Can you spot train and target areas of the body for weight loss?
This myth, I get all the time. I should probably have the answer tattooed across my forehead, although it wouldn’t be very cute.
Someone will come up to me at a live event or after teaching a class, and they’ll say, “how do I get rid of this?” and they’ll grab their love handles or they’ll grab a chunk of flesh around their inner thigh or just some area that’s a problem for them and they want to get rid of. And oftentimes they’ll tell me, I love my arms, I love my abs, I love my shoulders, I just hate my lower body or I love my legs, but I can’t get rid of this jiggle on my arms.
False Hope
I think nine times out of 10 when somebody asks me that question, they’re just hoping that I will give them an answer that they haven’t already heard. But you know the answer. You can’t get rid of fat in one particular area and there’s no way to do that unless you make a doctors appointment and go have them suck it out.
I’m making a joke… I really don’t want you to do that. I mean, I’ve trained people for 20 plus years. I’ve seen people get liposuction and have nice results, but it’s always a little weird. I don’t know how to describe. It just doesn’t look right a year later because you’re messing with human nature.
You have the same amount of fat cells in your body today that you probably did after puberty. The only other time that you increased or produced more fat cells is actually when you’re pregnant or as you’re going through puberty. There are just a few other rare occasions where your body might produce more fat cells, and it relates to hormones. It actually does not relate to you getting fat or eating more food.
You make the best decision for you, but I would love to see you just accept the fact that not everybody is built the same. If your goal is to lose body fat, then know that it will reduce from all over; we can’t pick one spot. But there’s a big component to where we store and where we gain fat… that is genetic. Which means, often the first place you put on body fat is also the last place it comes off.
The good news is, as you build muscle, your body sends out these fat mobilizing hormones to your whole body and it’s dispensed from head to toe. So the answer is, you cannot spot train. I can do crunches from now until Tuesday and my abs are going to be much stronger but it doesn’t reduce body fat in that area.
Comment below on spot training and your thoughts!
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