Physical Therapists Debunk 14 More Exercise Myths | Debunked 

Thank goodness we finally have DPT's to debunk a few things. Now we need a nutrition one too.

"Exercise doesn't cancel out unhealthy eating habit" me: *watching this and snacking on chips*

I guess it makes more sense now why squats never felt natural. I was always given shitty advice.

That squatting one was told to me by my physical therapist after my accident. I am not inclined to believe her since she forgot an entire muscle group causing me to be behind on my recovery by months and refused to believe that I have arthritis and have since I was a child (a diagnosis confirmed by several doctors and surgeons). She also got angry and reprimanded me for expressing my pain vocally (gasping, gritting my teeth, inhaling) saying that me reacting to it was unacceptable and would only make it worse. She made me not want to see a physical therapist ever again. She critiqued everything about me. Told me not to limp because of the pain and to walk normally. I have arthritis in my knees and bent it backwards at work which was why I was there. Said that I was exaggerating and needed to get over it.

"Bigger muscles are stronger" is not the same thing as "People with bigger muscles are stronger"

This guy's got one of the most peaceful faces I've seen my entire life lol Love how she tears the cards and chucks them away and when it's his turn she's all "yeah go ahead and rip that up!" And he's like 🙂 *gently puts card down* 🙂

I love how they said let your body do what it needs to do. I absolutely agree with this! Whenever you’re doing any activity, ALWAYS listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel good and you feel like it’s making your body worse then don’t do it no matter what anyone else tells you. At the end, it’s your body and you know what makes you feel good.

Running on concrete with poor running form will hurt your legs

I am not confident in these two. I've seen some material that directly contradicts their stuff, so I want them to show the sources so I can see if the research they're talking about is more current than what I've seen. Doctors need to attend continual medical education because the state of the science changes quickly, and best practices and understanding aren't static. The doctors I know attend multiple seminars/conferences/rtds each month (the pandemic just shifted them online). There are always new papers about potential changes in best practices. If you're going to have a channel called science insider and make debunking myths about the science, you need to cite the papers so we can see if the individual points become obsolete in the future instead of people checking this years later thinking it's current and correct and not realizing the things these experts are declaring as scientific consensus have proven to be myths themselves. At minimum there should be links to the relevant research in the description. I'm really tired of RU-vid channels with experts making declarative statements about science without showing the actual science.

wait, wasn't there some new research saying that post-workout soreness was actually due to micro-fiber tears within the muscle (which leads to hypertrophy during repair) instead of lactate?

Being a final year physiotherapy student, I don't have the qualifications to comment on these professionals However to the non-physio people watching this video just know everyone's body is different, therefore few things true for u might not be true for others. And physiotherapy is a constantly evolving field with new research and datas coming up every now and then. So in case u stumbled upon this video in future, just double check with recent studies too :)

Unfortunately, most of the the myths that are referred in the video are outside the scope of physiotherapy and they should have been debunked by fitness experts or dieticians. In my country the school of physiotherapy does not include any class about nutrition. Also, people need to figure out that physiotherapist are the experts in THERAPEUTIC exercise, not just exercise in general

I can hear Greg Doucette screaming.

Some of these questions aren't even in a physical therapist's range.

S.I. thumb : _Bigger isn't always better_ Me: What they're talking about? 😳

The debunks from you and abbey sharps channel definitely has helped in terms of exercise and nutrition. Thank you!

I did track and field throughout high school and developed tendonitis on my right knee and to this day I cannot run for long distances without it flaring up

Phew..used to believed in some of the myths over the years and glad that I gradually eliminated them one by one. Totally agree with all the comments by both doctors.

I am a student of Fitness and Health Promotion, and I have been learning about exercise techniques and methods I am only used to watching from afar. It gives me a whole new perspective on how interesting the exercise science is. Many of the myths mentioned in this video sadly still exist around me, and even I believed a few of them before this video. Thank you so much Dr. Wang and Dr. Morris for debunking them. 😊

As a trainer myself, I think the "soreness is a sign of a good work" is highly connected to, at least, 2 factors. First, many people (and not just in gyms) function with a "no pain no gain" mindset. I mean, so many people think pain or suffering is a sign of progress, gain or even better life... Even if that is unconscious. Second, there are muscles that we can easily feel when we workout, even as a beginner. But we also have some muscles that are harder to feel, even for more advanced people. For example, latissimus dorsi, can be hard to recrute. Or pectorals (many people do bench presses without isolating the pectorals, they mainly work the triceps and shoulders when they do it.). So for those reasons, feeling soreness reassure those people. They think their training was better. Also, about the "knees should never pass the toes when squatting", according to my experience, it is more complex that a true or false question. When we walk, dance and so on, yes, knees pass the toes. But remember, when you do those activities, your knees are not facing the same strain, the same load at all. According to my experience, keeping the knees behind the toes can be very usefull if you feel pain in the knees hen performing HALF squat. From my point of view, half squatting whitout keeping the knees behind the toes can make some people feel pain in their knees.

8:27 running actually CAN damage your knees but under certain circumstances. for example, if you are obese and start running without prep. it happened to one of my friends. you need to lose some weight first and take it slow

"Running will destroy your knees." - While I agree that for non-fat people running is actually good for your knees, isn't it simultaneously true that for people with a really high body fat percentage it is not advisable to start running until body fat is lower?

I was ridiculed for using a band when I was doing my first pull ups. I never let that kind of treatment affect me and I continue using them. One of the downfalls I've met however is that I never knew I can actually do proper wide grip pull ups now without the assist of bands UNTIL NOW. You can use bands, but make sure not to rely on them forever.

9:37 These special effects are getting out of hand

I agree that people move different due to their own anatomy, unique structures, etc. and they shouldn't have to move the same way as a different person does(i.e. the knees beyond the feet during squat). However, I think it's important to also be aware of how individuals move and make sure their repeated movements/postures doesn't lead to a kinesiopathologic injury. If someone is squatting where they are very knee dominant during knee/hip extension phase and they show signs and symptoms of knee malalignment such as knee varus or valgus, literature shows they are very susceptible to shear forces at the knee that can damage the cartilage and may lead to osteoarthritis. The individual can reduce this shear force by squatting with a more hip dominant extension movement, more important is to correct the malalignment though.

I agree, most people don't know what muscle tone is when they say they want to be "toned". What muscle tone actually is is the muscle's readiness for work. You can get an idea of this by how "hard" the muscle is at rest.

"running destroys your knees". Debunking this oversimplification oversimplifies the fact that running is not for everyone. Chondromalacia patella is the most common form of knee pain. If the cartilage behind your patella is already compromised, should you pick it up and start running?

8:27 - I think this myth comes from IMPROPER running. Most people don't realize that stretches, warm-ups, and incremental goals are necessary steps for a running routine. If someone just throws on shoes and sprints down the street every day, they could end up with injuries like splints, knee problems, foot arch and plantar region injuries, hip pain, back pain etc. So I think it's really important to note the importance of a proper warm-up and other injury prevention techniques.

This was actually really cool to watch as i am considering going to college in a couple years to be a physical therapist.

Feeling lucky that my dad has been a practicing physical therapist for 30 years. I never realised that some of these questions were asked commonly. Now that I’m 18 I’m glad I got that insider info early on, for health and wellness in the long run, and for free training and therapy for free lol

I use yoga blocks ALL the time in my sessions and I find that there are poses when I don't need them anymore or have improved. Mostly I use them to get closer to the correct position as I have a short waist and very flat feet

this gives me an idea to balance my body fitness and workout safety thank you for this!!

Doctors sometimes tell their patients with bad knees that it's from wear and tear. I've heard some say that years of running ruined their knees

Another fitness myth is that chipmunks absolutely have to eat a really massive amount of acorns everyday in order to bulk up.

Much appreciated. I'll definitely think for my self in the future to assess my fitness endeavors. Good to hear some myths debunked.

Thank goodness for this! Now I can watch TV, eat whatever I want and rebuff those who ask me to go to the gym - I have the backing of these so-called experts now. What a relief!

My brother has flatfoot and he on the basketball team and track and field. He's great at both, never had any issues. Just had to buy suitable shoes.

It's true that quinoa has protein, and it's true that quinoa has high quality "complete" protein, but nobody's building muscle on just quinoa. Eat plenty of legumes to meet protein requirements.

I love educational videos like this! DON'T YOU *EVER* STOP UPLOADING! 😄

Thank you for this! I always say that before beginning Any excercise regimen to talk with a Dr or Health Care Professional. Factors such as genetics, metabolism and diet,fitness as well as rest are viral.

Oh my gosh! 😰 I'd been doing knees Toe check for years.

Honestly, that knee rule for the squats plus the shoulder packing( shoulders down & back) is really harmful for your body. I've been strictly following those two rules for 2 years now, and I've been struggling with injuries. However, I found this really good tip that you just don't have to follow those and let my body move naturally but at the same time, try to focus on the muscles that you are actually using, and reduce the tension when you grip a bar. Been following this for a month now, and I feel much better, with the workout result without this really stressful injuries.

I had knee problems when running and it was the intensity of my training and the way I put my feet on the ground. I did a training session with a professional sportsman and he taught me so much, now I run and can put on kilometers every time, slowly working my way back to a half marathon and maybe even a marathon one day

Oh my God, I didnt know that I needed this video this badly! My head just exploded haha

I need to exercise on top of just watching videos about exercise.

11:47 I have flat feet, 15 years of astma, low weight and don't have sport stuff like in gym. I still can exercise effectively for 15-20 min a day, I have visible results.

keep these videos coming, i really enjoy them 👍

On the last one, I find it almost funny when people say they can’t run when their legs have a slight bend (sideways). One of my friends had said how he couldn’t run because of this so I showed him how my knees jut out more (not severe, but my knee caps aren’t in a “normal” position… never have been either). At the time I would run 5-6 miles (~9-10k) regularly. Yes, my knees aren’t in great condition, as is true for most of my joints, but that is more from how much I train than my past of running.

The empty stomach myth was recommended in another of your videos by a gym trainer expert and in this video they don't recommend it. Who do I believe?!!! Is just like any doctor, no one knows nothing and they just repeat what they think is right 😣

Assisted exercise - I think the question means machine exercise like a smith machine. It was explained to me like this. Doing bench press with a smith machine is bad, because you don't use the minor muscles to stabilize. This becomes a habit, then eventually you aren't able to lift as much on normal bench you would on a smith machine.

I appreciate the timestamps in the description!

Much needed. Extra thanks to these two!!!

1:50 Soreness as in the burn you feel in the muscles during the workout is caused by lactic acid buildup. DOMS the soreness you feel the next day after your workout is caused by microscopic tears within the muscle. These two types of soreness are completely different from each other and should not be used interchangeably. This is a source of confusion to many newcomers.

I get soreness from just 5 minutes. Soreness that last about 3 days. I have chronic pain, and was told to limit exercise. My body has deteriorated since.

Mas R Muscle soreness is still debated in the scientific community as either delayed onset muscle soreness from micro tearing in muscle fibers or as lactate ion and still isn’t conclusive yet. For example, some studies suggest that there situations where lactate ion concentrations are high due to physical stress, but result in no soreness following the activity.

You can’t bulk and cut at the same time. One is an anabolic state, the other is catabolic. The goal is to not bulk up too fast in order to build muscle and decrease the rate of fat build up. Once you’re in a “cutting” phase is when you decrease carbohydrates while keeping a higher protein diet to lessen the muscle loss while getting fat percentage much lower. Body builders bulk 9-10 months of the year, and cut for 2-3 months

The squats thing blew my mind! In every CrossFit gym, they def made us avoid our knees passing our feet. I guess this is why many people don’t like CrossFit for safety reasons.

I appreciate what you were trying to debunk however you have to keep in mind the effects of any technique over a long period of time. People are creatures of habit and you need to point out possible issues of bad form over time. Not everyone watching is in their 20s and if they are good form is important

Thank you for sharing. Very useful for me to learn from you experts. Blessings to you both

About about being sore, apart of all we can do to avoid it (proper food, stretching, cold shower, good sleep...), it depend as well on your regularity. When I train regulary enough (high-intensity workout), after a while I don't feel that sore. If I stop for a couple of weeks and take training back after that, I will feel super sore my first training then it will be better.

Thank God, running is good for knees. I run constantly everyday, else my responsibilities will catch and destroy not only my knees, but me as a whole

I'm flat footed and I've been exercising my whole life. Running also helped me recover from a knew injury!

what an absolute and simplistic view point on these topics!

I used to run marathons and the only damage I incurred to my knees was from running on a sloping surface of a road... in such a way that one leg was hitting the surface a little sooner... the damage coming form the increased impact on one leg only... If you run in a marathon run the crest of the roadway so you are impacting evenly with both legs... both roadways and sidewalks are slopped to allow water runoff... sidewalks somewhat less than roadways... place a level on your sidewalk and on one side of the road to see the what is happening more graphically...

I find moderate cardio as a warmup helps my lifting performance.

I kind of disagree with the running debunk. Running could ruin your knees, but it depends on various reasons. The terrain, your age, your footwear, and definitely your forms. All the images they show in the video are young teens playing sports, but they don't talk about adults in their 50+ or more. What about when those teen athletes grow older? I have seen various elders wearing knee support because they run a lot when they were younger. I don't think it is white or black like in the video.

So many myths are in life! Thank you guys 😊

I used to think flat feet so i have an excuse to not work out. But the more I worked out and lose weight and build muscle, it helped my flat feet problem and now it doesnt hurt anymore

Running can damage your knees... if you are wearing inappropriate footware, but also what they say. In AIT I developed inflammation of the soft tissue around both my knees which affects me over a decade later. I make sure I use proper footware when I run now

oh, god! my knees are destroyed after basketball, i cant run now, while im 35! You can reasearch this. Also workout creates crazy tension in muscles, it is huge difference after i take 10 massages course every year. Pro athletes do it almost after each training

Great video! Thanks for the info!

went from “workout doesn’t tone your muscles” to “control calorie intake AS WELL as workout” wow thanks 😀

Thanks for debunking all these myths, learning a lot from this channel. I am an amputee, can you make a video of how an amputee can work out and keep his body fit.

Thank goodness this entire comment section is filled with Physical therapists

8:27 My EDS would have a word with you. Running WILL destroy my knees, it is WHY my knees are screwed up for the rest of my life.

I am a flat foot person, I didn't know until like a month ago. I love doing squats and leg workouts

"It always comes down to Calories - in and Calories out." Also her, 2 minutes later "it's not just about Calories - in vs calories out."

I've yet to meet a long distance runner who didn't have problems with their knees, hips or feet eventually. The running boom has also been a boom for podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists.

I get many injuries to fascia sorrounding my calf and my ankle and foot, but no knee injury yet, and Ive completed many marathons

I had been squatting with the knees past my toes and my knees hurt eternally. All is well since I corrected that. Rest of the video is fine with me.

Greg should take a look at this

I was a PT student until i shifted to another course without graduating.

As nearly all physical therapists I've worked with have some fundamental misunderstandings (and lack of knowledge), let's do a little debunking of the "debunking." Knees past toes in squatting: While it's not a specific *rule* that the knees should not travel past the extent of the toes, if someone is performing a Squat and their knees are tracking notably past the line of their toes, that indicates they are likely performing the movement incorrectly. A properly performed Squat (for the purpose of exercise, not competitive lifting) may *slightly* project the knees past the toes. However, the comparisons they make to other activities are invalid. Those other activities are not done for the same purposes of a properly performed Squat, and essentially *none* of them are performed with the goal of maximizing safety. That we take risks in a variety of activities that are *not* exercise does not mean we should take similar risks *with* exercise. Exercise is, by definition, activity that stimulates adaptation in all areas of general fitness as effectively, efficiently, and safely as possible within practical constraints. Soreness: Soreness is *not* due to lactic acid build-up in the blood (or anywhere else in the body). Lactic acid is cleared from the blood stream (and any musculature) within a few hours by the liver. Soreness typically happens with a new activity pattern and/or an increase in intensity of an activity. When people start exercise programs or new recreational activities, often both of these things occur. But they are correct that soreness is not a measure of the effectiveness of exercise. Bigger muscles are stronger: Yes, comparing muscular size from one person to another isn't necessarily going to be accurate for per-pound strength evaluation. However, for a given person, a larger muscle is a stronger muscle. It also doesn't make sense to "debunk" this myth by talking about things like tendon and limb lengths, as those *aren't muscles* and have nothing to do with *muscular size* . Cardio before weights: At least they got this somewhat right by mentioning that strength training can be "cardio." Proper strength training stimulates adaptation in the cardiovascular system just as effectively as steady-state activities, but does so more efficiently and more safely. There is no need for separate "cardio" activities, and this is a term that would be best retired from the vernacular. Need to workout for an hour: Actual exercise (which is only proper strength training) will not take an hour per session to complete. Most people would only need two 30-minute sessions per week to stimulate adaptations in all areas of general fitness effectively, efficiently, and safely. Running will destroy your knees: Their explanation is short-sighted. It's not that running makes your knees fall off onto the sidewalk. It's the cumulative structural damage (chronic subacute injury) that often takes years (if not decades) to be realized. Understanding the physics of running (and any activity) is necessary to analyze the injury risk, and very few people in the exercise industry know the basics of Newtonian mechanics (physics of motion).

Excellent video! Thank you!

Thanks for the video. Are you both medical doctors? I am confused by your use of the Dr title. Are you able to consult and give out medication to your patients?

Spend years of your life in education getting your bachelors, masters and doctorate. Countless hours reading peer reviewed studies and applying them. Present years of accumulated knowledge to the world in a 12 minute video. Random youtube commentor: “Dumb. I don’t agree.”

Im 54 flat footed and have worked out my entire life.

I wish more physical therapists understood activities like skateboarding. It affects your body in a lot of ways that are not familiar for someone who mainly focuses on traditional sports and weight lifting.

Thanks for the tips, but there's one point I disagree with. An empty stomach for 15+ hours Will help you to lose weight. For me, the fastest & easiest way to burn fat is OMAD (one meal a day). NO exercise or special diet necessary, although exercise could speed things up. As can a low carb diet. I am currently on my ~10th day of OMAD, and I've lost about 9 lbs. Virtually no exercise or healthy diet (except for a side dish of carrots and/or spinach). Warning: OMAD may be risky for anyone who is diabetic. Please do some research before starting.

is this a 1st of april post ?

11:27 that thing looks fun as heck, I need one.

I love this series

"You can't outtrain a crappy diet" - words to live by. 💪🐱🖖

Turns out lactate is good for you mussels, some studys from the journals did some stuff and said that it is not what coses you to get sore, last time i have seen it was about 2 to 4 years ago give or take when i read them

The only time you really see injuries where your knees may move past your toes is usually when dramatic change in a load occur, thus causing ACL/MCL/LCL/PCL tears

So a little bit of strength training goes a long way to help prevent running injuries. And by a little bit I mean less than 15 minutes 3-4 times a week of body-weight exercises. Core exercises are pretty key but I'd also recommend doing exercises that target supporting leg muscles. Strengthening those muscles means that even as you wear out your main running muscles, you'll still have the right support to keep your form from loosening. Your knee is a hinge joint and so it doesn't do very well if it starts twisting even a tiny amount with the repetitive motion of running

As a runner, it’s a relief to hear it won’t destroy my knees!

what these said about size is dumb. what they said literally agreed with the myth. they said "maybe they dont LOOK as big but is actually longer and thus more of them" meaning muscle fibres/tissue. or "shorter tendon where they are attaching" thus more of the muscle length is muscle tissue. so they are saying muscles that LOOK smaller but have more muscle mass. ISNT THAT THE DEFINITION OF BIGGER??! bigger PROPORTIONALLY tends to be stronger. but isnt always the case. strength vs size is a thing. people can build density in muscles making them stronger but not necessarily bigger and vice-versa. i agree with most of this. the assisted exercises are not as effective one was wrongly explained. "assisted exercises are not as effective"beginning

spent a year in Korea, was in amazing shape cause had to walk everywhere. passes the 1.5 mile run test without training like prior tests.

Running for too long and too frequently (twice a day 5 miles a day) I think is detrimental for our knees, and possibly hips, in the long run. In the video the claim, "I've played basketball growing up, and my knees were fine", and "I work with high school athletes"; therefore, running does not hurt your knees in the long run is based off of the short-term. I agree with this claim; however, it does not address the long-term. I am passionate on this topic bc my 69 year old mom was a big runner, still a healthy eater to this day, and in the past 15 years has supplemented her exercise routines with daily yoga; however, she is need of a double-knee replacement. Furthermore, my uncle (her brother) was a big runner, eats very well still to this day, and yet he had to get a double-hip replacement surgery. I know, you might be thinking well it could be genetic, and that's valid. I would still be curious to see a longitudinal study on life-long heavy runners and the impact it has on their joints. I know shoe technology has improved via gel padding, but I don't think that is enough to dismiss my initial claim.