This has been a consensus opinion for plus years in the exercise-science community, but manufacturers of exercise equipment still promote this belief i. According to the Yale Scientific Magazine , some of the physiological reasons as to why spot reduction doesn't work are as follows: "The fat contained in fat cells exists in a form known as triglycerides.
Muscle cells, however, cannot directly use triglycerides as fuel; it would be analogous to trying to run a car on crude oil. Instead, the fat must be broken down into glycerol and free fatty acids, which then enter the bloodstream. The fat broken down in the body to be used as fuel can come and will come from anywhere in the body, not just from the body part at work. Chris McGrath , the founder of Movement First, said: " Spot reduction doesn't work because it usually targets muscles that are relatively small through exercises that are relatively insignificant in terms of enhancing overall fitness, strength and energy expenditure — regardless of how much you 'feel the burn' when training them.
Overall fitness, not small muscle fatigue, is a stronger determining factor of your body's fat-burning effectiveness. Muscle is metabolically active , so when you lose it, you also lose the extra calorie-burn muscles can provide. To start, choose a basic total body workout and do that about twice a week, with at least one day in between.
As you get stronger, you can do more exercises, lift more weight, or add more days of strength training. It may take a few weeks but you'll eventually see and feel a difference in your body. To burn more fat when strength training, here are some strategies that you can utilize. If you want a more structured program, try a four-week slow build program which includes a schedule of cardio and strength workouts that allows you to gradually increase your intensity. There's no way around the fact that, when it comes to burning more fat, you have to work at it.
There is no magic exercise, workout, or pill that will do the job for you. The good news is that it doesn't take much activity to push the body into that fat burning mode. Try incorporating some type of activity every day, even if it's just a quick walk, and build on that over time.
Soon you're on the way to burning more fat. Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up for our newsletter and get it free! Exercise and regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.
Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. Benefits of different intensity of aerobic exercise in modulating body composition among obese young adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Health Qual Life Outcomes. Calorie Control Council. Get moving calculator. US HHS. Activity guidelines questions and answers.
Updated October 21, Measuring physical activity intensity. Updated January 29, J Appl Physiol Carey DG. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFit. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Basics of Burning Fat. Fat Burning Zone Myth. Mixing Cardio Intensities.
Perhaps your goal is to reach a healthy weight, improve your overall strength, or increase your cardiovascular endurance. If you are clear about your goals, then you can design a plan to execute consistent steps to make them a reality.
Practice your goal-related behaviors and don't worry if it takes longer than you think to get where you want to be. Once you get some consistency, your body will respond. When you see your body making changes, you can adjust your goals as necessary to continue to make progress. Untangle yourself from the idea that you can spot reduce fat—no matter how often you see it perpetuated in magazine articles, online, or in television infomercials.
Some health clubs may even sell the promise of a perfect body to sell memberships. Once you're aware of it, you'll start to notice it everywhere and you'll be too smart to buy into these false promises.
Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Regional fat changes induced by localized muscle endurance resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. Effect of abdominal resistance exercise on abdominal subcutaneous fat of obese women: a randomized controlled trial using ultrasound imaging assessments.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. Diet-induced weight loss decreases adipose tissue oxygen tension with parallel changes in adipose tissue phenotype and insulin sensitivity in overweight humans. Int J Obes Lond. Impact of genetic variants on the individual potential for body fat loss. A study of effect of the compound physical activity therapy on muscular strength in obese women. J Phys Ther Sci. Upper and lower body muscle power increases after 3-month resistance training in overweight and obese men.
Am J Mens Health. Effects of Swiss-ball core strength training on strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance in sedentary women. PLoS One. Matthews, Jessica. Why is the concept of spot reduction a myth? Sept 4, However, there is not much evidence to support it.
An example of spot reduction is exercising the triceps in order to get rid of excess fat on the back of the arms. This theory of targeting specific body parts is popular, leading many people to focus only on troublesome areas, rather than exercising their entire body.
Burning fat using this method can be particularly appealing to those who have had a hard time losing weight in the past or failed to get the results that they wanted using other methods.
There are countless reasons why people want to lose weight , including improving health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes 1 , 2.
Some people tend to carry excess weight proportionately, while others hold onto weight in specific areas like the butt, thighs or belly. Gender, age, genetics and lifestyle all play a role in weight gain and the accumulation of stubborn areas of body fat.
For instance, women have a higher percentage of body fat than men do and tend to store excess fat in the thighs and butt, especially during their childbearing years. However, during perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can cause weight to shift to the belly region 3. On the other hand, men are more likely to put on pounds in their midsections throughout their entire lives 4. Weight gain can be very frustrating and cause many people to look for easier alternatives than going on a diet or increasing their activity levels.
This method appeals to the belief that working the muscles in problem areas is the best way to burn the fat in that specific spot.
Although targeting fat loss in specific areas of the body would be ideal, the theory of spot reduction has not been proven effective by scientific studies. To understand why spot reduction may not be effective, it is important to understand how the body burns fat. The fat in your cells is found in the form of triglycerides, which are stored fats that the body can use for energy.
Before they can be burned for energy, triglycerides must be broken down into smaller sections called free fatty acids and glycerol, which are able to enter the bloodstream. During exercise, the free fatty acids and glycerol used as fuel can come from anywhere in the body, not specifically from the area that is being exercised. Aside from not correlating with how the body burns fat, a number of studies have shown spot reduction to be ineffective. For example, one study in 24 people who only completed exercises targeting the abdominals for six weeks found no reduction in belly fat 5.
Another study that followed 40 overweight and obese women for 12 weeks found that resistance training of the abdominals had no effect on belly fat loss , compared to dietary intervention alone 6. A study focusing on the effectiveness of upper body resistance training had similar results. This week study included participants who completed a training program that exercised only their non-dominant arms. Researchers found that although some fat loss did occur, it was generalized to the entire body, not the arm being exercised 7.
Several other studies have resulted in similar findings, concluding that spot reduction is not effective for burning fat in specific areas of the body 8 , 9 ,
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