Spot reduction, i.e. the belief that certain exercises burn fat in specific places on the body, is a myth. It is demonstrably false and offensive. I’m insulted by this headline. I take it personally. You should too.
Why you should feel insulted?
We’ve seen this headline before. Versions of it pollute the covers of magazines, articles, and blogs everywhere. It preys on a universal insecurity that drives millions of people to unrealistic expectations, self harm, and mental anguish.
An overweight person reads this, does the magical exercises contained within, sees no results, feels hopeless and gives up.
A person with body issues reads it, follows it, sees no results and is saddled with additional self loathing and depression.
“The “expert Trainer” said this is the short cut. It didn’t work. What’s wrong with me?”
There’s nothing wrong with you
The promise of targeted fat burning is, as stated above, called spot reduction. If someone figures out how to eradicate specific areas of body fat via exercise they would:
- Not give out this magical information in a free click bait article from the prestigious New York Post.
- Be wealthier than Bill Gates and Elon (perhaps combined).
- Have a roster of rich celebrity clients with no waists and big asses.
I completely understand why someone would believe in spot reduction. If you exercise a body part, like the abs, or the biceps, you’ll undoubtedly feel a “burn”. One would naturally assume that this equates to fat burning, but that isn’t the case.
What is that Burn
Ready for some science talk? Deep breath… The burn “is a positive indicator that your body is being challenged and correctly responding to exertion.” Moreover, muscle burn is a combination of:
- Lactic Acid Build-Up: During strenuous exercise, your body breaks down glucose for energy in a process called glycolysis, which leads to the production of lactic acid. This is especially prevalent when the muscles are operating anaerobically (without enough oxygen). Lactic acid then dissociates into lactate, which contributes to the muscle pH dropping, creating a burning feeling.
- Ion Imbalance and Muscle Fatigue: The breakdown of ATP (adenosine triphosphate)—your muscles’ primary energy source—releases hydrogen ions, which contribute to the acidity of the muscle cells. This increase in acidity can inhibit further ATP production and interfere with the muscle’s ability to contract, signaling fatigue that manifests as a burning sensation.
- Nervous System Feedback: The nerves in your muscles respond to changes in chemical balances caused by exercise. When acidity rises, your nerves send signals back to your brain, which interprets them as a burning sensation. This is essentially your body’s way of telling you that it’s reaching its current limit of endurance and strength.
That’s the burn. And if ya don’t know, now ya know.
Why I’m insulted
Personal Training isn’t a widely respected career. Could that have something to do with the harmful “advice” proffered by “experts”?
Now think about this: If spot reduction DID WORK our dominant hand/arm/side of the body would be slimmer (the additional use of the dominant hand would result in one side of your body looking slimmer, stronger, or both).
Doing crunches won’t flatten the stomach.
Doing curls and kickbacks doesn’t burn fat in the arm.
The “burning sensation” you feel as you work a body part “is a result of a cascade of physiological effects in response to microscopic trauma sustained during intense exercise.“
The process by which the body selects which fat to burn isn’t properly understood. If it were do you think the New York Post (and Tracy ‘Magic exercises” Swartz) would give this valuable information away for free?
I think they’d charge thousands of dollars for this information.
Still the fitness media opts for the cheap clickbait offering false hope.
When my industry preys on insecurity at the expense of facts it makes us all look bad.
If not this, then what?
You trusted us; You bought in; read the article and did the exercises. Nothing happened.
You were sold a lie about what exercise can do for you. A lie repeated in ads, TV shows, articles, YouTube videos…
Maybe you’re thinking your body is defective bc the lie didnt work for you. You aren’t.
Maybe you’re wondering what the actual benefits of exercise are.
Well…(another Deep breath)… strength, flexibility, increased metabolism, stronger bones, weight management, mental health, libido, Vitality, resistance to disease, increased energy, better sleep, increases endurance, brain health, better balance, lower cancer risk, heart health, look better, feel better, live longer, happier and on and on and on…
I’ve said again and again that if exercise were a pill it would be the most prescribed pill in the world.
If ya can’t sell that then you just ain’t that good a salesperson.
Maybe you should read my article: How clickbait is destroying Trainer’s credibility feat. 5 real ways to mltivate people to work out?