Weight loss myths: spot reducing

A series focusing on weight loss myths wouldn't be complete without addressing spot reduction. I get asked this question quite frequently: Can you burn fat from a specific part of the body by concentrating exercises on that area? Infomercials advertising the 'latest and greatest' ab machines claim this is possible but common sense makes most of us second guess. Let's take a closer look...

The Myth
Spot reducing is a training method that targets a specific area of the body usually with high repetition and frequency in an effort to burn fat from that particular region.The most typical example of this is high repetition sit ups or crunches in an effort to burn fat from the abdominal area. A lot of 'fad fitness machines' that typically target the abdominal and thigh regions are successfully marketed as being able to achieve spot reduction and a quick, specific fat loss solution. Unfortunately it simply just doesn't work like this. These advertisements take advantage of our desire for quick and easy results and should be ignored!

The Facts
Working a specific area of the body will increase the size and strength of the muscles being worked but it will not result in fat being specifically lost from that area. For example, if you repeatedly perform bicep curls you will increase the size of the bicep muscle underneath the layer of fat but you will not specifically burn fat from the area. Fat is not burned by focusing exercise on a specific area, rather, the degree to which fat is burned is determined by the total difference between energy intake (achieved by diet) and energy expenditure (achieved by exercise). Greater the negative difference between energy in and energy out, greater the fat burning result. Unfortunately we cannot control where our body stores fat or where it burns fat from but we can exercise to achieve the greatest fat loss possible.

The aim of exercising for fat loss is to achieve the greatest total energy expenditure possible. This includes the combination of the energy burnt at the time of exercise and the energy expenditure that continues post training as a result of an increase in metabolism. This goal is best accomplished by including compound exercises that work multiple large muscle groups across the whole body NOT by focusing on a single isolation movement for one part of the body only. Don't get caught up in the hype of the 'spot reducing myth' - it simply won't deliver the fat loss results promised.

Drive Fitness | www.drivefitness.net

personal training & group training in Brisbane