Spot Training

Let’s talk about spot training….

Spot training, sometimes called spot reduction, is the idea that you can “train” one area of your body to reduce fat without it affecting other parts of your body. Some people want to lose excess belly fat or underarm fat, some people even want to target areas as little as their “second chin”. 

“So, just train that targeted area and get the results you want without changing anything else.”

Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? That’s because it is. There are no scientific studies that back up this method of fat loss. 

Fat is just excess energy stored in your body. When you train you use that energy but there is no targeting where that energy will come from specifically. 

Let’s get scientific.

The fat in your cells is found in the form of triglycerides, which 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. 

While spot training doesn’t necessarily work, you can tone specific areas. You can tone certain muscle groups to make them stronger and more defined, such as training legs to have stronger quads. However, you can do all the crunches and abdominal exercises you want; you will get stronger abdominal muscles BUT you won’t see abs unless you burn off the excess fat covering them up. 

TLDR: You can’t target specific areas to lose fat from. Whole body workouts, cardio, and eating healthy are how you are going to lose fat.