Some fitness programs and gurus recommend exercises to reduce fat in specific areas such as the abdomen or thighs. Find out why this approach doesn’t work and what actually does.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
THE CLAIM: Targeted exercises can reduce fat in specific areas of the body.
We’ve all seen infomercials for those exercise devices that promise to give you thinner thighs or flatter abs. The idea behind it, known as spot reduction, is that working muscles in a particular area will burn fat there. Sounds good, but in fact the reasoning behind it is flabby.
It’s true that exercises like crunches can strengthen your abdominal muscles and increase definition if you’re lean, but they can’t get rid of fat covering those muscles.
The same goes for spot reducing other common trouble areas like the arms by lifting weights, or the thighs and hips by doing leg lifts, for example.
One reason is that such exercises, even if you do a lot of them, typically don’t burn that many calories. What’s more, we can’t control where in our bodies that we lose fat. That’s determined by genetics, as well as age and gender.
But it is possible to reduce total body fat through a combination of diet, aerobic exercise – the more vigorous the better – and strength training focused on major muscle groups such as the chest, back, shoulders, and legs.
Targeting specific areas too much can actually do harm by creating a muscle imbalance, meaning one set of muscles is stronger than the opposing set.
Overdoing it on ab exercises, for example, can cause problems in your back.
Whatever your trouble spot, focus on eating right and exercising your entire body rather than fixating on that particular area. Now, you may never look like one of those perfectly sculpted models in fitness ads or on magazine covers, but with this approach you’ll at least be healthier and feel better. And maybe even get those six pack abs or buns of steel.
For the truth about more fitness-related claims, check out my book, Fitter Faster. You’ll also learn how to slash your workout time and get even better results.
Helping you be a healthy skeptic, I’m Robert Davis.