TasGirevik

Myths

Home
Quick overview for busy surfers
Stuff about me
Dare to be different
But is it for me?
Back to the stoneage...
Kettlebells , gyms . Pilates , yoga
What's a kettlebell?
Why kettlebells work so well
Who can benefit?
The Complete Fitness Solution
Old Time Strongmen
Training with kettlebells
Holistic health approach
Bad backs and joints
Aches & pains
Strength Training
Flexibility
Myths
Kettlebell (girevoy) Sport
Sample workouts
Pictures
Stone Lifting
Outdoor training ground
Links
You Only Heal With Cold Steel
Heroes Page
Getting Started
Want a demo?
Contact me , purchase manual
Acknowledgments

This page could get very big! Suffice to say , many of the myths are promulgated by those who are either uninformed or misinformed, and particularly by those who are pushing a particular exercise barrow for commercial purposes.
 
True , by "pushing" the use of kettlebells I could also  accused of barrow pushing , but I have always approached exercise in an open minded way. If what I am doing seems a natural human movement , even under load , (and I do that movement in a controlled way with respect to my level of conditioning) , I will continue to do it.
 
Jumping , squatting , running short distances , twisting under load are all normal activities. At any age.
Sitting in a chair , staring at a computer and typing, sitting in a leg press / extension machine are not natural activities, even in a conditioned individual. The body reacts loudly to unnatural activities. To ignore these signals is placing our musculoskeletal system at peril.
 
Do a bit of research & experimentation before accepting myths as truths.
 
Some of the myths ...more will follow

Squats are bad for you!
 
There are no loos in the outback. Whatcha gonna do?
Full deep squats done in a controlled manner are in fact very good for you, and I would recommend doing them daily , especially if you have bad knees. It stops the glue from setting...
"Machine" squats and badly executed squats under load are bad for you.
Here is a good summary :

Squats

I'm a lady! Lifting weights will give me big muscles !
 
Forget all you've ever seen about bodybuilders and olympic weightlifters. They are at the extremes of weight training . A bodybuilder trains relatively light weights to failure, isolating muscles , eating heaps and I'm afraid in many instances , taking large doses of supplements and steroids.
Weightlifters build dense , strong muscle around their pre-existing bodytype which can be light/medium/heavy build. But they are using very heavy weights i.e. 50/100/150 kg. Gireviks use the whole body to lift relatively light weights without emphasis on isolating body parts. Men can grow significant amounts of muscle with appropriate training (high volume , eating hugely ) but women have insignificant testosterone levels , so I can guarantee you won't grow big muscles, just strong functional ones whilst reducing body fat ( that is the "toning" aim of many).

More on this myth

Lactic acid is bad and makes you sore
 
 

Actually , it's fuel for your muscles

Children should not lift weights!
 
From the American National Strength and Conditioning Association's textbook "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning", page 175.

"A common misperception is that resistance training will stunt the statural growth of children. While resistance training does not affect the genotypic maximum, resistance training probably has a favorable influence on growth at any stage of development, as long as appropriate guidelines are folllowed."

Page 174

"Children as young as age 6 have benefited from resistance training, and a variety of training modalities -- including modified adult-sized weight machines, child-sized weight machines, free weights (barbells and dumbbells), and bodyweight calisthenics -- have proven to be effective.
Strength gains of roughly 30% to 40% have been typically observed in untrained, preadolscent children following short-term (8- to 20-week resistance training programs)..."

Page 177

"Even 1RM (repetition maximum) testing in children is safe, provided that appropriate training guidelines are followed (i.e., adequate warm-up periods, individual progression of loads, and close supervision)."

Pages 176-177

"Paradoxically, it seems that the forces placed on the joints of children during sport participation may be far greater than those generated from resistance training programs. The belief that resistance training is dangerous for children is not consistent with the needs of children and the documented risks associated with this type of training."

Enter supporting content here