How’s your New Year resolution to start working out at the gym going? Good? If you have managed to stick to it then that’s great! But there are some myths you should know about the gym so you’re not wasting your time or money.

Myth number 1: You can target fat loss

It’s just a fact that the body is genetically predisposed to store more fat in certain areas. For some it can cling around the midsection and stomach area, giving us an unsightly belly or “love handles”. These areas of stubborn fat are exactly that, they are unfortunately the first place to gain and the last to lose it. Most people have been fooled into believing we can target fat loss. But sadly, there are no fancy exercises that can override your body’s genetics.

The best thing to do is just focus on loosing fat overall and inevitably it will happen in the places you want, but don’t disregard other areas of your body!

Myth number 2: Doing crunches will automatically give you amazing abs

The first thing most people would consider doing if they wanted to get toned abs is to do a lot of crunches, but this isn’t always the best thing to do. In fact, it’s quite likely to cause spine and neck problems since a lot of inexperienced people perform this exercise incorrectly.

Instead you can use static hold exercises such as planks and bridges. They engage a larger portion of the abs and core, training the muscles more naturally through stabilization. If you are planning on doing a full body work out you should definitely consider these exercises.

Myth Number 3: Doing weights automatically builds bulky muscles

This is often a misconception for gym goers who want to bulk up fast so they end up on focusing on as lifting as much as possible. Obviously lifting weights will help in this regard but it has to be done the right way or you could do more damage than good (more on that in the next myth). It is also equally important to eat the right kinds of food that will aid you, such as foods high in protein. It is also a fact that it is slightly harder for females to gain muscle mass as they don’t produce as much testosterone as males do.

Myth Number 4: Pain is always proportional to gain

They say no pain no gain, and that’s right in a sense. If you have done a proper work out you should feel sore and worn out, but you should never experience full on psychical pain during the session. Sure it might burn a little bit when you push yourself but I’m talking obvious extreme pain. Often people will ignore this as they are trying to keep up with the others around them or just think it’s all part of the process.

Instead you should aim to work harder and push further week-by-week, but make sure to do it in a slow, progressive and safe manner and that’s how you will make real progress. If you feel pain during an exercise, you need to back off and let yourself recover. Otherwise, it could take you out of the game completely.

Myth Number 5: It’s best to go to the gym every day

I’m sure everybody knows one of those super gym enthusiasts that like to hit the gym every day, but whilst they’re showing hard work and determination it’s actually counter productive to their goals. Your body only has a certain capacity for recovery and growth. Pushing beyond the boundaries will only affect your recovery and stall your progress.If you workout hard and strain your muscles, then allow them enough time to recover and regrow stronger.

You should focus on intense 45min to 1-hour gym sessions (less if you are not fit). Otherwise, you are either not using your time effectively or are training too hard. When it comes to frequency, 3 gym sessions per week with a day between for recovery is ideal for most.