Gym myths debunked

NBC -- With swimsuit season around the corner, we all want our time in the gym to pay off.

But misconceptions about your workout may be holding you back.

The most common gym myth?

Crunches blast belly fat.

"You can't spot train in areas, so you can do all the crunches you want and again you can get some toning effect, but you won't get the flat abs per say. So you need to be shedding the fat overlying through cardio and diet to really have that effect," said personal trainer Steven Capobianco.

He says doing a plank or a side plank is more effective in achieving six pack abs.

Gym myth number 2, weight lifting makes women bulk up.

"I believed I would look too 'not feminine.' that I would look too muscular, too bulky," said gym enthusist Lynne Tognoli.

But Tognoli quickly found working with light weights only helped her tone up.

Myth number 3: you have to break a sweat to know you're working really hard.

"That would be false. You need to move in order to lose weight, but that doesn't mean you're sweating," said fitness expert Tammy Parkinson.

She says it's better off to pay attention to your perceived exertion, than perspiration.

Another popular myth is that working out with machines produces better results than working out with free weights."

Personal fitness trainer Steven Capobianco says you can actually get a better workout by doing exercises that require balance too.

"It incorporates stabilizing muscles and all the other muscles that you won't use when you are on a machine," Capobianco said.

And finally myth number five an oldie but goodie: "no pain no gain."

"Pain is an indicator of some kind of damage or stress to the tissue," said Capobianco.

Even injury. Something you definitely don't need to get the beach body you always wanted.