Strength Training Myths and Truths: New Study

Can you tell your strength training myths from the strength training truths?

If you’ve spent any time in the fitness industry or just hanging around in a gym, you’ve likely heard all sorts of “wisdom” passed around like gospel.

“Squats destroy your knees.”

“Lifting heavy makes you bulky.”

“You must chug a protein shake right after lifting, or you’ll get catabolic.”

No doubt about it—misinformation runs rampant in weight rooms worldwide. Not to mention online.

But just how much of what gym-goers believe is actually backed by science?

A recent study from researchers in Austria tackled this very question—and the results?

Let’s just say the truth got outlifted by myths in many cases.

New Study: Who Knows Their Gains From Their Myths?

Published in Scientific Reports, the study surveyed 721 Austrian gym-goers from fitness centers around the country to test their knowledge of common strength training myths and truths.¹

Researchers gave the participants 14 statements—some myths, some facts—and asked them to decide which were true and which were false.

Only five of the 14 statements were correctly identified by the majority. That means that most gym-goers scored worse than a failed bench press attempt.

In other words, there seems to be a massive gap between exercise science and what gym-goers actually believe.

What Gym-Goers Got Right

To be fair, gym-goers aren’t completely clueless. Despite the misinformation lurking in every dumbbell rack, gym-goers did manage to identify five out of the 14 myths and truths correctly.

Here are some of the highlights:

✅ Protein supplementation helps build muscle and strength – Over 86% of participants got this one right. Protein fuels muscle growth and the research overwhelmingly supports pounding the protein if you want to get big.

✅ Creatine supplementation boosts strength – More than 73% knew that creatine is one of the most well-researched and effective supplements for strength gains.

✅ Full range of motion (ROM) is superior to partial ROM for hypertrophy – 70% understood that going a$$ to grass in the squat rack does more for muscle growth than half-reps.

✅ Resistance training does not reduce flexibility – Nearly 78% of gym-goers rejected this outdated myth. In fact, correctly performed (full ROM) strength training can increase flexibility, likely as effectively as stretching.

✅ Low-load, high-volume RT is not as effective as high-load training for maximal strength – 68% got this right. If your goal is max strength, heavier weights are the way to go (although lighter weights are as effective for building muscle).

What Gym-Goers Got Totally Wrong

On the flip side, some fitness myths refuse to die, and a majority of participants got these five statements wrong:

❌ Protein timing matters for hypertrophy – Over 64% believed that getting their post-workout protein shake in immediately after training was critical. Science says otherwise—your total daily protein intake matters far more than timing.

❌ Carbohydrates instantly boost your performance in the gym – About 74% incorrectly believed that downing a big bowl of carby goodness gives them a strength boost in the gym.

❌ Magnesium prevents muscle cramps – A whopping 83% believe this. While magnesium has its benefits, evidence suggests it has little to no effect on muscle cramps.

❌ Men gain muscle more effectively than women – 65% mistakenly believed men build muscle faster. The truth is that men and women build strength and muscle at comparable rates—some studies even suggest that females have the edge as beginners. While men have higher testosterone levels and more muscle mass in general, women can gain strength and muscle at similar relative rates when they hit the weights.

❌ Higher training frequency always leads to better results – Over 90% believed that training a muscle multiple times a week is always better. While training frequency can be important in some regards, total volume and intensity matter more than frequency alone.

Note: There are conflicting data on carbs for strength training performance, and I’m not sure the researchers themselves got their myths and truths 100% right here.² ³

Who Scored Better: Men vs. Women? Young vs. Old?

While men and women performed similarly in most cases, some differences stood out:

🏋️‍♂️ Men were more likely to know that creatine increases strength (79% vs. 66% of women). Likely because creatine is more commonly marketed to men.

🌱 Women were better at recognizing the myth that animal protein is superior to plant protein (67% vs. 46% of men). This one didn’t make the right or wrong lists above because the responses were nearly 50/50 overall, with no clear majority on the correct answer.

🧑‍🎓 Younger participants (under 40) were much more likely to know that resistance training doesn’t reduce flexibility (81% vs. 19%), suggesting that age and exposure to new research play a role in fitness knowledge. Older people set in their ways still believed that lifting weights makes you muscle-bound, which admittedly was touted as fact some decades ago.

Note: animal protein is superior to plant protein for building muscle, if you weigh them against each other gram for gram.

To get the same amount of the muscle-building amino acid leucin as from 20 grams of whey protein, you’d have to eat 37 grams of protein from brown rice, 38 grams of pea protein, 40 grams of soy protein, 45 grams of wheat protein, or a whopping 70 grams of protein from quinoa.⁴

In other words, you have to eat more plant protein to get the same muscle-building effects, although it is certainly possible to do so.

Why Are Gym-Goers Misinformed?

Despite decades of research, bad information spreads faster than proper training techniques.

We have more information than ever readily available at our fingertips, but that doesn’t matter if much of it is incorrect. Or sometimes even outright deliberate lies.

📢 Broscience & Misinformation – The gym floor is ground zero for fitness myths, often spread by well-meaning but misinformed lifters. That misinformation gets repeated so frequently that it becomes accepted as truth.

📲 Social Media Fitness Gurus – With millions of fitness “experts” on TikTok and Instagram, misinformation spreads faster than newbie gains as they prioritize follower engagement over accuracy and fact-checking.

📚 Lack of Science Communication – Even sports professionals, coaches, and trainers struggle to stay updated with evolving research, meaning incorrect advice still gets passed down from otherwise reliable sources.

In other words, many, if not most, gym-goers rely on secondhand gym advice and what they see on social media rather than evidence-based information.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many, many people on social media who are just that—evidence-based—and who give high-quality lifting and nutrition advice.

But unless you already know what are strength training myths and what are truths, it can be hard to tell the guru who spouts nonsense from the evidence-based fitness influencer.

Final Rep: Lift Smarter, Not Just Heavier

✅ Want to eat to build muscle? Focus on total protein intake, not timing.
✅ Want to maximize your strength gains? Lift heavy—light weights won’t cut it.
✅ Want to improve flexibility? Train through a full range of motion.
✅ Want real gains? Ignore the nonsense and stick to evidence-based training.

If you’re serious about your fitness game, educate yourself with real science, not gym folklore. The best way to break through plateaus? Break through the myths.