Your exercise routine may do you more harm than good. Read on to know the factsSo you have been working out religiously but not been able to get the desired results. It’s possible that you’re workout is flawed. We spoke to fitness experts to bust common exercise myths:

Myth 1 — Doing crunches, or abdominal work will decrease fat in the stomach area (If you do thousands of crunches, then you will have a flat stomach.)
Fact: If you do a 1,000 crunches a day, you will not get a flat stomach. “Contrary to what people think, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat loss occurs throughout the body in a pattern that depends largely on genetics, hormones and age,” says fitness expert Leena Mogre. If you concentrate on one area only, you will end up building muscle under the fat in that area. “Fat is lost over time by consistently burning more calories than the body consumes. You cannot control where it comes off from. The secret is to decrease calorie intake, increase activity and a workout that includes cardio, flexibility and strength,” says Indu Malhotra, trainer at Barbarian Gym, Delhi.  

Myth 2 – Weight training will leave women with bulky muscles
Fact – Many women fear weight training because they feel that it will leave them looking bulky and muscular. “This is a myth that I face while training most women. In fact, for women weight training is the best way to lose weight and stay lean,” says Malhotra. “Men and women are built differently. It is just impossible for a woman to gain as much muscle mass as a man. It’s just not going to happen,” says Mogre.  

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