REDUCING the size of a specific body part has always been a desired outcome of an exercise and fitness program. We all have a certain body part that we want to work on.
We often hear folks lament a spot they are specifically trying to trim. Be it their legs, arms or tummy–while hoping the rest of the body will stay the same.
For this purpose they will perform an exercise targeting a body part for fat loss; crunches or sit ups to trim the tummy, leg squats for smaller legs, arm exercises such as bicep curls and tricep extensions to get smaller arms and what have you. Unfortunately, this thing we call spot reduction is one of the peskier fitness myths that has refused to stay dead and buried despite scientific findings and studies which belie the notion that we can spot reduce through exercise.
Truth is, we cannot exercise or diet our way to shed fat in a particular body part alone. If we lose fat in one area, we do the same for all other body parts. Fat loss is a wholesale deal.
This is fully supported by science. In a 2007 study led by the University of Connecticut, which was published by the Yale Scientific Magazine, over a hundred participants completed a supervised weight-training program for three months in which their non-dominant arm was selectively exercised. Subsequent analysis of subcutaneous fat before and after the program revealed that fat loss tended to be generalized, rather than only occurring in the trained arm.
However, spot training a specific body part with weights to build muscle is a different story altogether. We can train for bigger arms, a bigger chest or shoulders, etc, since this involves growing muscle. Fat and muscle are separate entities independent of the other.
Shedding fat on the other hand, will involve the entire body. Once you start shedding fat–which is a good thing–you lose it in equal parts all throughout your body. Spot reduction is possible through invasive surgery methods such as liposuction which involves slicing the skin open to manually scrape out and remove subcutaneous fat.
Unless done through cosmetic surgery, we can’t compartmentalize fat loss–but we can focus on building muscle on a specific body part. That is the nature of the human body’s physiology. No infomercial should be able to convince us otherwise.
Take note that high repetition exercises for a specific body part, can be effective in burning fat but this will be for the entire body and not just the exercised part.
Likewise, do not succumb to the temptation of buying that lotion or cream which magically promises to give you trimmer, firmer arms or a tighter waist upon repeated application.
Spot reduction is the “Terminator” of fitness myths. It just keeps coming back, insisting itself, refusing to die. Let’s bury this mistaken notion, give it the last rites and walk away. Once we are able to separate fact from fiction, then we can move forward in reaching our fitness goals.
Image credits: Under Armour IG