Trainers, influencers, magazines, and the internet tell us to lose those ‘muffin tops,’ ‘spare tires,’ ‘granny arms,’ ‘saddlebags,’ and ‘love handles’ left, right and center.
We’re constantly bombarded with exercises that target our ‘troubled’ areas – they call it ‘spot reduction’ or ‘targeted fat loss.’
Spot reduction refers to the claim that if you target a specific area or set of muscles when you’re exercising, you can lose the fat in that area. For example, if you want to get rid of those jiggly thighs, you can start doing a lot of squats
The question is, is spot reduction worthy of all this hype? Yes, but it depends.
Spot reduction is a training technique, and it works best in a combo with other weight-loss tactics.
Is Spot Reduction Fact or Fiction?
Short answer? It’s a myth.
Scientists and fitness experts have ruled spot reduction out as fiction.
This myth seems to have originated from the idea that if you can target muscle growth in certain areas, you can target fat reduction in the same places. That’s just a case of the good ol’ false equivalency. Fat and muscles function differently. Unfortunately, you can lose overall fat with a diet-exercise combo only.
Studies on Spot Reduction
One of the first studies for spot reduction was conducted by the University of California in 1971 on tennis players. Both the arms of tennis players get different levels of exercise, so they made the perfect candidates for this study. Researchers measured the subcutaneous fat in both arms. If spot reduction were real, the ‘dominant’ arm would have had fewer layers of the fat tissue – but that simply wasn’t the case.
Another study was conducted in 2007 by the University of Connecticut. About a hundred people were trained only in their non-dominant hands for about 12 weeks. At the end of the three months, MRI assessments showed that while the fat loss did occur, it was not targeted but generalized.
In another study in 2011, scientists incorporated abdominal exercises into about twenty adults’ routines for six weeks. Body composition tests revealed no changes in the fat around the abdominal regions by the end of those six weeks.
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Why Doesn’t Spot Reduction Work? Not work
According to Yale, there are a few physiological reasons why spot reduction doesn’t work.
1. Fat Needs to Be Broken Down to Dissolve
Fat exists in fat cells called triglycerides, which can’t be absorbed by the bloodstream or broken down by the muscles. For fat to dissolve, the body needs to turn it into free fatty acids and glycerol – this can only happen with a combination of diet and exercise.
If you start doing sit-ups thinking they will reduce your belly weight, you’re going to be disappointed. Our bodies don’t work like that. Doing exercises of any sort, no matter how targeted it is, still uses up the muscles in different parts of the body.
You’re going to reduce overall weight when you practice spot reduction.
2. Spot Reduction Exercises Aren’t Good Calorie Burners
Usually, targeted fat reduction exercises include crunches, sit-ups, and squats. These are all great when added to your muscle-building workout routine, but they’re not going to burn a lot of calories. You’re more likely to shed your love- handles by doing cardio than by sitting up and down a couple of times every day.
3. The Genes Are Working Against You
You might never be able to lose weight in certain areas because of how your body stores fat – which is mostly genetics and out of your control. Generally, women tend to carry fat around their hips and chests, while men carry it around their bellies. Not much can be done about that.
The Right Way to Target Specific Areas
If you want to target weak areas, there are two kinds of exercises that work
Compound Movement Exercises
A compound movement exercise uses up multiple muscles to complete the movement, squats, lunges, and pushups. On the other hand, an isolated movement exercise uses up an isolated group of muscles – this includes bicep curls, leg lifts, tricep extensions, and hamstring curls.
It’s the compound movement exercises that burn more calories overall and fast-track the weight loss process. For example, if you pick a complex exercise like a squat, you’ll end up losing weight in the thighs, calves, hips, and glutes. On the other hand, a leg lift will only target the legs.
Create an Energy Deficit
According to some studies, fat loss depends on energy deficits only. You can’t lose fat in any area of the body without creating a calorie deficit.
But what is an energy deficit? We consume and use up energy in the form of calories. When we consume fewer calories than we burn, we achieve a calorie deficit. The opposite is called a calorie surplus; that is, we are consuming more calories than what we’re burning.
This calorie deficit is dependent upon the following components
- Resting energy expenditure (REE) – or the fat that we burn while our body breathes and circulates blood
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)- fat that we burn while our bodies absorb and metabolize food.
- Active energy expenditure (AEE) – or the fat that we burn when we do exercises, sports, or even activities like household chores.
When we create a calorie deficit, our bodies get energy from the fat stored in our hips, thighs, bellies, and so on. This helps us lose weight.
For most of us, a deficit of 500 calories is enough to trigger weight loss, but it may differ depending on our lifestyle and genes. Online calorie calculators and calorie-tracking apps are a few tools to help you crunch the numbers because it might get a bit tricky.
Once you’ve figured out the number of calories you need every day to create a deficit, you’ll need a diet-workout routine. You can ask a dietician to help you figure out a diet that works for you.
Usually, the entire process would involve a mix of moderate-intensity exercises like walking, bicycling, jogging, and muscle-strengthening activities. Cutting your calorie intake also helps; you can do that by reducing your intake of sugary beverages and switching to light, home-cooked meals.
Remember, fad diets and other quick fixes are no help with weight loss.
The Right Workout Combo
Other than dieting, exercise is the top strategy that people use to shed their extra fat. Every time we exercise, our metabolic rate increases for up to 24 hours afterward; this is called the after-burn. This is an indicator of the calories we are burning while our body is at rest; the higher the levels of exercise, the higher the after-burn.
Exercise also helps with mental health, better bones, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Because everyone’s bodies and their lifestyles are different, there are many different kinds of exercises you can opt for.
Make sure that the workout routine that you pick suits you from the get-go. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, might not be able to stick to it; picking and leaving a workout routine isn’t good for your health either.
Here are some great exercises for weight loss
- Cardio
- Walking
- Weight training
- Cycling
- Jogging or Running
- Interval training
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Boxing
- Martial arts
- Pilates
Cardio exercise is critical as well, especially if you want to maximize fat loss; it goes really well with all kinds of exercises. Incidental exercises like climbing the stairs, gardening, walking the dog, washing the dishes, playing with the kids also work in your favor.
High-intensity and low-intensity workouts, weight training, aerobics, and cardiovascular exercises are super useful for weight loss and resting fat burn. If you combine this routine with a healthy diet, it can work wonders.
You might need some helpful tips that when you’re setting an exercise routine for yourself
- Don’t focus on achieving a goal in the beginning – learn to enjoy the exercise
- Start off at a comfortable pace, and progress to moderate and complex slowly
- If you can afford it, get help from a personal trainer or gym instructor
- Make sure that you have checked with your doctor when you begin any exercise program – not all of them are good for us.
In the end, weight loss comes down to a combination of cardio, weight training, and a sensible diet – if you have that down, those fat cells don’t stand a chance.
A Nutrient-Rich Diet
Good nutrition is an absolute must-have thing in your routine, according to a study published in 2013. A nutritious diet reduces your appetite, improves your metabolism, and aids weight loss.
Here are a few helpful tips that you might need to maintain a healthy diet.
- Take a high level of proteins during breakfast– preferably from plant and seafood sources.
- Cut back on sugars, carbs, and starches
- Stay hydrated
- Eat soluble fiber
- All of your meals should have protein, fat, vegetable, and whole grains.
- Add some leafy greens to your calorie-plan, including broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts
- Try the Mediterranean diet – this includes lots of whole foods and fruits.
There’s no point in burning a thousand calories if you’re going to consume a thousand more later on. You can only lose fat if you don’t maintain a healthy, nutrient-rich diet.
A Stress-Free Lifestyle
If you’re constantly under a lot of stress, you might want to change your lifestyle. High levels of cortisol can mess your diet, and make weight gain more likely. Take time to de-stress; take a walk, do some
Get the help that you need, as soon as possible.
A High Dose of Self-Esteem
You may want to lose weight in certain areas of your body –but be ready for the possibility that it might not happen.
Stop judging yourself too harshly if it’s not happening. Be happy with your current weight, especially if it’s not high enough to be causing health-related problems.
Every person is shaped differently because of a combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors – most of which are out of our control. So, don’t lose heart if you’re unable to shed off some weight in certain areas – sometimes it comes down to learning how to respect your body type.
If you still have some extra weight despite eating good food, healthy calories, and doing lots of workouts, perhaps it’s time to ring up your MD and get your hormone levels checked.
Until you get to your ideal weight, dress appropriately for your shape and show off your assets!
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that you can’t control where you gain or lose fat. The place where you first put on weight is the last you’ll lose it from. Eventually, you’ll be able to lose fat from one place, but the fat will come off everywhere else too.
Your body makes fat based on your genes, hormones, gender, body composition, diet, and many factors that are out of your control. If you can change these factors, you can change how fat is stored and lost – but that’s highly unlikely.
When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s nearly impossible to target one area. Inadvertently, you’re going to end up losing fat in other areas. So, if you’re only doing spot reduction exercises, you’re not going to get anywhere.
Spot reduction is the cherry-on-top of a cake, not the cake itself. It’s an add-on to a very healthy diet, a solid workout routine, and a whole lot of persistence.
Good luck with your fat loss – and remember, stop taking shortcuts!
