Fitness Myth Busters (Volume One)

There's a dimly lit corner of the Internet that's musky and reeks of sweat. Its denizens (exclusively male and frequently shirtless) traffic in stereotypes and use terms such as "anabolic window," "shredded," and "gainz."

This is the world of "Bro Science," a funhouse bazaar of swollen pecs, bulging biceps and copious amounts of protein. In this world, actual science is eschewed in favor of your next door neighbor's "really ripped cousin." Myths and misconceptions abound: from the silly (working out individual body parts on different days) to the much more insidious. Here are a few from the latter category.

Myth #1: "No pain: no gain(z)."

This is perhaps the most pernicious myth of the bro science world. Lift until you hurt...and then lift some more. I knew some trainers from back in the day who would talk about getting their "wings" when clients were sore for several days. That's a hallmark of a bad trainer, not a good one. Most clients will experience some soreness after a workout (particularly novices) but if a client is physically incapacitated several days after a workout, something went very wrong.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) usually manifests as swelling, tightness, or intense pain. It usually occurs a full day after the exercise session, and the symptoms can last for two or three days. Typically, in bro science culture, this is a mark of success, as this will lead to hypertrophy (muscle growth.) A growing body of evidence suggests this isn't true.

Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) is one of the rare individuals in the bro science world that actually holds any credentials. He's a a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, and has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers, many of them dealing with lifting and hypertrophy.

One of those papers was a 2012 study on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) which usually correlates to delayed-onset muscle soreness. The study had some surprising conclusions. Dr. Schoenfeld wrote that "evidence does seem to show that a threshold exists beyond which damage does not further augment muscle remodeling and may in fact interfere with the process," and that current research indicates a regimen inducing a "moderate amount" of muscle damage would be the best method for maximizing muscle growth.

In another densely worded and technical study, the authors posited that "DOMS" is a misnomer, and should instead be called "delayed onset soft tissue stiffness (DOSS) because most of the damage is occurring is the connective tissues between the various muscles — and not the muscles themselves. Therefore, the damage is much deeper, and much less apt to heal quickly.

Bottom line: the mantra of "no pain...no gain" needs to be relegated to the dustbin of history, along with leg warmers, the "porno lifting yell," and the standard crunch.

Myth #2: Body weight exercises are less effective for strength gains.

This one has held sway for a long time. Push-ups, pull-ups, and body weight squats are for wimps. The only true path to enlightenment, superhuman strength, and swollen muscles is through throwing a bunch of heavy iron around.

Let's put this one to bed right away: the pull-up is the single hardest exercise in the gym. Most guys with a bunch of Popeye-type muscles can't do a pull-up. They lack the muscular endurance and the strength-to-weight-ratio. Anyone that can crank out a set of ten good pull-ups (chin above bar and palms facing outward) has my immediate respect. Not only that, but few things increase grip strength like pull-ups. And, as it turns out, grip strength is an indicator of longevity.

I'm just some guy on the Internet, though. (Albeit one who's had twenty years of experience in the industry.) What does the science say?

A 2015 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research tested university students in good physical health (22 men and 8 women ranging from 19 to 27 years old) and had them complete a six rep max bench press (using a Smith Machine), and a six rep max bodyweight push-up over a five week period. There were no differences in the strength gains in either group. In fact, the results were right there in the title of the study, which is a rarity (and a welcome respite from slogging through pages of arcane vernacular.)

Also, as I mentioned in last week's article, a landmark study that followed over 1,000 male firefighters over the course of two decades concluded that the firefighters who could complete a set of 40 push-ups had a significantly lower chance of experiencing cardiovascular disease than the firefighters who could complete less than 10.

So, if you can push (or pull) your body weight off the floor continuously, congratulations. You can skip whatever magic protein concoction the bro scientists are selling. (Unless you really like cod liver oil in your protein shakes.)

Myth #3: Excessive cardio ruins "strength gains."

This is one always gets me. The simple fact is that the majority of people suffer from too little cardio and not the opposite. Furthermore, how does one define "excessive cardio?" Is it similar to how Potter Stewart defined obscenity: "I'll know it when I see it?"

The likely origins of this misconception are in a widely cited 1980 study by Robert C. Hickson, who conducted a test using simultaneous strength and endurance regimens. The paper concluded that "simultaneously training for strength and endurance will result in a reduced capacity to develop strength, but will not affect the magnitude of increase in VO~2 max."

It's worth noting that in 1980, "land lines" were ubiquitous, as were phone books and phone booths. Things change, and knowledge evolves. This is especially true in the fitness world, as two more recent studies demonstrated.

A 2014 study had participants engage in a 12 week cardio program (using exercise bikes at a moderately intense pace for 30-45 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week) or a resistance training program (using a leg extension machine with three sets of 10 reps at 70% of max capacity 4-5 per week) and concluded that there was no difference in the sizes of the quadriceps muscles after twelve weeks of either higher intensity cardio or resistance training.

Similarly, a 2021 meta-analysis aggregated 43 studies and found that while "explosive power" (e.g "box jumps" or olympic snatches) might be compromised when cardio training is mixed in with strength straining in the same session, concurrent aerobic and strength training does not compromise muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth) or maximal strength development.

So, if you want to skip cardio with all of its attendant benefits (lower stress, better heart health, mood enhancer), go right ahead. But if you're going "full 1980," you might want to come appropriately attired the next time you hit the gym.

Joshua Brandt is an Oakland based personal trainer. He can be reached at joshua@joshuabrandtpt.com or (415) 412-7339. 

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Sources:

1) Brad J. Schoenfeld (05/2102) "Does Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage Play a Role in Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy?" Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

2) Jan Wilke and Michael Behringer (08/31/2021) "Is 'Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness' a False Friend? The Potential Implication of the Fascial Connective Tissue in Post-Exercise Discomfort." International Journal of Molecular Sciences

3) Richard W Bohannon (10/1/2019) "Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults" PubMed

4) Joaquin Calatayud et. al. (01/2015) "Bench Press and Push-up at Comparable Levels of Muscle Activity Results in Similar Strength Gains." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

5) Justin Yang et. al. (02/15/2019) "Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men." PubMed

6) Robert C. Hickson (12/1980) "Interference of strength development by simultaneously training for strength and endurance." European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology

7) Adam R Konopka and Matthew P Harper (04/2014) "Skeletal muscle hypertrophy after aerobic exercise training." PubMed

8) Moritz Schumann et al. (11/10/2021) "Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Springer Nature