The Myth Behind Spot Reduction: The Story Behind the Story

When I sit with a potential female client, I ask them what their goals are. The responses majority of the time are always the same, they want to either lose their stomach, get rid of the fat that is surrounding their back, they want to make their butt tighter, or lose the bingo wings as Wendy Williams puts it "How ju doing?". I have to remind them of the phenomena of spot reduction and how it effects the body.

Besides launching millions of sit-ups, leg lifts and torso twists, the desire for a toned and taut physique has sold a long line of exercise devices of dubious worth. Countless inventions, such as vibrating belts and ”gut-busting” contraptions, have claimed to miraculously tighten and tone our trouble spots.

But the miracles we were expecting never materialized, and our ‘’spots” remained ”unreduced.”

What’s wrong with spot reduction?

Where did we go wrong? In our efforts to tone our bodies we neglected the most important factor: fat. Exercises such as crunches or leg lifts improve the tone and endurance of the muscles, but they don’t burn fat. When we do exercises that elevate the heart rate, such as bicycling, walking or aerobic dance, the body will draw upon its fat stores for energy.

Alternative solutions

Eating a low-fat diet and following an exercise program that combines aerobic activity and strength training is the key to changing the shape of your body. The best return on investment out there with regards to research is high intensity interval training. This type of training not only burns the stubborn fat areas but also continues to burn and pull from your fat stores a whopping 38 hours after you have finished your regiment.

High intensity interval training is great because it has caloric burning properties of aerobic training and combines it with strength training which will increase the amount of muscle, which burns even more calories. But many people shun the idea of intensive exercise, scared off by the idea of five-mile runs, barbells or aerobic classes.


The goal with this type of training is to put more lean muscle on you and reduce the fat. I know some of you that are reading this article especially the women is saying that I don't want to be all bulky and muscularly (if that even is a word).

However, you don't have to worry about that because you have to be on a very restrictive diet to be able to bulk up in a manner that will put that much muscle on you. The goal is to try to add lean muscle on you and research shows that if you put 1 pound of fat on your frame it will burn approximately 50 calories at rest. So if you put on 10 pounds of muscle then by the end of the week you would have lost a pound of fat. Yes you do the math

10 lbs of muscle x 50 calories= 500 calories burned in a day

500 calories/ day x 7 days= 3500 calories which equates to 1 lb of fat


Many experts recommend doing at least three sessions of 20 minutes of aerobic activity per week. Ideally, for long-term weight control, you should engage in at least four sessions per week, for 30-45 minutes each time.

A few things to keep in mind when starting any new activity:

1. Don’t start out too hard or too fast or you may injure yourself or quit before enjoying any benefit.

2. Always concentrate on enjoying yourself, rather than on what a particular exercise might do for you.

3. Keep your exercise comfortable and only increase intensity after your body becomes accustomed to new activity levels.

And always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, especially if you’re over 40, or have cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history of heart disease.

A final word about toning exercises



So to recap, the only way you are going to get that wash board stomach and Beyonce butt is to perform some type of high intensity interval training at least 3 times per week. You want to put lean muscle on your frame so that you are able to burn more calories while you are resting away from the gym or bootcamp that you participate in. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to looking and feeling better. NOW WHERE ARE ALL MY SINGLE LADIES? TO THE LEFT TO THE LEFT.....


Personal Trainer in Charlotte, NC