7 workout rules you can ignore

In the conglomerate of countless written and unwritten gym rules, there is a whole range of regulations that make perfect sense, because they make life easier for you and others and ensure better cooperation in the gym. It is obvious that there must also be rules that make no sense whatsoever and are still stubbornly held in the collective memory of the fitness community despite the latest findings of sports science. In the following, we would like to name seven gym rules that you can ignore in any case, no matter what other self-proclaimed fitness experts want to tell you.

Rule 1 - Never eat anything before training in the morning

This myth is almost as old as training itself and is still extremely persistent. This may also be due to the fact that it is constantly being rekindled by various publications in glossy magazines. The problem with this is that the truth is not increased in the slightest by repeating it over and over again. The truth is that heading out on an empty stomach in the run-up to a tough workout is the wrong decision, as your body has already suffered from nutrient deprivation over the course of the night. As a result, your energy level drops comparatively quickly during the workout, and your performance suffers significantly. The bottom line is that you can't train as effectively as you would like. Even if you are aiming for fat loss, you should at least have a small breakfast consisting of high-quality protein and complex carbohydrates before training to provide your body with sufficient fuel.

Rule 2 - You should limit yourself to one workout routine

You're probably familiar with the saying, "Cobbler, stick to your last." Contrary to what this very meaningful piece of wisdom would like to suggest, you should not stick to your last when it comes to training and always follow the same program for months and maybe even years. If you want to build muscles, you have to go different ways and constantly challenge your body. This is the only way to actually force your muscles to develop. In this context, you should rather keep it with the proverb: "Many roads lead to Rome" and go your own way by continuously optimizing your stimulation through a continuous variation of exercises and training forms.

Rule 3 - You should not do anything that resembles a workout on non-workout days

The recovery days between training sessions are almost more important than the training itself. So it's obvious that you should never neglect them by sabotaging yourself with excessive activity. However, this does not mean that any kind of activity is forbidden and that you have to spend the whole day on the sofa. Active regeneration is sometimes even better than pure inactivity at home. Boost your circulation a bit with walks, yoga or light cycling. In this way, you can even accelerate the repair of your tortured muscle tissue, because the physical activity improves blood circulation and thus the transport of nutrients.

Rule 4 - Extended cardio sessions are the best way to burn fat

Of course, long and extended cardio sessions have their place in the training world, and no one would argue with that. But if you're not training for an endurance event, and you're looking to build muscle and lose fat, you may want to consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) instead. You can also turn your strength training into a cardio workout by creating a small strength circuit of different basic exercises. In the course of this, however, use only light weights and alternatively increase the number of repetitions slightly.

Rule 5 - Your knees must never protrude above the top of your feet when squatting.

Until a few years ago, protruding the knees above the tops of the feet was still considered an absolute no-go when squatting. Fortunately, and what is even better, justifiably, this has now changed due to sports science findings. For most people it is even the case that crossing this magic line is indispensable from an anatomical point of view in order to be able to achieve the maximum flexion depth. Forced restriction of movement can even cause technique to suffer greatly, actually affecting the knees. So don't worry if your knees stick out a little beyond the tops of your feet.

Rule 6 - After every good workout you must have a sore muscle

The tricky thing about muscle building is that the immediate indicators of the success of a training session are missing or at least take a long time to appear. Accordingly, it is not surprising that muscle soreness has long been considered an indication of particularly effective training. However, this is not the case, because in detail, muscle soreness is a muscle injury that again significantly extends your recovery time. It is therefore obvious that a severe muscle soreness is pretty much the last thing you should book for yourself after every single training session.

Rule 7 - You must never train at night

While it's true that a hard workout will get your body going, that doesn't mean you'll have trouble falling asleep afterwards. In fact, a really hard workout at the gym or a relaxing run at night can be just the thing to help many people who normally have trouble falling asleep find restful sleep. As long as you don't mind working out at night or late in the evening for other reasons, there's nothing wrong with giving it a try.