The most common and everlasting question I receive as a personal fitness trainer continues to be based on the myth of spot reduction. The questions tend to be, “Eduardo, show me an exercise to lose my love handles, ““Eduardo, I just want to reduce the size of my thighs," “Eduardo, I know you said that it’s not scientifically possible, but can you just give me a couple of exercises to tone my arms?" Even though media has done a great job of debunking this myth it still persists. This is such a powerful notion that marketers have taken full advantage of it and invest a minimum of thirty-thousand dollars just to produce an infomercial on stomach and thigh saunas, abdominal machines, and leg toners. It’s a pretty large sum that provides four to ten times the return on their initial investment. I must have a sense of moral obligation when I am not joining that extreme money making bandwagon. As a matter of fact, in this brief article on the myth of losing fat from a specific area, I plan on joining the few in the fitness industry that want to inform the consumers on the truth.
I consistently answer this question with a NO. The misconception of burning fat from a specific area of the body has been proven by research that it is false. Of course, if I am going to tell you that science has proved it false, I made sure to do my homework and dig up three studies that illustrate how flawed spot reduction is as a runner up to an urban myth.
The first study I want to illustrate will answer the questions of “I just want to lose fat from my stomach, can I just do crunches?" In 1984, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport reported that thirteen males did a total of 5000 sit-ups in 27 days. Biopsies of the subject’s fat cells were used to measure the change in fat cell diameter. The results showed that the subjects lost fat equally from the stomach, glutes, and upper back even though they only worked their abs.
“Eduardo, just give me leg exercises since all I want to do is lose fat from my legs and hips?" In a six-month long study of women who mainly did leg exercises for approximately nine hours per week lost an average of 5.7 pounds of fat. The Journal of Applied Physiology, the periodical that published this study, reported that the distribution of fat loss was 2.9 pounds from the trunk, 2.8 pounds from the arms, and 0 from their thighs. Their weekly nine hours of leg work resulted in zero fat loss from their thighs!
“Ok, so you say…" This is what I begin to hear after I try to explain spot reduction is a myth. It continues as, “that spot reduction doesn’t work, but can you just give me some arm exercises to reduce the fat from my arms?" This last illustration is from a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 1971, where world-class tennis players were tested to see if spot reduction could help in reducing the fat from the arms. The idea behind this study was that if spot reduction worked, the players would have one arm that's leaner than the other. Obviously, tennis players use their dominant arms forcefully everyday while doing relatively little with their non-dominant arms. Though the researchers did find the dominant arm to be bigger due to more muscle tone, there was no difference at all between arms in fat thickness. This study showed that working a certain muscle does not necessarily affect the fat deposits that may be lying above that muscle.
What are your weight loss options? Your options are healthy eating and moderate to intense exercise. Going back to science, research has proven that exercise and healthy eating habits are the most important part of a weight loss and weight management program. Exercise helps to lose or control weight by using any extra calories that would have otherwise been stored a fat. For example, if you were to eat more calories than you actually use through physical activity, the extra calories would be stored as fat and you would gain weight. On the other hand, if you were to eat fewer calories than you actually use, your body would use stored calories resulting in weight loss. Of course, if your calories in are equal to the calories you use, your weight stays the same.
How many calories do I need to burn in order to lose one pound of fat? In order to lose approximately one pound of fat you would have to expend about 3,500 calories in a week. One way to do this is to eat fewer calories, and burn more through exercise. If you burn about 300 calories a day and eat 200 less calories per day, you will have a 500 calorie deficit. In one week that would be 3,500 calories. My recommendation is that you keep a food journal, like the one found in the www.tartesos-fitness.com 6 Week Exercise Journal in order to start recognizing your calorie intake.
How do I set up my exercise routine to lose fat? In order to lose fat, you would have to spend a minimum of one-hundred and fifty minutes exercising per week. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least thirty minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise at least five times per week. An example of a fitness program could be:
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday thirty minute power walk. Every Tuesday and Thursday you do a thirty minute full-body weight training program followed by a fifteen to twenty minute moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise such as power walking.
Remember, my mission as a personal trainer and fitness coach is to see you succeed. I hope that I have been able to debunk or at least make a dent in the spot reduction myth and put you on the road to an over all fat-free and healthy body in 2006. Please visit my site for more information on achieving your fitness goals at myonline-fitness-coach.com.
Eduardo G. Perez is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. He has over 16 years of experience in assisting individuals achieve their fitness and weight loss goals.
» left by Max from Australia (2 years 76 days ago.)
Does not say how to "Lose Fat From My Legs, Hips, or Just My Stomach" Respond to this comment
» left by Prisca from home in Phoenix, Az, USA (2 years 67 days ago.)
Hi!
I just found your page and have some questions:
1) Any answers for me as to having 'upper' spinal cord PAIN (from waist to head, and upper arm joints in pain - ) as to altering the exercises in amounts and time, please?
Please don't mention 'go to your doctor' as I have no choice in my 'medical care'. Basically for all practical purposes, I do not have any 'medical care' for this. I have this pc for help. Hopefully, you can answer me with some help from you.
» left by fatso from new york (1 year 283 days ago.)
can you show me how to lose wieght from my love handles Respond to this comment
» left by natasha from derry city (1 year 260 days ago.)
hey i was just wonderin if u could tel me how to lose wait in my bum, iwork 10 hrs a day sitting a a desk and i want to lose a few pounds...tasha Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (1 year 212 days ago.)
Haha I like how the questions completely go against what the article says. It helps to back it up well. Respond to this comment
» left by sophie from united kingdom (1 year 207 days ago.)
i would like 2 lose weight of my legs how do i do it Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (1 year 184 days ago.)
See i wont to doo the samething here bu its like no matter how hard i try i cant do in get wat i mean!!!!!!!!
» left by Ben Morrish(8,028) Ben Morrish (1 year 202 days ago.)
While you can't choose which part of your body to lose fat from, you CAN choose which part of your body you tone, as that relates to muscle not fat!
"can you just give me a couple of exercises to tone my arms?" ..Yes!
» left by Ashleen from sacromento (1 year 184 days ago.)
The thing is that im not like im REALLY fat but i just wont to be a little thinner. im always scared to show my legs cause there never skinny skinny see what i mean.
» left by Tyler from Bay City, MI (298 days 7 hours ago.)
You have got to be kidding me have any of you who posted read the article at all. You cannot just loose weight from one part of your body thats not how it works. You come off looking like a complete idiot if after reading that you still ask how can I loose weight just off my arms, legs, love handles or any other one part of your body.
People.. clearly this article says there is NO way to target weight loss in a specific area, continuing to ask makes you sound ignorant as hell. Maybe READ what you are commenting. This article helped me alot, thanks
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