Some fitness advice ages like milk. A Reddit thread asked users to name the biggest myth that just will not die, and the answers were blunt, funny, and painfully accurate.
The AskReddit post by u/i-hold-your-purse pulled nearly 4,000 upvotes and over 1,700 comments. Respondents piled on protein bro-science, the no-pain-no-gain lie, the myth of targeted fat loss, and the very online obsession with meal timing. But the thread also sparked debate—some readers pushed back on certain claims, which tells its own story.
The myths people cannot stop repeating
"No pain, no gain" took the most heat. Commenters said walking outdoors while listening to music or a podcast still counts as exercise. Targeted fat loss—the idea that you can burn fat in one specific spot—got called out as nonsense.
The protein craze got dragged hard. Several users pointed out that eating 300 or even 500 grams of protein a day does not magically turn into muscle. Excess protein gets stored as fat or excreted, and avoiding carbs while choking down shakes is just suffering for no reason. Sweating in a sauna suit or hot room was flagged as water-loss theater, not actual fat loss. And the idea that lifting weights will make women "super bulky" got dismantled—one commenter noted you have to specifically try to get big.
One myth that got the shortest treatment: seasoning your chicken destroys your progress. "All it destroys is the will to live," one user wrote.
Our analysis: why fitness myths outlive the truth
Fitness myths spread because they promise certainty in an uncertain game. Targeted fat loss. Magic protein numbers. The perfect meal-timing window. Each one tells the reader they can hack their body with one simple rule. The truth—consistency over years, adjusted to your actual life—loses the algorithm every time.
The trade-off is that bad advice often feels more disciplined than good advice. Eating 500 grams of protein sounds hardcore. Walking for 30 minutes sounds lazy. The myth wins on vibes, even when the science loses. And there is a secondary problem: myths give people permission to quit. If spot reduction does not work, maybe nothing works. The all-or-nothing thinking is built into the myth itself.
What to watch: the myth that muscle turns into fat after you stop training ranked highest on the "this should be embarrassing" scale. Comments noted that even people who should know better repeat it. That suggests the fitness industry has a misinformation problem it is not interested in solving—because the cure is less dramatic than the myth.
Who wins: anyone willing to do moderate, boring, sustainable work. Who loses: anyone grinding through a protein-loading, carb-cutting, sauna-suit protocol that they cannot maintain past January.
Who should care
| Audience | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Beginner lifters | Most viral fitness advice is designed for influencers, not actual progress. Knowing what to ignore saves years. |
| Intermediate athletes | If you plateaued on a bro-science protocol, the answer might be simplifying, not complicating. |
| Anyone who quit fitness | "It has to be intense to work" is the most common reason people stop. Walking counts. Resting counts. Consistency counts. |
What it means for you
Strip your routine down. Pick an activity you can see yourself doing next year—not just next month. Match your protein to your body weight and goals, not to numbers you saw on a reel. Stop chasing spot reduction. Walk more than you think you should. That is the whole program, minus the marketing.
Key takeaways
- "No pain, no gain" is a marketing slogan, not a training principle.
- Targeted fat loss is fake. You cannot choose where your body burns fat.
- Massive daily protein goals are overkill for most people.
- Walking counts. Any movement you can sustain counts.
- Muscle does not turn into fat when you stop training—they are different tissues.
Frequently asked questions
What was the most-called-out fitness myth?
"No pain, no gain" took the most heat, along with targeted fat loss and extreme daily protein goals.
Who started the Reddit thread?
User u/i-hold-your-purse posted the question in AskReddit.
Does targeted fat loss really work?
No. Multiple commenters and general fitness science agree that you cannot choose where your body burns fat.
How much protein do most people actually need?
Less than the bro-science internet suggests. The thread pushed back hard on 300 to 500 gram daily targets.
Is walking actually real exercise?
Yes. Multiple commenters confirmed that walking outdoors while listening to music or podcasts fully counts as exercise.
Inspired by reporting from: boredpanda.com