You CAN Spot Reduce

BrentJulius

You can definitely target specific areas for muscle growth, but not fat reduction.. which is great because when you do lose layers of fat, you will have all the more definition and you are burning fat and calories when you're doing pushups etc ect in your "Intensity" program. So you're really doing both, but body fat is tricky because just because you're doing situps, does not mean you are using energy from the fat storage in your abs.. you are strengthening your abs for sure, but that energy is coming from glycogen or fat from anywhere really.. Lower abs for men and hips/thighs for women I would say is ussually that last stubborn body fat to burn and when it gets down to that your body doesn't want to let it go, lol, and that's when it really matters more what you're doing in the kitchen than the gym..

thelovelyLIZ

That's not spot reducing, that's building muscle. You CAN target which muscle you want to work. You CANNOT spot reduce fat. Maybe you'll look a little firmer and leaner with some extra muscle underneath, which is why strength training is important. But if I just do crunches, it doesn't mean I'm going to lose fat from that area. In all likelihood, I won't lose any fat, since strength training doesn't tend to be a huge fat burner in the first place.

morgansmom02

You can tone areas up by building muscle in said areas. When people say "you can't spot reduce" they mean that doing crunches over and over WILL NOT burn the fat off your stomach (I mean unless you incorporate into a cardio routine- now we're talking) It will only build up muscle so that it may look like you are slimmer but to lose that fat you have to do cardio and eat clean.

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.

What you said here is EXACTLY what people are telling you: You are NOT reducing fat in these areas, you are simple changing the RATIO of fat:muscle. More muscle = less fat per unit volume of muscle. You are NOT reducing fat in that specific area, you are simply adding more muscle!

Right, and losing inches in spots I never could before I started very specific exercises.

So you agree that you are NOT spot reducing.

Trechechus

Rogiefreida

I thought only balding men could spot reduce?

Best response, except for maybe the response about the unicorn cream. :bigsmile:

ToughTulip

You can tone areas up by building muscle in said areas. When people say "you can't spot reduce" they mean that doing crunches over and over WILL NOT burn the fat off your stomach (I mean unless you incorporate into a cardio routine- now we're talking) It will only build up muscle so that it may look like you are slimmer but to lose that fat you have to do cardio and eat clean.

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.

What you said here is EXACTLY what people are telling you: You are NOT reducing fat in these areas, you are simple changing the RATIO of fat:muscle. More muscle = less fat per unit volume of muscle. You are NOT reducing fat in that specific area, you are simply adding more muscle!

Right, and losing inches in spots I never could before I started very specific exercises.

And what exactly are these exercises?

ToughTulip

Your answers are here:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/are-blood-flow-and-lipolysis-in-subcutaneous-adipose-tissue-influenced-by-contractions-in-adjacent-muscle-in-humans-research-review.html

Cliffs, although you should really read it as it's research based and Lyle is one of the best in the business. I'll put this in quotes too for clarity.

First let’s assume that you’re carying a whopping 5 kg (11.1 pounds) of fat in a specific area.

If local exercise can mobilize 0.6-2.1 milligrams of fat per 100 grams of fat mass, that works out to:

0.6-2.1 mg/100 grams * 1000 grams/kg * 5 kg = 30-105 milligrams of fat.

Or 0.03-0.1 gram of extra fat mobilized in 30 minutes of activity.

Now, a single pound of fat (0.454 kg) contains about 400 grams of fat so our hypothetical 11.1 pounds of fat contains 4,440 grams of fat. And 30 minutes of local activity mobilized at most 0.1 gram of fat. Whoo hoo. You’ll be ripped in about 1000 years.

OP: You cannot spot reduce to any significant degree. The best you can do is pretty much described in the article I linked and it pretty much says that you can create a slight increase in blood flow which can mobilize fatty acids but the amount of actual fatty acid oxidation from that specific area is negligible at best, as can be seen by the data.

QFT and importance.

swedishwillow

YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE FAT - you can build the fibers in the areas you exercise but fat absolutely cannot be spot reduced

isis2triple0

I am a pear, so I really give it to my lower body with weighted everything a variety of lunges, dips, squats, step-ups, dead lifts I climb steep hills, stair running you name!! Am I spot reducing my legs? NO< NO< and NO!!! What I have done is gained muscle and strength and lost inches in legs and glutes, however I still have fat covering that beautiful muscle! Because of that fat this is not spot reducing!!! Just because you loose inches does not mean your spot reducing, cardio is what burns off that fat and YOUR BODY DECIDES WHAT AREA IT WANTS TO REDUCE THE FAT FROM FIRST!!

This is why people can do 1000 crunches and still have a fat stomach. Sorry hon you have been miss informed.

MonkRocker

You're talking about two different things.

No one is going to argue that working a particular body part isn't going to change the way that body part looks. That's the whole point of different exercises. So I don't doubt that doing specific work on a specific part made it "look better." If I do nothing but arm work - of course my arms will change, while my legs don't do anything.

That's not what's meant by "spot reduction". Spot Reduction is the myth that you can burn fat from a specific area of your body. And like many other people have already pointed out - it doesn't work that way. Let me put it this way - if you take Aleve for a headache - do you seriously believe that your body has some sort of internal "intelligence" that tells it exactly where to send the medication? I can assure you it does not. Same principle applies here. Your body only understands "lose fat." it doesn't understand "lose fat from X location." You may carry it more in certain areas, and you may lose it from certain areas first, but your body decides that - not you.

So what you're seeing is the result of the former and not the latter. Obviously if a muscle (even if it's underneath fat) gets bigger the area will look different. it doesn't mean that you specifically lost fat from that region.

Imagine the fat is peanut butter and your muscle is a balloon. Assuming I could spread a nice even layer of PB over the balloon - if I blow the balloon up, that layer will *appear* to get thinner. But I haven't taken an PB away, so I haven't "lost" any.

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.

elle18287

You can tone areas up by building muscle in said areas. When people say "you can't spot reduce" they mean that doing crunches over and over WILL NOT burn the fat off your stomach (I mean unless you incorporate into a cardio routine- now we're talking) It will only build up muscle so that it may look like you are slimmer but to lose that fat you have to do cardio and eat clean.

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.

What you said here is EXACTLY what people are telling you: You are NOT reducing fat in these areas, you are simple changing the RATIO of fat:muscle. More muscle = less fat per unit volume of muscle. You are NOT reducing fat in that specific area, you are simply adding more muscle!

Right, and losing inches in spots I never could before I started very specific exercises.

So you agree that you are NOT spot reducing.

I am getting smaller (losing inches) in particular spots on my body because I started doing particular exercises that target those areas of my body. Isn't think what all these people want when they ask if they can get rid of their fat arms and tone their tummies, and then told that they cannot spot reduce?

roachhaley

no, you really can't

H_Factor

you cannot target a specific area to burn fat. you can target a specific area to strengthen muscle. strengthening muscle in one area does not mean you will burn fat in that area....other than the proportionate amount you burn in relation to your entire body.

if you don't believe me, over the next month, do 1,000,000 ab exercises* and see if you end the month with defined abs.

* with respect to ab exercises, I'd personally recommend something other than crunches and sit-ups because they put undo strain on your lower back. there are more effective ab exercises that do not put strain on your lower back. even though these two statements are verified by research, many trainers still recommend sit-ups and crunches. short story is....not all trainers know everything and some really don't know all that much.

elle18287

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?

whiteheaddg

high energy ultrasound can destroy tissue in a localized manner, liquify it and then let your body absorb it. This is of course HIGHLY TOXIC, DANGEROUS AND STUPID.

[now taping my earbuds to my love handles and cranking some early Metallica] Come on, baby, let's feel some liquifying!!!

mynameiscarrie

OMG i just peed.

dlwyatt82

So you agree that you are NOT spot reducing.

I am getting smaller (losing inches) in particular spots on my body because I started doing particular exercises that target those areas of my body. Isn't think what all these people want when they ask if they can get rid of their fat arms and tone their tummies, and then told that they cannot spot reduce?

Don't try to redefine the term, you'll just cause a big argument (too late). "Spot Reduction", in this context, means somehow causing your body to burn the fat in a specific area of your body. "I want to keep my boobs, but slim down in my thighs"... sorry, that's a genetic lottery decision. Your body will use up its fat stores in whatever order it does, regardless of what you try to do to change it.

mynameiscarrie

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.

Sidesteal

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

reducing bodyfat in a specific, targeted location.