You CAN Spot Reduce

skinnyfithealthyme

muscle weighs more than fat, so rather than try to spot reduce, you might just want to tone instead. This weigh, you'll tone up and not add all that heavy muscle and lose weight.

...:huh:

Say that again?

He's being a smartass. :laugh:

Darn it, we need a font for that

gogophers

Not to be controversial BUT, I think the poster has a point. Certain exercises can make certain areas smaller or larger, and certain conditions you exercise on makes a difference. I noticed this while watching the Olympics and noticed that the sport a person played determined body shape even more than race. I noticed that the female swimmers, while having serious muscle mass also had a fat layer for insulation. The ladies had large backs and slim waists. The gymnasts had wide waists and large thigh and shoulder muscles, but very low body fat. The type of exercise and the conditions you do the exercise on make a big difference in what areas get small or big. So, in essence, you can spot reduce, just maybe in a different way that people normally think of spot reduction.

This is very similar to what I am saying. If you do the correct exercises for your body, you can reduce areas.
Thank you for posting this even if it was controversial.
A lot of people hear things, read thing and believe things for a long time, and then when someone opposes if even a little, they jump on immediately saying it is wrong.
I am just trying to give people hope that they can improve themselves when a certain "spot" is really bothering them. Because it has worked for me.

And we're back again to the term "reduce". Even the people that agree with you are saying that "reduce" is not the correct term. The reason swimmer's backs are big is because they have built those muscles up, not because they have reduced fat in any specific area on their body.

Another reason these individuals have these body shapes is about self selection. With regard to the top quote, gymnasts are not that way because of the exercises they do. Gymnasts have that body structure because if they don't, they can't be a gymnast. To a certain extent, exercises can change body structure, but in general, if someone doesn't have a very particular body type, they can't be a gymnast and that's why all gymnasts look very similar.

wareagle8706

Of course you need to eat clean and burn fat with cardio, but you can build muscle in certain "spots" to improve the amount of muscle vs. fat in those spots.

I just hear so many people so frustrated with certain spots on their bodies and people are not giving them helpful info regarding how they can improve those spots.

The excerpt "but you can build muscle in certain spots" is the exact opposite of "spot REDUCE" and not at all what people are talking about when they use the term spot REDUCE. REDUCE fat and BUILD muscle are two different things in case you didn't know that.... what an idiot. sorry, I am not typically mean on these threads but you're just stupid.

Yeah, that was pretty mean. Can you give me your exact definition of spot reduction?

you've already been given the definition of spot reducing multiple times. it's reducing the percentage of fat in a certain area. it's impossible.

thank you.

elle18287

Wow.... people hate me today... but I love this. Thanks!

I don't know where you keep getting the idea that people hate you lol relax...whether or not you understand this basic concept doesn't seem to be affecting your progress so keep doing what you're doing

I am getting the idea because people on forums feel a need to be sarcastic and down right mean (aka calling me arrogant and stupid).

jaymek92

Not to be controversial BUT, I think the poster has a point. Certain exercises can make certain areas smaller or larger, and certain conditions you exercise on makes a difference. I noticed this while watching the Olympics and noticed that the sport a person played determined body shape even more than race. I noticed that the female swimmers, while having serious muscle mass also had a fat layer for insulation. The ladies had large backs and slim waists. The gymnasts had wide waists and large thigh and shoulder muscles, but very low body fat. The type of exercise and the conditions you do the exercise on make a big difference in what areas get small or big. So, in essence, you can spot reduce, just maybe in a different way that people normally think of spot reduction.

Yeah, the sport they play has an influence on their body shape. Sprinters have larger legs. Why? Because they have large leg muscles because in order to be fast over short distances, you need large/strong leg muscles. Gymnasts have large shoulders. Why? Because they spend a lot of time on their hands, which builds up shoulder strength. The exercises you do determine what areas get big, not the areas that get small.
Swimmers do not have "slim waists" because they do a lot of ab work, which is the definition of spot reducing. Swimmers might appear to have a slimmer waist because their shoulders and backs are so large. This is NOT spot reducing. This is just an optical illusion. A woman with measurements of 40-25-40 appears to have a smaller waist than a woman with measurements of 32-25-32. Really, they have the same sized waist.

crzyone

elle, I understand what you are saying, because I, too, feel that I want to argue the "I can't spot reduce." To ME, spot reducing just means getting smaller in an area. I don't care if it's getting rid of fat or bringing out muscle, it just means making that spot smaller. People will post in the same thread, you can't spot reduce but to firm those muscles do such and such exercise. Well, if I do the exercise and that spot gets smaller then I've spot reduced. It may mean fat got less or muscle got tighter or any other number of ways you want to say it, but if that exercise effected that spot, it has been spot reduced!!!!

However, that doesn't seem to be what is really mean by spot reducing to the other people here. Spot reducing to them is getting rid of fat (if I understand what they are saying) and fat can't be controlled in any spot.

I think we just see spot reducing differently than others see it.

I understand what you mean...........but, it's no use arguing about it........nobody will win....

skinnyfithealthyme

Wow.... people hate me today... but I love this. Thanks!

I don't know where you keep getting the idea that people hate you lol relax...whether or not you understand this basic concept doesn't seem to be affecting your progress so keep doing what you're doing

I am getting the idea because people on forums feel a need to be sarcastic and down right mean (aka calling me arrogant and stupid).

Like one person called you stupid...maybe two? Probably because we're on the 8th page of this nonsense?

bigd65

Could any of you tell me why you think you cannot spot reduce? I have even had a trainer tell me "you can't spot reduce" is a myth.

I would get a new trainer, you are getting smoke blown up your *kitten*, but you can spot reduce that later I guess

Sidesteal

Unfortunately I have to go get my second work out in and do not have more time to sit on MFP!
Everyone have fun calling me arrogant and stupid

Also, thank you for the kind words from several who posted and also for the messages from posters who were too afraid to post on the forum.... lol.

I have a genuine request, and I'm not saying this to insult you or attack you.

You should read the actual links provided in this thread. They have research that basically shows you that spot reduction does not exist to any meaningful degree whatsoever.

You should then either consider finding a new trainer, or at the very least, continue using your trainer for progress in your fitness goals but abstain from using your trainer as a source of information. It's downright scary that a trainer would fill your head with the notion of spot-reduction as this isn't even close to being a debatable dietary myth.

There ARE things that are sort of debatable like IF, nutrient timing, leucine dosing, etc -- but something like this is so trivially wrong that it's a massive red flag that your trainer would say something like this.

WestCoastPhoenix

you've already been given the definition of spot reducing multiple times. it's reducing the percentage of fat in a certain area. it's impossible.

Close, but not quite. It's not reducing the percentage of fat, it's the raw amount of fat. If I somehow build 10 pounds of new muscle without losing a single ounce of fat, my body fat percentage has still gone down

If you gained 10lbs to get that muscle, you barely changed your BF%. If you remained the same weight...then obviously you'd have lost 10lbs of fat...

chivalryder

Unfortunately I have to go get my second work out in and do not have more time to sit on MFP!
Everyone have fun calling me arrogant and stupid

Also, thank you for the kind words from several who posted and also for the messages from posters who were too afraid to post on the forum.... lol.

I wouldn't call it arrogance. I would call it ignorance.

However, I would like to ask you: In the time that you have supposedly "Spot reduced," have you measured other areas you haven't been focusing on? Have they shrunk too? If so, then why? You weren't "spot reducing" them, yet they shrunk as well. If your "sport reducing" worked as you said, they should not have shrunk at all.

Sure, the areas you were focusing on have gotten smaller too, but if you have lost inches all over your body, you haven't spot reduced anything. You have simply lost all over, just you are getting better results in areas you were having difficulties with earlier.

dare2love81

Love this!

WestCoastPhoenix

Many trainers spew about as much nonsense as Dr. Oz...

JNick77

You should then either consider finding a new trainer, or at the very least, continue using your trainer for progress in your fitness goals but abstain from using your trainer as a source of information. It's downright scary that a trainer would fill your head with the notion of spot-reduction as this isn't even close to being a debatable dietary myth.

There ARE things that are sort of debatable like IF, nutrient timing, leucine dosing, etc -- but something like this is so trivially wrong that it's a massive red flag that your trainer would say something like this.

amymarie8709

Could any of you tell me why you think you cannot spot reduce? I have even had a trainer tell me "you can't spot reduce" is a myth.

Your trainer is wrong then. If they're telling you that, then they aren't well versed in the human physiology.

While in theory you CAN spot reduce (lose fat in an area with exercise), the article I read on it would requires continuous exercise on that particular area for at least 6 hours non stop. That also takes into consideration that there was no ingestion of food.

And if you train one body part and not another and that trained body part looks better, the reason why is because you're retaining muscle on the body part you're training and probably because the body part you're not training is losing lean muscle. You lose fat and lean muscle if that body part isn't trained while on calorie deficit.

Bodyfat is lost systematically. You lose 1%, you lose it from all over.

This is NOT disputed amongst Journals of Medicine. Anecdotal evidence and experience isn't evidence.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

thank you for posting!!!

JoolieW68

Dang it, I step away from my computer for a walk and I miss all the fun. That's it, no more walking

dlwyatt82

you've already been given the definition of spot reducing multiple times. it's reducing the percentage of fat in a certain area. it's impossible.

Close, but not quite. It's not reducing the percentage of fat, it's the raw amount of fat. If I somehow build 10 pounds of new muscle without losing a single ounce of fat, my body fat percentage has still gone down

If you gained 10lbs to get that muscle, you barely changed your BF%. If you remained the same weight...then obviously you'd have lost 10lbs of fat...

I stated that the fat remained the same. This is pretty basic math: "percentage" means you're comparing the amount of fat to everything else. If everything else increases and the fat stays the same, then the percentage of fat has gone down.

If it's a "barely changed" thing that bothers you, then let's crank the number up to 50. Somehow, I've taken a giant steroid cocktail and put on 50 pounds of brand spankin' new muscle, but haven't lost any fat. Let's say I weighed 200lbs at the start and went up to 250, and that I have 40 pounds of fat on my body (both before and after).

Body fat percentage before = 40 / 200, or 20%
Body fat percentage after = 40 / 250, or 16%

kiminikimkim

It is true! You CAN SPOT REDUCE! I believe it is called Liposuction.


Spot reduce? It is like saying you can turn an "Apple shape" body into a "Pear shape" body.

Becky3701

Of course you need to eat clean and burn fat with cardio, but you can build muscle in certain "spots" to improve the amount of muscle vs. fat in those spots.

I just hear so many people so frustrated with certain spots on their bodies and people are not giving them helpful info regarding how they can improve those spots.

The excerpt "but you can build muscle in certain spots" is the exact opposite of "spot REDUCE" and not at all what people are talking about when they use the term spot REDUCE. REDUCE fat and BUILD muscle are two different things in case you didn't know that.... what an idiot. sorry, I am not typically mean on these threads but you're just stupid.

^^^^^
WOW that is mean..she is going by what a trainer told her. Whether she she agrees (for WHATEVER reason) with him or was
misinformed she doesn't deserve to be called names.

amj3303

THIS IS HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!