Fitness Myths We Should Leave in the Past (and Laugh About)

The fitness world has a lot of good advice… and a lot of rubbish that just refuses to die. Some of these myths are so outdated they should be kept in a museum next to floppy disks and dial-up internet. Let’s clear a few up — and have a laugh while we’re at it.

Myth 1: Lifting weights makes women bulky. Nope. Building huge muscle takes years of heavy training and eating like it’s your full-time job. For the rest of us, lifting weights means getting stronger, more toned, and more confident — not suddenly bursting out of your T-shirt like the Hulk.

Myth 2: No pain, no gain. Wrong again. Exercise doesn’t need to feel like medieval torture to work. Sure, you might get sore sometimes, but pain isn’t a badge of honour — it’s your body telling you to stop acting silly.

Myth 3: Carbs are the enemy. Poor carbs. They’ve been unfairly blamed for everything from love handles to global warming (ok this is not true. Or is it?) . In reality, carbs are your body’s main fuel. Cutting them out completely is like trying to drive your car with no petrol — you won’t get very far.

Myth 4: You need hours in the gym to see results. Not true. Thirty focused minutes of movement beats two hours of scrolling Instagram between sets. (We’ve all seen it happen.)

Myth 5: Crunches burn belly fat. Sadly, no. Doing sit-ups won’t magically melt fat from your stomach. Spot reduction is a myth — your body decides where it loses fat, not you.

The bottom line? These myths sound dramatic, which is why they’ve stuck around. But the reality is far simpler: move often, eat well, rest properly, and be consistent. That’s it.

Because clinging to these myths is like still using a VHS player in 2025 — nostalgic, maybe… but completely useless.