You CAN Spot Reduce

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Replies

  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    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.

    Ever seen a fat person with a 6 pack? My point exactly.

    Oh and your trainer is an idiot.

  • In the same vein of the OP's logic: If repeat use of a single limb really produced spot reduction, then there would be no typists with fat hands.

    PRICELESS....AS I TYPE WITH THE SAME FATTY FINGERS I HAVE HAD FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, OF WHICH, EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF DAILY TYPING HAS OCCURRED FOR MOST OF THAT 20 YEARS!
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    Potato,potato. I get what she is saying, maybe not spot reduce but, spot improve. All of you get so hung up on semantics! Quit harassing people on the forums and go work out.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Potato,potato. I get what she is saying, maybe not spot reduce but, spot improve. All of you get so hung up on semantics! Quit harassing people on the forums and go work out.

    ^^^^ yes this! Thank you, you're my hero!
  • Steph70508
    Steph70508 Posts: 110
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    Laughed way louder than I should have!

    Well there ya go! Love it :)
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
    vLYLQ.gif

    ^ LMAO. THIS!
  • Pakitalian
    Pakitalian Posts: 218 Member
    *Puts on seatbelt*

    And a helmet.
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
    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%

    cool-story-bro-house-Cool-Story-Bro.jpg
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    Potato,potato. I get what she is saying, maybe not spot reduce but, spot improve. All of you get so hung up on semantics! Quit harassing people on the forums and go work out.

    ^^^^ yes this! Thank you, you're my hero!
    No problem Lizzie! I just get so fed up with some of these folks acting like they are scared for life when someone's opinion or wording differs from theirs. Let's be friends!
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    How I feel after reading this thread:

    Exploding_Head_Explodes-1.gif
  • Ms_Chai
    Ms_Chai Posts: 86 Member
    Oh my goodness...what a mess. I have to say that I understand what the OP was saying. I think she was merely making a statement that there are exercises out there that are more beneficial to certain parts of the bodies over other parts of the bodies. If you have a trouble area, which many of us do, there are exercises that may be better for focusing on that region. I have seen many people ask for advice on which workouts will help them with their trouble areas and instead of offering actual exercises people will just say "You can't spot reduce." Well, yes, you can't choose where your body burns fat from....but if you merely want exercises that work the muscles in a specific spot...then they exist! I have noticed a trend in people on here who are very well informed in the health and fitness area treating other people who may not be like crap just because they don't use the correct words or don't know everything already. There is no point in making someone feel stupid...it is not beneficial to anyone.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    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'm guessing your trainer hasn't taken any college level physiology classes.
  • 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.


    ^^^BEST EXPLANATION FOR A DENSE PERSON YET! I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED READING THE THREAD, BUT I AM SURE THE OP STILL DOESN'T GET IT!
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I do not think the trainer was trying to sell me something. Came free with my gym membership. I suppose many trainers have different opinions though. I must say, I saw big changes in my trouble "spots" after doing what he recommended.

    But wouldn't that be because you were losing fat overall, not just in the trouble spots? Doing a million sit ups might burn calories that'll help you lose tummy fat, but it'll give you leaner arms, legs, and everything else as well.
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
    Although I tend to agree with the majority here, I don't like to deal in absolute phrases. Spot reduction MAY be possible provided certain circumstances:

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/spot_reduction_is_real_heres_how_to_do_it

    For the vast majority, it's better to focus on lowering overall body fat %.
  • MrsBully4
    MrsBully4 Posts: 304 Member
    What if you want to spot-increase your fat?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
    You can't spot reduce.

    Oh, ok. My body must be magic then.

    no, your'e probably just inclined geneticlly to lose from these places. You can't spot reduce.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Sure you can spot reduce.

    If the knife is sharp enough.
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
    I may get a lot of crap for this, but I am so tired of people saying you cannot spot reduce.
    When someone asks, how can I lose inches off my stomach or asks for good arm exercises, please do not response "you cannot spot reduce".
    Weight training and programs like the 30 Day Shred really do help you "spot reduce", You can lose inches in particular spots by doing particular exercises. Otherwise, why to we kill ourselves with push ups and crunches? It is because they work.
    I have done 30 Day Shred several times and a lot of inches in places that were focuses on during the workouts.
    Another example, if I only weight train with my arms and not my legs, I will see a big difference in my arm "spots" lol, and not my legs.
    There is hope! You just have to work for it!

    You can spot reduce and you are right. However that is called liposuction. Or laser surgery lol. The human body doesn't really pick where you can lose fat from. Working every muscle in your body has benefits. You want to get the circulation on your body going through exercise, and strength training. Doesn't mean you can spot reduce every single area in your body. You cannot concentrate in one area an expect to lose FAT, and not water weight.

    Spot reduction by natural selection is not possible, only by artificial means.
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
    Sure you can spot reduce.

    If the knife is sharp enough.

    You can spot increase to if the knife is big enough. Just cut enough and you can stuff silicon in your muscles to get huge biceps. By the way don't try this at home!