You CAN Spot Reduce

Well I found my workout for the day. I'm going to go through this entire thread and do a squat for every time I see the word "spot".

Here's some more for ya...
Spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot spot...ha

443 "spots" in the first 10 pages. I really didn't think this one through. I better get to it.

Tell you what love, I'll join you . 443 bodyweight squats today!

YAY! :drinker: I just finished them up. I think I'm going to start doing this more often when these sort of threads pop up. Next time: Lunges!

Congrats! Leaving work now so I'll tackle them at home :bigsmile:

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.

We are saying the exact same thing. Their are exercises you can do to make a body part smaller or larger. Some tummy exercises will strengthen your core and pull your stomach in. Spot reduction. You have reduced inches in that area. Their are leg exercises like squats that make the muscle bigger, and others, like yoga, that make the muscle lean. Don't argue with me. It's obvious. If you want to talk about lipid loss in a specific area, I wasn't talking about that. Thank you.

No, we are not saying the same thing. You cannot do exercises that will reduce a body part, which is the definition of spot reducing!
I did ballet and yoga for around 13 years. These are supposed to make you long and lean, right? Then why was I short and fat? When I started reducing my calories, training for a half marathon, and lifting weights four times a week, that's when I started to lose weight ALL OVER. When I was heavier, I did a lot of ab workouts. I didn't have flat abs. I do a lot of squats and deadlifts and such when I'm lifting, plus I run a lot and do yoga a few times a week. I don't have slim legs.
Also, "Some tummy exercises will strengthen your core and pull your stomach in. Spot reduction."? I just sucked in my belly. My belly has been pulled in. That is not spot reduction.
"Spot reduction refers to the belief, long viewed as a myth, that fat can be targeted for reduction from a specific area of the body."- Wikipedia
What is it that you think spot reducing is? Because whatever it is, you're not right. Spot reducing is fat loss in a specific area.

2 different people above you told you WHY you can't.

All you are doing is toning up the muscles. To get rid of the actual fat, to reduce the fat you have to have cardio and clean eat. Crunches and weights build muscle..

You "have" to eat clean to reduce fat? :huh:

But...........you can change the appearance of a specific area through strength training?

Essentially, you can build muscle. The muscle will give the "spot" a better appearance once fat is lost. Muscle gain without fat loss doesn't though... it can just make the spot look wider.

^^^^And that is what most of us are looking to achieve when we say 'spot reduce'. It's the terminology is misused and misunderstood. Fat/ weigh loss we can't 'spot reduce' it comes off the body as we lose weight (predetermined genetically??). But once you start strength training you can 'reshape' some areas in other words you're building up muscles fibers to change the appearance.

When you start "building up" muscles, isn't the the opposite from "reducing"?

rub Unicorn poop on the target areas.

I'm waiting for the OP to get back from her school so we can continue this entertaining thread!

YOU CAN'T SPOT REDUCE

I knew I would get a lot of crap for this, but I don't see any of you who are opposing me giving any examples of why you think the way you think . I gave examples and I have discussed this with a trainer. No need to be hateful.

Oh yes, trainers know everything. If you've paid this trainer, you might want to ask for your money back.

Laughed way louder than I should have!

I gotta see how this ends up... ugh!

in a nutshell YOU CAN'T SPOT REDUCE. but you can improve the appearance of a certain area with strength training.

But...........you can change the appearance of a specific area through strength training?

Essentially, you can build muscle. The muscle will give the "spot" a better appearance once fat is lost. Muscle gain without fat loss doesn't though... it can just make the spot look wider.

^^^^And that is what most of us are looking to achieve when we say 'spot reduce'. It's the terminology is misused and misunderstood. Fat/ weigh loss we can't 'spot reduce' it comes off the body as we lose weight (predetermined genetically??). But once you start strength training you can 'reshape' some areas in other words you're building up muscles fibers to change the appearance.

When you start "building up" muscles, isn't the the opposite from "reducing"?

Not necessarily, unless you are "bulking up" to be in a body building competition. For women, it can still mean a reduction in the number on the tape measure.

I get what she is saying.

Sure, you cannot focus on WHERE you lose fat from. But, if you are consistantly losing fat and toning the muscles in a particular area while losing fat, as the fat goes, THAT area is smaller, because you ARE increasing muscle, If you have a lower BF%, which you get with more muscle, less fat, then even though you are just toning that area, it improves faster than others may.

It can be explained without being rude though. Not every one knows everything, so, when you get the chance to educate someone, why not do THAT instead of making that person feel like a fool for even suggesting the idea?

they tried, it didn't take and she wasn't all peaches and rainbows about being incorrect

I only saw a few people trying. Most people didn't even realize what she was saying. She was talking about a reduction in the measurement of a particular area. Everyone knows you can't pick which area to lose their fat. She wasn't talking about fat, she was talking about toning muscles. Some will say that's a "gain," and to be sure, that's correct, but it is also correct that a reduction in the number on the tape measure is still a reduction.

I read every page I know how it went down. She refused to listen and understand what the definition really meant, she wanted to continue to use the word that already had another definition instead of saying oh I was wrong and this is what I really meant. Hence people got pissy downward spiral from there.

I don't believe that any of "those people" actually read and absorbed what she actually meant. Instead they made assumptions and responded with snarky comments.

OP's first response was a sarcastic comment.

Also, OP is attempting (or at least was in the beginning) to refute a specific concept. You can just tell by the title of this thread where she is stressing "CAN".

But...........you can change the appearance of a specific area through strength training?

Essentially, you can build muscle. The muscle will give the "spot" a better appearance once fat is lost. Muscle gain without fat loss doesn't though... it can just make the spot look wider.

^^^^And that is what most of us are looking to achieve when we say 'spot reduce'. It's the terminology is misused and misunderstood. Fat/ weigh loss we can't 'spot reduce' it comes off the body as we lose weight (predetermined genetically??). But once you start strength training you can 'reshape' some areas in other words you're building up muscles fibers to change the appearance.

When you start "building up" muscles, isn't the the opposite from "reducing"?

YES! The term isn't exactly a variable to suit everyone's argument.

My exercise physiology textbook uses the following example to debunk the myth of spot reduction:
They studied professional tennis players and the differences between their dominant and non-dominant arms, by using high-tech body fat analysis methods. The circumference of the dominant arms were bigger, due to increased muscle mass from use. They tested the FAT on the two arms and found them to be equal. If spot reduction were possible, the tennis players would have lower body fat on the dominant arm, there was no evidence to support this.

I'm writing from memory, I don't have the specific passage handy, but I can post it later when I get home if anyone wants to see specifics, or thinks I am exaggerating the results. This is from a textbook- purely educational- there's no fitness program, diet program or anything else the authors are trying to sell.