Many people have asked a fitness coach if it’s possible to lose fat “right here.”
They point to a body part, maybe the belly, perhaps the legs, or the area underneath the arm (often referred to by women as “bat wings”!).
They’re asking if “spot reduction” works; i.e., can you choose exactly where you lose fat?
The answer: No, you can’t specify which fat you lose (and where).
Doing exercises specifically for your area of concern won’t create changes in body fat at that location. For example, you won’t get rippling abs if you do 1,000 sit-ups a day. The body just doesn’t work like that. It won’t “take fat” from beside a working muscle. It will provide fuel to the muscle by using all the sources and systems available to it (there are many).
Consider also that genetic factors influence exactly where people carry body fat, and many find it easier to lose fat in some areas but not others. You can read more about this here in this literature review.
Training the Whole Body
While you can’t drop fat from a specific location in the body, you can train to alter body composition. To do so, you’ll want to work with a coach to create an exercise regimen and nutrition plan to reduce overall body fat. In some cases, that’s a person’s sole goal, but in other cases people want to add some muscle, too.
Notice we mentioned exercise and nutrition? They’re almost inseparable when you want to change body composition. It’s just not possible to exercise away a bad diet (you can’t outrun your fork).
In the kitchen, you’ll need to ensure you’re eating enough calories to support activity but not body fat. (A nutrition coach can help you do this.)
In the gym, your plan should include full-body exercises performed at moderate to high intensity levels. Again, a coach can help you determine what intensity level is appropriate for you—it will depend on many factors, including your training history, age, previous injuries, etc.
Full-body exercises use large muscle groups and require lots of energy—which means you’ll burn more calories. These exercises—think of squats, deadlifts, lunges, snatches—are also great for building muscle and increasing core strength.
Remember, we aren’t talking about bodybuilding exercises. Bodybuilders generally do “isolation movements” to grow as much lean tissue as they can, and their training regimes are often supported by lots of supplements and sometimes steroids. Instead, we’re talking about “compound movements” that use many joints at once and “functional movements” that allow you to do a lot of work quickly.
When you train the entire body with appropriate intensity and eat to support that activity, the result is increased general physical fitness and a “fit” appearance characterized by reduced body fat.
It’s also important to remember that some people perform better in the gym with a little more body fat, and very low levels of body fat don’t always support athletic goals.
Rather than a goal of losing fat in one spot, focus on building a stronger body, so that you improve your overall health, and feel better in your own skin.
Ready to get stronger and change your body composition in a realistic way? Book a No-Sweat Intro and let’s make a plan.
In the meantime, if you see a product or service that claims to reduce fat “right here,” you should be very skeptical. Fat loss is a result of exercise and nutrition, and your body will determine exactly where the changes are made.
