Spot specific fat reduction - a complete falsehood
G’day!,
Every time we seem to turn on the Television, watching day-time television shows, or those late night infomercials that promise the world, yet deliver very little; we always tend to see a tonne of exercise equipment claiming to target specific area’s, ensuring results that are so multifactorial that its unrealistic to accept as fact.
At this stage, you are probably wondering: "What do you mean, Spot specific reduction?" , so allow me to elaborate. The idea of spot reduction, is the notion that if you exercise (or ‘work’) a specific muscle group, that you will reduce fat levels in that target area. This, however, is just not the case.
The most popular, and relatable example is the ‘abdominals’. There are a tonne of Abdominal advertisements. “The Ab Crunch” , “Total Abs Machine” , “Express Abs” .. what-ever they choose to call their inventive, yet ineffective get-rich-quick scheme.
In reality, there is no way to target fat in any specific area through natural means. You will -not- get a flat stomach through performing a thousand varieties of abdominal exercises! - Ofcourse there are medical interventions, but you must be aware that these usually hold consequinces, and poor body reactions. They can be dangerous, and are highly discouraged.
The reason the body is unable to spot reduce; is because - basically - muscle does not own (or control) the fat that surrounds it!
Referring back to the Abdominal example. Sit-ups (and other Ab exercises) will certainly build and strengthen your abdominal muscles - there is no discounting this fact - however sit-ups alone will not remove/lessen the layer of fat covering the abdominals.
To lose fat anywhere on your body, you need to burn calories. This is acheivable through a safe - natural - recommended method which consists of an appropriate cardiovascular and weight training program in conjunction with adequate diet and nutrition. Through this, you will then reduce fat stores through-out your whole body, inclusive of the problem area’s you are wanting to target.
You will notice that you may lose weight quicker in some areas and slower in others - Much the same as gaining weight more in certain areas as opposed to other areas. This is quite simply a result of your genetic selection pattern that dictates where fat stores will be dominant. In men, this tends to be in the stomach/midsection region , where with women this tends to be in the gluteal (thigh) areas.
While this makes it a tougher task to reduce fat in these area’s over their gender counterparts, it is not overly difficult to do so. The problem area’s tend to be the first to store excess fat, yet be one of the last areas to present results. Therefore, patience, consistency, and a reduction in your overall body-fat! will aid you.
So - Your take home message….. Do not attempt to reduce fat stores in a spot specific manner. You must reduce your overall body-fat in order to acheive an overall, wholistic target body composition.
Best of luck in your exercise endeavours!
Cheers,
Nicolas Hart.
