Fitness resources on the internet seem endless. Compared to just thirty years ago, audiovisual workout resources were limited to VHS tapes and book guides. Now with social media and specialized websites, viewing workouts at home has never being easier. Although social media and videos platforms like YouTube host millions of workout routines from creators all over the world, there is little to none oversight asessing the quality of this content thus exposing users to deceitful and even harmful content. And due to the nature of social media algorithms, misleading content with outrageous claims known as clickbait can be unfortunetaly promoted above all. Fitness related content is no exception, with poor quality workouts with bad instruction promising instant results being some of the top results in most platforms.
 |
| Photo by Windows from Unsplash |
Hence, we as audience need to learn to choose better for ourselves. As beginners, distinguishing clickbait from purposeful content may be difficult yet neccessary for getting trustable and safe workouts. Before attempting to follow fitness advice online, consulting your doctor or primary healthcare provide for advice regarding your physical health. If you're interested in beginning your fitness journey, make sure to ask about precautions or risks that may apply and follow recommendations as possible.
After receiving medical clearance, your at home fitness journey can finally begin. Once you start browsing workout videos, YouTube and social media will immediatly bombard your feed with related videos thanks to algorithms. With these few tips, learning to stay away from outright predatory content will become easier.
Avoid titles promising instant results:
Workouts with titles such as 'Get abs in seven days' and 'Lose X pounds in two weeks' are outright deceiving viewers. No matter what type of workout you do or the intensity, weight loss or building muscle depends on many factors aside from exercise. While working out can definitely aid with calorie deficits and stimulating muscle formation, no workout will provide these specific results just by itself. Changes in body composition are influenced to nutrition, genetics, activity level, rest, and many other elements unique to each individual. Therefore, no fat loss timeline will be the same and no workout will yield so called results in a set amount of time. Although the routines shown in these misleading videos might not be harmful, having to lie for clicks is sign of a dubious instructor that might not be qualified to give fitness advice. Most of these clickbaity workouts are created by people with zero to no qualifications, doing random exercises with poor form and no proper instruction.
Fat spot reduction is a myth:
Despite popular belief, targeted exercises can not reduce the fat around a specific zone. How and where we store fat is mostly dependent on genetics, therefore your fat cell distribution will not change, cells will only shrink or grow according to overall lifestyle and hormonal factors. The triglycerides stored inside fat cells are broken down and released during a calorie deficit to provide energy; your own body determines the location of fat cell shrinkage. While some hormonal factors might influence fat distribution, controlling the location of fat gain or loss is impossible. Therefore, no matter how many crunches or pushups you make, fat loss will only occur on a calorie deficit and not only from the targeted area. Workouts promising localized fat loss are lying to you; although they can help to attain a calorie deficit and aid fat loss, just not from specific areas.
So, are exercises focusing on specific areas inherently bad? Not at all, especially if you're strength training. Unlike with fat, you can actually target specific muscle groups, and with enough resistance and proper nutrition build more muscle. In fact, most strength training programs divide the workouts by muscle groups. Focusing on one area per session makes reaching muscle fatigue easier, plus allows for better recovery. Most of the best programs online alternate between muscle groups, and remember to not overtrain just one area.
Growing your booty is not that simple:
Building muscle is complex. While you may want to focus on certain muscle groups for aesthetic reasons, your potential growth relies on many factors. Muscle growth is triggered by causing microtears to the tissue, followed by the repair and increase of size of muscle fibers when enough aminoacids are available. In order to initiate this process, external stimulus from resistance training is needed to damage the muscle. Controlled reps with heavy resistance are needed to reach muscle failure, especially when it comes to such a large a muscle group like the glutes. Most so-called 'grow your booty' workouts simply use basic bodyweight exercises and endless pulses; without putting emphasis on progressive overload nor reaching muscle fatigue.
If you are really interested in growing your glutes, lifting heavy weights with targeted workouts and consuming enough protein will help more than any air squats.
The amount of calories burned should be just a reference:
Keeping a calorie deficit is the best way to achieve fat loss, cardio exercises and intense resistance training are the most efficient ways to burn calories. While keeping track of calories burned during exercise is important, your number will vary according to gender, height, weight and age. Gadgets like smartwatches and bands give an approximate number, and only under strict monitoring of all bodily function we can get an accurate track of burned calories. This means that different people doing the same workout will not burn the same amount of calories, the amount burned by the instructor should be only used as a reference and not as a goal number. Routines that heavily advertise burned calories often inflate the numbers too, so keep in that in mind when choosing your cardio workouts.
An efficient trick to increase your daily calorie deficit without getting fatigued is to increase your daily step count. A short walk in place while watching TV or getting a desk treadmill is a slow yet steady way to burn extra calories outside of your fitness routine. While you may not train as hard as in a 'calorie burner' workout, it is far more sustainable on the long run.
Beware of fake Pilates:
Pilates has been trending on social media for a while for the wrong reasons, with supposed results leading to thinness and weight loss being a major selling point. A practice originally created with the goal of improving alignment and body awareness, real Pilates has and always should be unrelated to aesthetics goals other than better posture. With all this controversy, unqualified people with poor to zero knowledge of the original principles and moves have taken the chance to produce 'Pilates' workouts. These workouts are for the most part, random exercises taken from yoga and other mat based practices, for the most part showcased with poor form and no sense of flow. But movement is movement, right?
Not really in the case of Pilates. Exercises that require spinal mobility can be dangerous if not performed correctly, therefore Pilates requires proper vocal instruction in order to guide students through the movements. Besides providing no guidance, these influencers often have poor form; following along their incorrect moves will not have the same effects and can lead to injury. If you want to try Pilates, check the instructor's credentials and avoid any workouts with no vocal cues, exercise timers and emphasis on aesthetic goals. Your spine will thank you for choosing wisely.
Green flags for YouTube workouts:
Now that we are are aware of common clickbait strategies, here are some tips to recognize trustable and safe workouts on the platform.
- The instructor's credentials are fully listed and visible on the channel's description or on their personal website.
- Titles related to the actual workout with no talk of weight loss or calories burned.
- No excessive body checking on the thumbnail, no photoshopped images or before and after pictures.
- Provides information about the workout in the description.
- Modifications for low impact are provided when necessary.
- Warm up exercises and cool down are recommended or integrated in the workout.
- For Pilates workouts, class should flow continuously with vocal guidance for all the moves.
0 comments:
Post a Comment