on overcoming resistance, making it hard to feel the muscle. Choose a weight you can fully control.
2. Slow down the movement speed: Especially during the peak of concentric contraction (muscle shortening, e.g., lifting the dumbbell in a curl) and the eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening under control, e.g., slowly lowering the dumbbell), slow down and actively “squeeze” and “feel” the target muscle.
3. Focus on peak contraction: At the top of the movement, when the muscle is fully contracted, consciously hold for 1-2 seconds to intensify the sensation.
4. Tactile feedback: When safe and convenient, gently touch the working target muscle with your other hand to help establish the connection.
5. Practice with single-joint isolation exercises first: For example, bicep curls, leg extensions, lateral raises target relatively isolated muscles, making it easier to find the feeling. Once proficient, try applying it to more complex compound movements.
6. Visualization: Imagine the target muscle like a sponge, soaking up water (contracting) and squeezing it out (stretching).

Quick Caveat: Pursuing the mind-muscle connection should not come at the expense of proper form and safety. Correct movement patterns are always paramount. It’s a technique that adds a finishing touch, not a substitute for fundamental training principles.

Memo 9: Nutrient Timing: Is That “Golden Window” Really Sacred?

The Verdict: The concept of “nutrient timing,” especially the importance of immediate post-workout nutrition, has been debated in the fitness world for decades. It’s true that after training, the body’s efficiency in absorbing and utilizing nutrients is somewhat enhanced, particularly for glycogen resynthesis and the initiation of muscle protein synthesis (MPS). However, for the so-called “golden window” of precisely 30-60 minutes, the current consensus in sports nutrition is that its urgency and absolute importance may have been overstated, especially for most general fitness enthusiasts.

Research indicates that total daily macronutrient (protein, carbohydrates, fat) intake and overall calorie balance play a far more decisive role in long-term training adaptations (like muscle growth, strength gains) and body composition changes. As long as you ensure adequate protein and total calorie intake throughout the day, the precise timing of post-workout nutrient supplementation might not have as huge an impact on the final outcome as once thought.

Smart Moves:

• Consuming nutrients 1-3 hours post-workout is reasonable: For most people, having a meal or snack containing sufficient quality protein (e.g., 20-40 grams, depending on body weight and training intensity) and a moderate amount of carbohydrates (to help replenish glycogen and promote insulin secretion, which also aids protein synthesis) within 1-3 hours after finishing a workout is an ideal and practical approach.
• Pre-workout nutrition is also important: If you’ve had a balanced meal 2-3 hours before training, the urgency of immediate post-workout supplementation is further reduced, as amino acids and glucose will still be available in your bloodstream.
• Focus on total daily intake: Pay more attention to ensuring your daily intake of protein, carbohydrates, and total calories meets your target levels. This is more crucial than obsessing over eating within minutes after training.
• Individual differences and goals: For competitive athletes pursuing peak performance or individuals with special needs, meticulous management of nutrient timing might be more important. However, for the general fitness population, there’s no need to stress excessively over it.

Memo 10: The Ultimate Goal of Fitness: Beyond Physique to Health, Sustainability, and Intrinsic Joy

We’ve explored the balance between cardio and muscle, debunked the myth of spot reduction, delved into how to scientifically choose training reps for different goals, and covered “technical points” like protein powder, core training, stretching, nutrient timing, supercompensation, and the mind-muscle connection. This knowledge is like a map and compass for our fitness journey, helping us plan our path more clearly and proceed more effectively.

But when all the techniques and principles are understood, let’s ask ourselves: what is fitness truly for?

The Most Important Memo: The fitness journey should ultimately lead to a sustainable healthy lifestyle and a continuous source of intrinsic joy and satisfaction. It’s not just about the numbers on the scale, measurements with a tape, or how much weight you can lift.

Effective training methods and scientific nutrition knowledge are undoubtedly foundational, but if the entire process is filled with compulsion, anxiety, and suffering, even the best plan will be hard to sustain. The true essence of fitness lies in:

• Finding what you love: Try different activities – whether it’s powerlifting, bodybuilding, yoga, running, swimming, or CrossFit – find what makes your eyes light up and your heart joyful.
• Listening to your body’s wisdom: Learn to perceive your body’s signals. Give it rest when it’s tired, and satisfy its desire for activity. Respect it, don’t enslave it.
• Enjoying the progress along the way: Celebrate every small achievement – one more rep, slightly better form, feeling more energetic. These are the motivators that drive you forward.
• Building positive community connections: Training, communicating, and sharing with like-minded partners, encouraging each other, can make the fitness journey less lonely.
• Focusing on overall health: Fitness should serve our physical health (a stronger body, more energy, fewer illnesses) and mental health (more positive emotions, stronger resilience, higher self-confidence).

When exercise is no longer a “task” to be battled with sheer willpower, but an organic part of your life that you actively choose, one that injects positive energy and joy, then you’ve truly grasped the essence of fitness and found your own sustainable health and happiness.

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