You may have read that title and thought to yourself, “What the heck is spot reduction?”! It sounds like something very complicated, but the truth is, it’s a common question within the fitness industry.
Spot reduction means reducing body fat at a specific body part by using exercises that train that specific body part. If that sounds like a mouthful, here’s an easier way to put it. When someone asks, “What exercises can I do to get rid of my love handles?”, they’re asking about spot reduction.
Like I mentioned, this is a common question. And there are products popping up everywhere that claim this to be true. Turn on any infomercial, and you’re bound to see advertisements for products to help you spot reduce. Shake weight anyone? 🙂
But the reality is, you cannot perform an exercise for a part of your body and magically expect the fat in that part of your body to reduce in size. It doesn’t work.
And that’s not just my opinion either. There’s research to back this claim up.
In 2013, a group of researchers tested this theory out. They had seven men and four women train their non-dominant leg 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Each session the participants completed 960-1200 repetitions on the leg press.
If spot reduction was possible, this would have been a great study to prove it. Performing that many reps on one leg would have been more than enough to elicit some reductions in body fat. But the results proved otherwise.
Before and after the study, the researchers measured body mass, bone mass, bone mineral density, lean mass, fat mass, and fat percentage of each subject.
The results showed that bone mass, lean mass, fat mass and fat percentage did not significantly change in either the control or trained leg. A decrease in fat mass was seen in the upper body and trunk. And overall body fat was reduced by 5.1%.
So, what do all these things mean in regards to spot reduction?
1. You cannot reduce fat at a specific body part by exercising that body part.
2. Everyone loses fat differently.
The second point is the one I want to elaborate on.
No one’s body is the exact same. And because of that results can differ from person to person. Two people could take up the exact same exercise program and see completely different results.
One may lose more body fat in their legs and thighs, while second could see better results in their waist and arms. It all depends. But, the key to remember here is that all of this hinges on the total amount of calories a person consumes.
I’ve talked many times on this site about how calories play into fat loss. Study after study has shown us that if a person consumes less calories than they expend on a daily basis they will lose weight and body fat.
That’s the key takeaway from this post.
A well designed strength training program along with a changes in your nutrition habits (i.e. a lower calorie intake) will set the stage for great results. Don’t fall prey to the claim that all you have to do is workout a muscle and the fat around that muscle will decrease. Our body’s have not and will not work that way.
Be patient and be consistent. You’ll see the results you want in due time.
References:
1. Ramirez-Campillo, R. et al. Regional fat changes induced by localized muscle endurance resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Aug. 27(8):2219-24.
Photo credit:
1. www.quora.com
