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No, Lifting Heavy Won't Make You Bulky (And Other Gym Myths in Kenya)
Here are the most common fitness myths in Kenya, where they come from, why they stick, and what the science actually says.
Image: Fit Savanna
Here are the most common fitness myths in Kenya, where they come from, why they stick, and what the science actually says.
Image: Fit Savanna
The gym is full of confident advice; most of it delivered with zero evidence and maximum certainty.
And because we are great at making sense of things after the fact, many of these ideas sound logical enough to believe.
Sadly, in fitness, some of these well-intentioned inferences can actually work against us, leading to frustration, plateaus, or even injury.
Here are some of the most common fitness myths in Kenya, where they come from, why they stick, and what the science actually says.
Ladies, this one is especially for you because it's one of the most common worries I hear.
Some women are hesitant to lift anything remotely challenging, worried it'll make them look bulky overnight.
To be fair, part of this misconception comes from biological differences between the sexes.
Because men often lift heavier and build visible muscle more quickly, it's easy to draw a straight line between "lifting heavy" and "getting bulky."
But this couldn't be further from the truth.
Biologically male bodies typically have higher testosterone levels, greater muscle mass, and a faster rate of muscle growth than biologically female bodies.
However, building substantial muscle mass, even for most men, requires far more than just lifting heavy weights.
It demands years of consistent training, plenty of protein, eating in a caloric surplus, and, let's be honest, a genetic predisposition that most people simply don't have.
In fact, unless you're a genetic outlier, it's almost impossible for the average person, especially women, to look like competitive bodybuilders simply by picking up heavier weights.
You'll get stronger, more defined, and boost your metabolism. But "bulky"? That almost never happens naturally.
First, cardio absolutely has its place, and you must absolutely do it regularly. It's great for your heart, your mood, and burning some extra calories.
But the idea that cardio alone will get you lean is one of the most persistent fitness myths out there.
A lot of people, me included, have at some point used cardio as a way to correct the mistakes we made over the weekend or just to get lean.
And sure, cardio burns calories; you're not exactly running on petrol. However, while cardio can accelerate fat loss, relying on it alone is associated with significant muscle loss.
If your goal is to get lean and retain muscle, you're better off focusing more on strength training and diet. More muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate; you're literally burning more calories around the clock, not just during your workout.
Combined with proper nutrition, you're far more likely to get leaner faster and actually look better lean this way than grinding away on the cardio-only route.
This one refuses to die. It keeps crawling back into leg-day conversations like it has nine lives.
One thing to understand about the process of building muscle is that, the body parts you train don't know (or at least care) where the mechanical tension, which is a trigger for growth, comes from.
Sure, free-weight squats are fantastic for progressive overload, but just like deadlifts, they also rack up a lot of systemic fatigue thanks to all the stabiliser muscles they drag into the fight.
If you still have a lot of exercises left in your session, that fatigue can limit how well you perform them.
Other squat variations like hack squats, leg presses, and pendulum squats, which typically offer more back support, can help you target your quads more effectively without all the added stabilisation demands.
But if you enjoy free-weight squats, there's no reason to stop; just make sure they actually serve your goals and don't drain your whole session.
This is a common misconception, and I'll admit I believed it as well when I was a beginner.
The thing is, sweat has almost nothing to do with how hard you are working; it is simply your body's built-in cooling system.
Yes, activities such as cardio naturally raise your heart rate and body temperature, so the more intense they are, the more you tend to sweat.
But when lifting weights, unless your rest periods are extremely short, you burn far fewer calories than during cardio. Because of that, you're less likely to heat up and sweat.
What's actually important is putting real effort into each set and using weights that challenge you for about 7–12 reps (to failure or close to it by about a rep or two).
There is also this belief that if you rest for more than a minute, you aren't working out properly.
I've even heard people claim that resting for 2–3 minutes results in your muscles cooling off, undermining your workout.
Contrary to this popular view, research consistently shows that resting for 2–5 minutes is actually ideal for maximising performance and muscle growth.
The reasoning is that your body mainly relies on ATP for energy production, and this process takes time—at least 2 minutes to fully replenish.
This means that longer rest periods often allow you to push harder on your next set, creating more mechanical tension, which, as we discussed earlier, is the most important driver of muscle growth.
So, no, you don't need 30-60 second rests for your workout to be effective. In fact, resting longer can actually improve your results.
At the end of the day, fitness doesn't have to be complicated or filled with fear-based rules.
Most of these myths stick around because they sound convincing, but the science tells a different story.
So the next time someone warns you about lifting heavy, doing too little cardio, or resting "too long," smile, nod, and go do what actually works. Your body will thank you.
| Day | Exercise | Sets x Reps | Target Muscles | Substitutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday - Lower | Leg curls (seated or lying) | 5 x 10 | Hamstrings | Nordic curls, Romanian deadlifts, Glute-ham raises |
| Leg extension/press/hack | 5 x 10 | Quadriceps | Squats, Bulgarian split squats, Lunges | |
| Calf raises/press | 5 x 10 | Calves | Standing calf raises, Seated calf raises, Jump rope | |
| Hip adductions | 5 x 10 | Inner thighs (Adductors) | Side lunges, Sumo squats, Cable adductions | |
| Hip Thrusts | 5 x 8-10 | Glutes, Hamstrings | Glute bridges, Romanian deadlifts, Cable pull-throughs | |
| Tuesday - Upper | Bench/Dumbbell Press | 5 x 10 | Chest, Triceps, Front delts | Push-ups, Incline press, Chest flyes |
| Cable rows | 5 x 10 | Back (Lats, Rhomboids), Biceps | Barbell rows, Dumbbell rows, T-bar rows | |
| Y-raises | 5 x 10 | Rear delts, Upper back | Face pulls, Reverse flyes, Band pull-aparts | |
| Overhead Tricep extensions | 5 x 10 | Triceps | Dips, Close-grip bench press, Skull crushers | |
| Preacher curls | 5 x 10 | Biceps | Hammer curls, Concentration curls, Cable curls | |
| Abs | 5 x 10 | Core (Rectus abdominis, Obliques) | Planks, Hanging leg raises, Russian twists, Cable crunches | |
| Wednesday | Rest | - | - | - |
| Thursday - Lower | Squats (Back/Front) | 5 x 8 | Quadriceps, Glutes, Core | Leg press, Hack squats, Goblet squats |
| Romanian Deadlifts | 5 x 10 | Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower back | Stiff-leg deadlifts, Good mornings, Deadlifts | |
| Walking Lunges | 5 x 10 each leg | Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings | Reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats, Step-ups | |
| Leg Press (wide stance) | 5 x 12 | Quadriceps, Glutes, Adductors | Sumo squats, Goblet squats, Hack squats | |
| Standing Calf Raises | 5 x 15 | Calves (Gastrocnemius) | Seated calf raises, Single-leg calf raises, Calf press | |
| Friday - Upper | Overhead Press (Barbell/Dumbbell) | 5 x 10 | Shoulders (Delts), Triceps | Arnold press, Push press, Landmine press |
| Pull-ups/Lat Pulldowns | 5 x 8-10 | Back (Lats), Biceps | Assisted pull-ups, Chin-ups, Cable pulldowns | |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 5 x 10 | Upper chest, Front delts, Triceps | Incline barbell press, Low-to-high cable flyes, Push-ups | |
| Dumbbell Rows | 5 x 10 | Back (Lats, Rhomboids), Biceps | Bent-over barbell rows, Seal rows, Chest-supported rows | |
| Lateral Raises | 5 x 12 | Side delts | Cable lateral raises, Machine lateral raises, Upright rows | |
| Face Pulls | 5 x 15 | Rear delts, Upper back | Reverse flyes, Band pull-aparts, Y-raises | |
| Hammer Curls | 5 x 10 | Biceps, Forearms | Rope hammer curls, Cross-body hammer curls, Zottman curls | |
| Dips | 5 x 8-10 | Triceps, Chest | Assisted dips, Close-grip push-ups, Tricep pushdowns |
Schedule:
Notes:
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