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As a bodybuilder yourself, you have doubtless heard some of these myths before at some point.

1.12 Rep rule

Your average training regimens feature twelve repetitions, the theory being being that this is somehow the “magic number” of repetitions for building muscle. The truth be told, this does not adequately work the muscles enough to build mass.

Heavier weights provide the maximum gains in strength and muscle mass. Longer tension means more muscle growth. This is because it promotes the strengthening of the muscle fibers (which also increases endurance).

Eight to twelve repetitions fails to create the greater tension levels that less reps with heavier weights can, or the longer tension that you’ll get with light weights and more reps. To stimulate all types of muscle growth, vary your regimen - the number of reps and that this your weights.

2. Three Set rule

While three sets is perfectly fine, it is also not a magic number for weight training. The number of sets to do should have more to do with what you hope to accomplish, and not an old rule which may or may not work for you. Just keep in mind that the more reps you do in a set, the fewer sets. The converse is also true; the total number of reps should remain equal.

3. Three to four exercises per group

The truth is this is a waste of time. Combined with twelve reps of three sets, the total number of reps amount to 144. If your doing this much reps for a muscle group your not doing enough. Instead of doing too many varieties of exercises, try doing 30 to 50 reps. That can be anywhere from 2 sets of 15 reps or 5 sets of 10 reps.

4. My knees, my toes

An adage of the gym with some basis, though it is more common to be injured as a result of leaning forward too far during an exercise. Memphis University researchers have found stress on the knees increases approximately one third when the knees go past the toes during squats. However, stress on the hips goes up ten times when the knee is held back from passing the toes.

But hip stress increased nearly 10 times or (1000 percent) when the forward movement of the knee was restricted. Because the squatters needed to lean their body forward and that forces the strain to transfer to the lower back.

Focus on your upper body position and less on the knee. Keep the torso in an upright position as much as possible when doing squats and lunges. These reduces the stress generated on the hips and back. To stay upright, before squatting, squeeze the shoulder blades together and hold them in that position; and then as you squat, keep the forearms 90 degree to the floor.

5. Lift weights, draw abs

The truth is the muscles work in groups to stabilize the spine, and the most important muscle group change depending on the type of exercise. The transverse abdominis is not always the most important muscle group. Actually, for most exercise, the body automatically activates the muscle group that are needed most for support of the spine. So if you focus only on the transverse abdominis, it can recruit wrong muscles and limit the right muscles. This increases the chance of injury, and reduces the weight that can be lifted.