Spot Reduction: A Myth..Maybe Not

[Thestronger]

ok...i found this article somewhere on a website, and managed to post it here to see the opinions of spot reduction.

Spot reduction is real. And this article is going to show you exactly how to do it.

--

Ice-Cold Body Fat

- Reach down and touch the fattest part of your body. If you're male, that's probably your belly and love handle area. Okay, now touch a leaner part of your body.

What do you notice?

- The fat area is cooler to the touch, isn't it? It may even be cold. I noticed this myself while performing my morning fasted "cardio." Even with a loose sweatshirt on, my gut was cold to the touch. What was going on here?

Ever snuggle up with your wife or girlfriend and notice that her backside and thighs are noticeably colder than the rest of her body? And sure enough, that's where most females preferentially store their body fat.

Coincidence? No, it's not.
- Science tells us that blood flow is crucial for fat extraction. (Frayne 1998, 1999) Poor blood flow to certain areas of the body ? obliques and lower abs for example ? equals poor fat loss from those areas.

As researcher K. Frayne notes in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society: "There is evidence that adipose tissue blood flow does not increase sufficiently to allow delivery of all the fatty acids released into the systemic circulation."

But can we manipulate that? Sure, we can make our body burn calories, but can we tell it where we want those calories to come from? Can we actually spot reduce?

You bet your ice-cold glutes we can.
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Myth Busters and Legendary Bodybuilders

- Spot reduction was always considered to be a myth because people burn fat systemically, meaning "whole body." That's true enough, for both cardio and whole-body resistance exercise. You have circulating adrenaline and mitochondrial furnaces in all of your muscles throughout your body. So, spot reduction is impossible, right?

- Well, I'm glad no one told Arnold, Frank Zane, Franco Columbu, and Corey Everson that. All of these legendary bodybuilders believed they could spot-reduce, and they did hundreds of sit-ups to achieve it. Franco Columbu worked up to a 1,000 sit-ups a day! Sure enough, he was ripped, with flat, fat-free abs.

Was this just extra calorie burning, or were these bodybuilders really onto something?

Calorie balance (and thus whole body exercise) does matter, of course, but new research is supporting what the old-school guys used to do. Calorie-burning is part of the equation, but calories come from difference sources.

In short, the secrets to targeted fat reduction are:

- Redirecting blood flow to the fatty area
- Contracting the muscles adjacent to that fatty area
- Timing aerobic activity and midsection work properly
- Let's break it down.
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The Science

- If cold fat doesn't mobilize very well, it only makes sense to warm it up. Increase blood flow and you can extract more fat from the troubled area.

With techniques like microdialysis, you can actually see this occurring. Microdialysis involves sticking super tiny tubes into subcutaneous fatty areas like the lower stomach and measuring fat breakdown products, like glycerol and fatty acids, in the interstitial fluid. Increase the blood flow to that area (providing, at the time, your hormonal milieu is right) and localized fat loss increases. That's spot reduction, kiddies.

And here's the really interesting part: A fairly recent study states that blood flow and lipolysis are generally higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue adjacent to the contracting muscle. (Stallknecht, 2007) They actually say in plain English: "In conclusion, an acute bout of exercise can induce spot lipolysis and increased blood flow in adipose tissue adjacent to contracting skeletal muscle." Wow, paradigm shift!

- Another paper notes that there are well-documented regional variations in lipolysis: "...the subcutaneous abdominal has an intermediate rate and the gluteal-femoral depots have relatively sluggish turnover." Collectively these mean when you contract a muscle, the adjacent body fat starts to break down more ? and this could impact stubborn areas.

Sounds a whole lot like ab work ? training the muscle adjacent to the fat belly ? does indeed lead to preferential fat loss in that area!

- By the way, I know this sounds like a weird bit of comparative physiology, but I was once told in a nutrition class that fatty cuts of meat are fatty because of the very low muscular activity in that area of the animal. Makes sense!
________

The Method

Step 1: Keep the fatty area warm

- Before getting on the treadmill, put the weight lifting belt backward so the part that's normally on your lower back is on your belly. This will warm up the area and keep it warm as exercise begins.

Ideally, you could also try one of those old-fashioned tummy belts. These rubber belts "worked" in the short term because they caused a local dehydrating effect: they made your belly and loves handles sweat.

The dehydrating effect was temporary of course, but the warming effect and the increased blood flow may have indeed aided in fat loss over time.

If you get one of these things, just remember not to keep it too tight. It could actually push blood out if overly snug. Not good. just stick to a reversed weight belt.

___

Step 2: Work the muscles adjacent to the trouble spot

We know that muscular activity near a fatty area increases the breakdown of that fat. To accomplish this, hop off the treadmill about halfway through ur exercise session and perform two sets of ab work: crunches, planks, twists, sit-ups, hanging leg raises, whatever. I keep the intensity low – little to no added weight, mostly just body weight exercises – and shoot for 30 to 50 reps each set.

Then get back on the treadmill and finish ur aerobic session. At the end, once again perform two sets of ab work for 30 to 50 reps each set. For contest preparation, begin with a lower number of reps, then work ur way up to 50 per set. also add a set or two as things progress. Gotta get up closer to those Franco rep numbers!
______

Step 3: Properly time your aerobic activity and ab work

- As noted above, timing your light treadmill activity and at least some of your ab work to be in a fasted state is smart. It's critical in order to have any enhanced blood flow carrying in the right lipolytic substances (catecholamines like adrenaline, caffeine, GH, etc.) to those love handles, as opposed to fat-protective insulin after a meal.

_____

Will This Method Work for You?

- If your body fat percentage is in the mid-teens or below – if your fat layer is an inch thick or less – then this method should give you visible results over time.

No, this method will not help the guy with the giant paunch to develop a six-pack in four weeks. No one is saying that you don't need cardio, lifting, and a good diet plan.

But if you already have those in place, then this method can help you target stubborn fat deposits rather than having to get damn-near emaciated in order to see your lower abs.

It's not the end-all-be-all of body fat reduction, but it works for me and science backs it up. And for my upcoming bodybuilding competition, I'm going to stack as many cards in my favor as humanly possible.

Give it a shot. Your lower belly fat and love handles won't stand a chance.




ok..this article is long, so take a seat and read

[BitterBlossom]

Very interesting read.

[Tbone4217]

it seems logical..........now that i think about it

[Thestronger]

it seems logical..........now that i think about it

It's completely logical, that's why i managed to post it here

[Therickz]

that.. kinda.. makes sense.. i will try it out one day, repped

[EBM22]

Spot reduction is broscience.

[juicydanglers]

so to kill my lovehandles i have to do a shiz load of seated twists....im on it

[DarenBro]

Spot reduction is broscience.

Why do you even bother posting?

Good post, OP. Very interesting.

[RAWhe]

What? who wrote the article OP?

[juicydanglers]

Spot reduction is broscience.

op has just given you actual research for you to think about

[EBM22]

Why do you even bother posting?

Good post, OP. Very interesting.

Because it's the truth you idiot.

MYTH:
Spot Reduction is Possible.

FACT:
Contrary to popular belief you cannot “burn fat” from just one area of your body by exercising that body part. Regular exercise and a healthy diet will help you lose extra body weight, which you’ll lose from your entire body, NOT from one spot.
Wilmore, J & Costil, D (1999). Physiology of Sport & Exercise. Human Kinetics
http://www.housing.umass.edu/hallserv/wc_myths.html

Question:

Are there any exercises I can do to target fat reduction? I am especially concerned about my upper arms. Thank you for your help.
Answer:

Weight reduction occurs throughout the body, not in specific areas. `Spot reduction` is not possible. Aerobic exercise helps burn calories and therefore should be encouraged for weight reduction in general. Cardiovascular exercise performed 3-5 days per week for 30-60 minutes per session will help shed body fat.
Carolyn Nickol, RD, MEd
Director
University Fitness Center
University of Cincinnati
http://www.netwellness.uc.edu/question.cfm/21417.htm

"There is no magic bullet, diet plan, specific food, or type of exercise that specifically targets belly fat. But the good news is belly fat is the first kind of fat you tend to lose when you lose weight," says Michael Jensen, MD, a Mayo Clinic endocrinology specialist and obesity researcher.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/t...bout-belly-fat

I can do this all day.

Still...

[Texasbig]

If your science is sound, very interesting post.

Weak reps.

Brb 1000 situps.

[juicydanglers]

^ (ebm22)

look i dont believe in spot reduction either but if someone posts actual research you should have an open mind

[EBM22]

^ (ebm22)

look i dont believe in spot reduction either but if someone posts actual research you should have an open mind

"i found this article somewhere on a website" doesn't count as actual research. Come at me a with a .edu and I'll have an open mind.

[juicydanglers]

"i found this article somewhere on a website" doesn't count as actual research. Come at me a with a .edu and I'll have an open mind.

frayne 98 + 99

stallknecht 07

i came at you with research from the post you didnt read

[DevonteJ85]

im pretty sure this has been posted b4, and it was from tnation... if that means anything

[mertearkan]

Very interesting read OP. Shows just how little we really know about fat loss/how our body works...

[Fuzzhead]

im gonna do 2000 to burn even more lol

most likly the 1000 sit ups burns your abs away giving the view of lost weight

[EBM22]

frayne 98 + 99

stallknecht 07

i came at you with research from the post you didnt read

How about you try reading your own studies next time...

Based on the present results, it cannot be foreseen if specific exercises can induce spot reduction, since triacylglycerol (TG) stores could be fully replenished or even supercompensated between exercise sessions
Stallknecht 07

Full Study - http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/292/2/E394.full

[juicydanglers]

How about you try reading your own studies next time...

so you've read the studies, good thats all i wanted you to do

and how about you drop the attitude im not 8 years old

[Havux]

Spot reduction is broscience.

Because it's the truth you idiot.






I can do this all day.

Still...

"i found this article somewhere on a website" doesn't count as actual research. Come at me a with a .edu and I'll have an open mind.

How about you try reading your own studies next time...

You know everything in the world, why do you even come here? Couldn't you be off putting your infinite amounts of knowledge to use?

[xXxSeiFxXx]

Logical & Convincing & Interesting & Simple

[Motivation2]

Logical & Convincing & Interesting & Simple

If anyone arguing with this...he gotta show his knowledge & methods & science HERE.

[juicydanglers]

If anyone arguing with this...he gotta show his knowledge & methods & science HERE.

i think it would take a lot more than this article to have me in any way convinced but it is a very interesting read

[shaneee]

May be true..may not be true..either way it's worth a try lol..when i start my summer cut ill def perform crunches before, during, then afterward everytime i do cardio since i store most of my fat in my stomach..eh it won't hurt and could only help

[Havux]

i think it would take a lot more than this article to have me in any way convinced but it is a very interesting read

Obviously you shouldn't believe everything. You need to do a lot of research before taking something to be true.

That EBM guy is an idiot, because even if this was false, he knows more about why it's false. Some people...

[chris725]

My fat is warm.

[Wiley87]

Interesting read, however I'm still sceptical. Regardless, it's nice to have threads with actual science and studies to read through, rather than the typical opinions of "f*ck you, you're wrong. TRUST ME, a guy told me".

I'll have a proper read into it later, on the train right now with bad reception.

[ezzzo]

Kinda interesting, but proves nothing at all. It's not a study, it's just logical reasoning. But if this is true then why doesn't doing 100000 situps work your abs/burn fat amazingly? And why don't those like warming belt/stomach things work? Warming up fat areas of your body might help, but not to a noticeable amount...

[juicydanglers]

But if this is true then why doesn't doing 100000 situps work your abs/burn fat amazingly?

i dont think ive seen anyone truly put that to the test i mean 1000 situps? who the hel wants to do that