There are many myths surrounding exercise, which often adds to our list of reasons not to put on our kit and go to gym. We hear so many different viewpoints from experts, friends and TV commercials that it becomes hard to decide what to believe. Making things a little easier for you we have demystified some common exercise myths, which have possibly been holding you back from wanting to get into shape.

Myth one: I shouldn't do weight training until I have reached my ideal body weight.

Many women believe that by doing resistance training they will bulk up and therefore end up looking fatter than they were. Muscle mass gained as a result of weight training increases the body's metabolic rate which directly aids in the burning of fat as fuel. Therefore it is essential to include weight training in your exercise regime as it important, even more so, than cardiovascular exercise in helping you lose that unwanted weight.

Myth two: If I do abdominal exercises I will get a flat stomach.

No matter how strong your abdominal muscles are, they will not be seen unless the fat around the midsection is stripped away. In order to achieve that beautiful stomach you need to create a proper nutritional routine; perform resistance training in order to increase metabolism and do cardiovascular exercise to help burn calories. Only once all three aspects are done in conjunction will you be able to get the stomach you have always dreamed of.

Myth three: To get the bet results I should do abdominal exercises daily.

This myth goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Abdominal muscles just like all muscle groups can be overtrained which can actually diminish muscular development. When muscles are trained they break down and therefore need adequate rest to regenerate thereby exercising them every day becomes counter productive. A fact that many people forget is that your abs are worked indirectly while doing other weight training as the midsection acts as a stabiliser for your whole body. As a result you are getting an abs workout every time you do resistance training and therefore you only need to perform abdominal training two or three times a week.

Myth four: I need to train for hours in order to get the body I want.

We often hear that it is not about quantity but quality and exercise is no different. Short, intense training sessions are the best way to achieve that fabulous body as overtraining actually reduces the quality of your physique. You should aim to complete 60 to 90 minutes of intense training, three or four days a week remembering to also keep to a strict nutritional regime.

Myth five: As I am a woman I need to train with light weights so that I don't bulk up.

In order to tone up, not bulk up, you need to perform high repetitions (15–20) using weights that cause the last few repetitions very difficult to complete. By doing this you will target the endurance muscle fibres achieving a leaner, not bulkier, physique.

Myth six: If I stop my weight training the muscle I have built will turn into fat.

Many woman fail to remember that muscle and fat are two separate properties — muscle cannot turn into fat and fat cannot turn into muscle. When you stop weight training, your muscle will gradually get smaller and return to pre-exercise levels. The main problem is that women forget to reduce their caloric intake when they cease weight training and this is what leads to weight gain. Remember that muscle increases the metabolic rate which helps burn calories but if you no longer have that muscle, your metabolic rate decreases preventing you form burning as many calories.

Now that we have de-mystified some of the most common exercise myth and worries, you have no more excuses for not going to the gym. So put on your training kit and remember to balance the three exercises properties namely proper nutritional regime; resistance training in order to increase metabolism and cardiovascular exercise to help burn calories. Have fun!