Spot reduction is possible!

SaqibH91

A wise man once said that fat is burned from the body in the same manner that water is drained from a pool. It might look like more water has been drained in the shallow end but really it's all being lost evenly. With that being said, I've noticed that a lot of people don't bother doing ab exercises since spot reduction is considered impossible. They'd rather keep the belly and do some cardio, fair enough. But you don't hear anyone saying goodbye to the bench press since they can't lose their manboobs. So my question is, why do people neglect their abs all because of this theory? If you want nice biceps, you work out your biceps. If you want nice shoulders, you work on your shoulders. So if you want a nice set of abs, why not work on them too? I know people say spot reduction is impossible but it seems like this has totally demotivated people. I have been working on my abs for just over a month, and I have a BMI of 29 (was 34). I could never feel any abs beneath my belly but now my upper abdominals are slowly emerging. A lot of people say that if you work on your abs and are already fat then you will just look fatter since your abs are getting bigger and your fat is still on top of it. But from personal experience I must say that's just not the case. It almost seems as if my new hard-earned muscle is feeding off the fat around it lol (I don't know the science behind that). My gym buddy has lost 5 stones recently as well. All he did was cardio, but he's still at 14 stones and looks very weak. There was still a lot of fat sagging from his arms but for the last month I've been getting him to work his biceps vigorously and you'd be delighted to know that he now has much firmer biceps and tighter skin. All in all, spot reduction may be scientifically impossible but that's no excuse to neglect certain body parts. The results speak for themselves. Do correct me if I'm wrong guys, I'd love a professional opinion!

DannyMussels

That's a pretty solid wall of text.

And spot reduction isn't possible.

AZTrailRunner

I have read that spot reduction is indeed possible since the particular muscle group you are focusing on gets warmer than other muscles, and the fat is burned through thermal processes. Unfortunately, it would appear that the effects are so miniscule it isn't worth the effort.

tigersword

A wise man once said that fat is burned from the body in the same manner that water is drained from a pool. It might look like more water has been drained in the shallow end but really it's all being lost evenly. With that being said, I've noticed that a lot of people don't bother doing ab exercises since spot reduction is considered impossible. They'd rather keep the belly and do some cardio, fair enough. But you don't hear anyone saying goodbye to the bench press since they can't lose their manboobs. So my question is, why do people neglect their abs all because of this theory? If you want nice biceps, you work out your biceps. If you want nice shoulders, you work on your shoulders. So if you want a nice set of abs, why not work on them too? I know people say spot reduction is impossible but it seems like this has totally demotivated people. I have been working on my abs for just over a month, and I have a BMI of 29 (was 34). I could never feel any abs beneath my belly but now my upper abdominals are slowly emerging. A lot of people say that if you work on your abs and are already fat then you will just look fatter since your abs are getting bigger and your fat is still on top of it. But from personal experience I must say that's just not the case. It almost seems as if my new hard-earned muscle is feeding off the fat around it lol (I don't know the science behind that). My gym buddy has lost 5 stones recently as well. All he did was cardio, but he's still at 14 stones and looks very weak. There was still a lot of fat sagging from his arms but for the last month I've been getting him to work his biceps vigorously and you'd be delighted to know that he now has much firmer biceps and tighter skin. All in all, spot reduction may be scientifically impossible but that's no excuse to neglect certain body parts. The results speak for themselves. Do correct me if I'm wrong guys, I'd love a professional opinion!

1. BMI is meaningless, I'm planning to get down to 8% body fat, and I'll still have a BMI around 30.
2. Spot reduction is not possible. The body loses fat based on genetics. Muscles show through when the body fat level in a specific area gets low.
3. Most people don't work their abs because their trainers typically tell them that doing ab exercises will make your ab muscles larger, which can make your entire belly look larger.

SaqibH91

I've heard this a lot also. I'm just wondering where the one inch of fat went since I did no cardio and only weight training. I seem to have lost it from the area I was training. I've lost fat from my arms too, simply for building more muscle on my arms. No cardio. Maybe it's just me... hmm.

rileysowner

The lesson from your gym buddy who lost a lot of weight with only cardio and looked weak is that all of us need something more than cardio. Strength training is an absolute must to get a fit, strong body while losing weight. It is not spot reducing, it is maintaining muscle. As for ab training, a much more useful way to train abs is to train your whole body with things like squats and deadlifts which will also strengthen the core. Speaking of which, if a person trains abs but neglects their other core muscles (especially those of their lower back) they will not get the abs they want.

SaqibH91

Thanks for the advice guys!

SaqibH91

Thanks for the advice guys!

tigersword

I've heard this a lot also. I'm just wondering where the one inch of fat went since I did no cardio and only weight training. I seem to have lost it from the area I was training. I've lost fat from my arms too, simply for building more muscle on my arms. No cardio. Maybe it's just me... hmm.

Cardio is really not a good way to burn fat, strength training is actually much more effective for fat burning than cardio.

koosdel

The lesson from your gym buddy who lost a lot of weight with only cardio and looked weak is that all of us need something more than cardio. Strength training is an absolute must to get a fit, strong body while losing weight. It is not spot reducing, it is maintaining muscle. As for ab training, a much more useful way to train abs is to train your whole body with things like squats and deadlifts which will also strengthen the core. Speaking of which, if a person trains abs but neglects their other core muscles (especially those of their lower back) they will not get the abs they want.

Agreed. Plus 1 on the lower back.

spyork

I've heard this a lot also. I'm just wondering where the one inch of fat went since I did no cardio and only weight training. I seem to have lost it from the area I was training. I've lost fat from my arms too, simply for building more muscle on my arms. No cardio. Maybe it's just me... hmm.

Hi,
A spot reduction on fat is never going to happen, the fact you trained your arms more maybe made them tone up and get a bit firmer by building some muscle, try training your entire body as the more muscle you have the more fat your body will burn naturally. Go heavy on your legs and you will see some major changes.

Scott

brandiuntz

The lesson from your gym buddy who lost a lot of weight with only cardio and looked weak is that all of us need something more than cardio. Strength training is an absolute must to get a fit, strong body while losing weight. It is not spot reducing, it is maintaining muscle. As for ab training, a much more useful way to train abs is to train your whole body with things like squats and deadlifts which will also strengthen the core. Speaking of which, if a person trains abs but neglects their other core muscles (especially those of their lower back) they will not get the abs they want.

^^This.

BeverageTreats

I train my core muscles because I rather like the idea of being able to hold my back up and all my guts inside when I lift up things.

bradstein

A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Physiology seemed to indicate that spot reduction may be possible, although to what degree is unclear. In the study, conducted at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), scientists had male subjects perform single-leg extensions with light weight for 30 consecutive minutes. The researchers then measured the amount of blood flow to the subjects' subcutaneous fat cells in both the exercising and resting thighs, as well as the amount of lipolysis from those fat cells. The scientists observed increases in blood flow and lipolysis in the exercising leg when compared to the resting leg. The study suggested that during exercise, body fat is preferentially used from the area being trained.

jayfloyd1

Can you imagine a 500 lb man with a 6-pack? Try getting THAT visual out of your head all day. A small amount of fat burning in an area may be possible but the overall aggregate fat loss just in one area of the body simply isn't possible. Everyone's body and metabolism is different but the human body isn't designed that way at all. As your body burns fat, it will take one from the tip of your nose, the end of your toe and your knee cap and maybe 2 from the area you are working. It is possible, as you say, to tone muscles in a specific area. For instance, the arms can look and be toned faster than the abs because there is a thinner layer of fat there. In general, men carry fat differently than women and in different places. The first place it goes on is the last place it comes off and generally, that is the abdomen for men and thighs/butt for women. And, as others have said here, muscle toning burns more fat than straight cardio. That's why it's important to have all three aspects of workouts in your regimen. Those include Cardio, Resistance and Flexibility. Cardio is great for fat burning if HIIT workouts are done. Resistance for fat burning, even for women because of the muscle building and flexibility to prevent aging and injury. Some women don't want to lift because they don't want to get big. However, they typically have 10 times less testosterone than men so it just won't happen unless nutrition is dialed in PERFECTLY and you are lifting HEAVY along with taking a vast amount of supplements. Besides, if you gain muscle and don't like it, quit lifting and it will go away, I promise.

Some of them are pretty funny. Good luck. Keep training the abs, but understand you will feel them before you see them. You have to burn off that layer of fat first and abs are made in the kitchen.

This has inspired me to write a blog about it today. You can find it at my name, Jay Floyd dot com if you want to check it out.

jayfloyd1

sorry for the double post. It said site down for maintenance so I rewrote it.... Remember....

Cardio (preferably HIIT for sustained fat burning), Resistance (Heavy to build muscle and boost metabolism) and Stretching (flexibility keeps you young and prevents injury).

cadaverousbones

You need to do cardio and strength training. The more muscle you build the more fat you burn & muscle takes up less space than fat. hence looking smaller.. hence losing more weight because your metabolism is faster the more muscle you have... Also.. you can not spot reduce FAT. You can build muscle in certain areas, like abs, bicep, etc. But your body itself is not going to say, "oh you worked out your *kitten* tonight, let me take that fat from just there!" get it? lol

bagge72

So you lost weight, and you want to know why you can feel your abs more in your stomach? Seems pretty self-explanatory to me. You lost weight so you have less overall fat.
I just don't think you understand what people are saying when they say you can't spot reduce. They are saying doing abs isn't going to lose the belly fat, a calorie deficit is. You can do core strength as part of that calorie deficit if you would like, but that is just going to contribute to your overall deficit.
People aren't spot reducing fat by bench pressing, or deadlifting, they are doing those lifts to get stronger, and by doing those types of compound lifts you are already engaging your core muscles, and that is going to make your core stronger than just doing crunches and sit-ups.

jhtrico1850

Despite the naysayers here, I too have been duped into the whole "ignore crunches, they make your belly bigger unless you're really skinny" mantra. After a vigorous ab exercise, I can definitely feel and see the ab muscles pop out, for that moment, and days later. It doesn't mean I spot reduced necessarily, but just like you can't lose weight and get biceps...

You can be really skinny and have your skin wrap around your small washboard abs. It's easier for me to just crunch and popout.

labud1

< got a hernia on ab machines

Yanicka1

Despite the naysayers here, I too have been duped into the whole "ignore crunches, they make your belly bigger unless you're really skinny" mantra. After a vigorous ab exercise, I can definitely feel and see the ab muscles pop out, for that moment, and days later. It doesn't mean I spot reduced necessarily, but just like you can't lose weight and get biceps...

You can be really skinny and have your skin wrap around your small washboard abs. It's easier for me to just crunch and popout.

Thread resurrection. And swollen muscles =\= spot reduction

HeidiMightyRawr

If you want to work your bicep muscles, you do bicep exercises. That is working the muscles there (making them stronger/larger) not reducing the fat in that place. Same goes for bench to work the chest muscles, squats for the leg muscle etc etc Your working on the muscles, and it means you'll look less flabby and in better shape when you do lose the fat there, but it's not actually causing the fat loss (aside from the calorie burn you get from any exercise)

People often spout the "ignore crunches" mantra and similar because the belly is one of the places most people want to lose fat. These people also seem to think that crunches and direct ab work will help you lose belly fat. It wont. You'll just work your abdominal muscles, that's all. If that's what you want, great.

In short, maintain a calorie deficit to lose the fat in general (where goes fastest depends on your body and where you tend to store fat) and strength train to work the particular muscle groups.

GymTennis

Well, of course that doing ab exercises is not pointless!!.. But, rest assured, everybody who says you can strip off fat from your stomach by doing a million crunches is just plain wrong... Spot fat removal is not possible indeed...

Yes, of course, do the ab exercises so you can shape your muscles when you burn off that fat so they can show nicely ... Moreover, strong abs and the core generally is so important for your body, overall.. (a lot of people who suffer from lower back pain actually have weak abs and improper back and stomach muscle balance)....So, yes of course, do the ab exercises..

However, to lose fat, you HAVE TO BE IN A CALORIC DEFICIT..It all boils down to calories in, calories out...

As for big arms.. If you want them, concentrate on your triceps more, which is twice as big as your biceps.. Good luck..

froeschli

i hit the wall, text wall, couldn't read through it all.
anyhow, i doubt spot reduction is possible, unless you go to a certain place and pay a certain person to spot reduce for you.

maybe, just maybe, the targeted strength training, after losing weight, increased a bit of circulation / added a bit of muscle and that made the skin look less flabby.

Wantingslim

Bump

jhtrico1850

I'm just saying, I was one of those people, about 16% body fat, that thought you needed to cut cut cut, see your abs, then work out to make them bigger. They won't look as cut, but if you're not too fat, you can see some abs. So I'm not necessarily saying you can spot reduce your belly, but I am saying you can make your abs look better without a really low body fat %.

meshashesha2012

i personally skip direct ab exercises because i have a short waist. i've been thin and athletic before and back then when i had a 6 pack it made my waist look like it was much thicker than it actually was. back then it was utilitarian since i played a sport and the way i looked was less important than what i could get my body to do.

but now, 6 pack + short waist => no bueno and not the look i'm going for. i get plenty of core strengthening in squats, deadlifts, push ups, turkish get ups and yoga but visible6 pack is definitely not something i want

ninerbuff

A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Physiology seemed to indicate that spot reduction may be possible, although to what degree is unclear. In the study, conducted at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), scientists had male subjects perform single-leg extensions with light weight for 30 consecutive minutes. The researchers then measured the amount of blood flow to the subjects' subcutaneous fat cells in both the exercising and resting thighs, as well as the amount of lipolysis from those fat cells. The scientists observed increases in blood flow and lipolysis in the exercising leg when compared to the resting leg. The study suggested that during exercise, body fat is preferentially used from the area being trained.

I've read this study too and again degree of fat loss isn't substantial enough for the average person especially when working out a single muscle for 30 minutes straight. So though is may be totally possible, the approach is improbable for many people to do.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

If exercising a muscle alone reduced body fat in the area chosen, people would just do ab work and hip work to reduce it. And I've seen many people doing countless sets and reps in several of the gyms I've worked in, and those people still weren't getting any further in progress.
It's always going to come down to adequate nutrition and a calorie deficit. Exercise is for fitness and physical health.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Cranquistador

That's a pretty solid wall of text.

And spot reduction isn't possible.

^


doh...zombie thread.

dakotababy

A wise man once said that fat is burned from the body in the same manner that water is drained from a pool. It might look like more water has been drained in the shallow end but really it's all being lost evenly. With that being said, I've noticed that a lot of people don't bother doing ab exercises since spot reduction is considered impossible. They'd rather keep the belly and do some cardio, fair enough. But you don't hear anyone saying goodbye to the bench press since they can't lose their manboobs. So my question is, why do people neglect their abs all because of this theory? If you want nice biceps, you work out your biceps. If you want nice shoulders, you work on your shoulders. So if you want a nice set of abs, why not work on them too? I know people say spot reduction is impossible but it seems like this has totally demotivated people. I have been working on my abs for just over a month, and I have a BMI of 29 (was 34). I could never feel any abs beneath my belly but now my upper abdominals are slowly emerging. A lot of people say that if you work on your abs and are already fat then you will just look fatter since your abs are getting bigger and your fat is still on top of it. But from personal experience I must say that's just not the case. It almost seems as if my new hard-earned muscle is feeding off the fat around it lol (I don't know the science behind that). My gym buddy has lost 5 stones recently as well. All he did was cardio, but he's still at 14 stones and looks very weak. There was still a lot of fat sagging from his arms but for the last month I've been getting him to work his biceps vigorously and you'd be delighted to know that he now has much firmer biceps and tighter skin. All in all, spot reduction may be scientifically impossible but that's no excuse to neglect certain body parts. The results speak for themselves. Do correct me if I'm wrong guys, I'd love a professional opinion!

1. BMI is meaningless, I'm planning to get down to 8% body fat, and I'll still have a BMI around 30.
2. Spot reduction is not possible. The body loses fat based on genetics. Muscles show through when the body fat level in a specific area gets low.
3. Most people don't work their abs because their trainers typically tell them that doing ab exercises will make your ab muscles larger, which can make your entire belly look larger.

I just work out my arm and leg muscles, so in turn my belly looks smaller!