Five Strength Training Myths Holding You Back

Myth 1: You Must Lift Heavy to Build Muscle

The belief that only heavy loads build muscle has been convincingly debunked. Research shows that muscle hypertrophy occurs across a wide range of rep ranges — from 5 to 30 reps — provided sets are taken close to failure. What matters is mechanical tension and metabolic stress, not absolute load.

This is good news for beginners and those with joint limitations. Lighter loads with higher reps can produce equivalent muscle growth while reducing injury risk.

Practical Application

We recommend training across multiple rep ranges within the same program. Compound movements like squats and deadlifts can be trained in the 5–8 rep range, while isolation exercises and machine work can use 10–20+ reps effectively.

Myth 2: Soreness Equals a Good Workout

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is not a reliable indicator of training effectiveness. It primarily reflects novel stimulus — exercises your body isn't accustomed to — rather than productive training. Chasing soreness often leads to excessive volume and impaired recovery.

A better metric is progressive overload: are you adding weight, reps, or sets over time? If so, adaptation is occurring regardless of how sore you feel.

Myth 3: Cardio Kills Your Gains

The "interference effect" — the idea that cardio training blunts strength and muscle gains — is real but vastly overstated. Moderate cardiovascular training (particularly low-intensity zone 2 work) actually supports recovery, improves nutrient delivery to muscles, and enhances overall health.

Problems arise only when high volumes of running or endurance work are combined with heavy strength training on the same day or without adequate nutrition. For most people, 2–3 sessions of 30–45 minutes of zone 2 cardio per week enhances rather than hinders their strength training.

Myth 4: Perfect Form or Nothing

While technique matters for safety and efficiency, the obsession with "perfect form" can become counterproductive. Some degree of form deviation under heavy loads is normal and expected. The goal is controlled, intentional movement — not robotic precision.

Learn the fundamental movement patterns, respect your body's biomechanics, and focus on consistent improvement rather than perfection.

Myth 5: More Training Is Always Better

Recovery is where adaptation happens. Training provides the stimulus; rest provides the growth. Many dedicated trainees undermine their progress by training too frequently without adequate recovery. Three to four well-designed sessions per week, combined with proper sleep and nutrition, will outperform six mediocre sessions.

At Formation, our coaches design programmes that balance stimulus and recovery, using objective measures like heart rate variability and subjective readiness scores to guide training decisions.