Diet and Exercise Myth #12: You need muscle confusion!

Muscle confusion is a myth. Progressive overload in a controlled caloric surplus is what makes muscles big.

The idea with muscle confusion is that you should constantly change up your workout routine so that your muscles never get a chance to adapt and stagnate.

But this idea is misguided.

Muscle adaptation is actually desirable. In fact, your muscles will become bigger and stronger as an *adaptation* to the challenge that resistance training provides. But that challenge is in the form of progressive overload, not muscle confusion.

Changing the pattern constantly, as ‘muscle confusion’ would have you do, will only deprive your muscles of the very type of adaptation that would cause them to grow big and strong. And that is adaptation to progressive overload, which equals strength and size.

Changing up your resistance training routine can be a great idea every now and again. Two good reasons to occasionally alter your routine are to keep your program interesting for you, and to break through a strength plateau.

But constantly moving the goalposts is not the path to looking good, feeling great, and having the body you’ve always wanted.

Metabolic confusion is another myth. That doesn't lead to weight loss. Consistently eating fewer calories than you burn is what causes fat loss.

Your metabolism cannot get confused. And even if it could, it is unlikely that this would work in your favor.

The best way to get your metabolism humming along optimally is to engage in regular resistance training and minimal cardio, maintain correct energy balance, and to eat in line with a macronutrient balance that supports those goals.

Metabolic confusion is not good for your metabolism, and muscle confusion is not good for your muscles. They’re both just confusion.