These days an American can’t so much as go one day without hearing about the growing epidemic of obesity. Everywhere we go, restaurants are offering no-fat or low-fat alternatives, gyms are popping up all over the place, the fight for weight loss has even made it into our beloved reality TV. But all this commotion and hysteria about weight loss has promoted some pretty interesting and scientifically unfounded myths about what is the best thing to do with yourself when you do manage to drag yourself to the gym. We found some of the most popular, and most incorrect ones, so that we could share them with you help maximize America’s workouts:

10. Women shouldn’t lift weights because it will give them bulky, masculine muscles.

Women naturally have too much estrogen and not enough of the muscle-building testosterone to create large amounts of muscle.

9. Your treadmill is counting the calories you’re burning.

Without knowing your individual body composition, your cardio machine cannot accurately measure the amounts of calories you’re torching.

8. Your weight is the best indicator of health.

Muscle weighs more than fat, even if you’ve been working out and haven’t been seeing the number on the scale go down, you’re still improving your overall health.

7. Heart rate monitors prove how hard you’re working

Heart rate monitoring is a very flawed science, and believe it or not, your own intuition at what is a hard workout for you is more accurate than any machine.

6. Knock down protein supplements after a workout.

If you’re looking to lose weight these protein supplements are jam-packed with calories and you’re more likely to gain weight by consuming them.

5. You can get a six-pack without doing cardio.

As much as we hate to say it, there is no effective way to spot reduce your excess weight. You just have to do more cardio and hope the weight comes off where you want it to.

4. You have to do low-intensity cardio to burn fat.

Whether you’re burning carbohydrates or fat, the bottom line is that you need to burn more calories and the higher intensity you’re working out at, the more calories you’re going to burn.

3. If I go to the gym I can do whatever I want that day.

Even if you’re active for one part of the day it is important to remain active as the more sedentary you are the shorter your life expectancy is.

2. Stretching will prevent injuries.

Contrary to old studies, new research shows that athletes who practice dynamic stretching, that is stretching that requires you to move around while stretching, prevents injuries much better than static stretching.

1. No pain, no gain.

You shouldn’t be miserable during your workout. Keep your workouts at an intensity that are straining you but not at a level that you could burn out, or worse, get injured.