Truth or Myth – Can It Be Achieved?
Spot training is another myth that drives the idea that a specific body part can be targeted for body fat reduction. It suggests that you can experience body fat loss in one area of the body without affecting other areas. What ultimately perpetuates this myth is the fact that most people have areas of their body that carry a higher majority of body fat than others. This can be especially true with women, as we tend to have areas (such as the glutes and thighs), that tend to carry cellulite.
We want to believe that these areas can be significantly impacted with our efforts because of our disdain for them, however, we fail to consider the science behind why spot training can’t be accomplished with our dieting efforts alone.
The idea of reducing body fat in a particular area with dieting, is simply not possible. We can’t control where our bodies lose fat. When we diet, we lose fat mass where our bodies decide, which is likely where our genetics and lifestyles decide they do.
According to Healthline in their article, “Where Does Fat Go When You Lose Weight” 1, it states that “although spot reduction in a particular area has not been shown to be effective, some people tend to lose weight from certain areas faster than others. do”. This article also states that “if you have a family history of weight loss and weight regain, body fat may distribute differently due to changes in fat cells over time.”
“Although spot reduction in a particular area has not been shown to be effective, some people tend to lose weight from certain areas faster than others do”.
Healthline – “Where Does Fat Go When You Lose Weight”
Although we can’t control where we lose body fat with our dieting efforts, what we can control is where we choose to develop our muscle mass. We can make incredible changes to our physique with our efforts in balancing our overall muscle mass, as it compares to our fat mass, in all areas of our bodies.
Our physical activities and overall movements, can help burn body fat overall, and preserve muscle mass which helps us achieve better body compositions and achieve the state of “tone” and “fit” that are likely our fitness goals as women. Additionally, our diets serve instrumental in making sure we aren’t contributing to an environment that derails these efforts, with an over consumption of calories, not enough calories, or the wrong type of calories. (I talk about all of this in my YouTube video series, “How to Be a Fit Mom”: https://youtu.be/SzoxltLUuJE?si=Q5o4jYWEdDdE2x4w)
According to Military.com in their article by Stew Sith, CSCS, July 17, 20232, “the most effective way to lose fat is following a balanced diet and exercising the entire body (not just arms and abs).” This article suggests that instead of trying to “spot-build” muscle, although you can, the goal of obtaining a physique in which you can see your hard-earned muscle, is through your daily accumulation of calories burned. It suggests that you can do this “more effectively by working bigger muscle groups, such as the legs, glutes and back”. Also, it states that when we work specific muscle groups only, we risk imbalances and potential injury. So with that said, although we can “spot-build” muscle, our approach shouldn’t be specific to certain areas but rather all over.
“the most effective way to lose fat is following a balanced diet and exercising the entire body (not just arms and abs).”
Military.com; Stew Sith, CSCS, July2023
It is a known fact that muscle growth can be accomplished through a successful fitness program that includes Resistance training. However, in order to see progress that’s made with lean muscle in specific parts of the body with Resistance training, it won’t become visible until you reduce your overall body fat percentage. And while reducing this body fat, this won’t happen in just one area of the body.
A lean abdomen, for example, is something a lot of women (especially mothers) would like to achieve, especially after childbirth. The abdominal muscles can be grown with a great Resistance training program that includes both Compound and Isolation lifts as well as with targeted exercises for the abdominals, however, the abdominal muscles may still not be visible unless her body fat is below a certain percentage.
This body fat target, in which muscle can be seen on a mother’s abdomen, is different for every woman depending on her genetics and the amount of abdominal lean muscle tissue that has been established. Oftentimes, the areas of the body that tend to carry the highest amount of body fat will often lean up the last. These are the areas that make us all wish the spot-training myth (as it relates to body fat loss) is true, however it’s not.
Overall, when it comes to achieving fat loss or the “toned” look most of us women would like to achieve with an attractive body composition, patience is a virtue. Developing an aesthetically-pleasing body takes time, patience, discipline as well as a successful plan to achieve.
Body composition changes involve the combination of a good diet, a great fitness program (incorporating both resistance training and cardio) and time to allow your body to produce successful results. It isn’t simply just created by “losing weight” and having this ideal number reflect this image on the scale.
By focusing on making consistent efforts that drive our calorie expenditure in order to lose fat and movements that grow our muscle tissue, we can contribute to a healthy balance between our muscle and body fat, resulting in a better body composition. We can also do this more effectively when we think about our body as a whole.
Trying to target our specific body areas for fat loss will lead us chasing a myth, and trying to “spot-build” our muscle may lead to us creating imbalances and potential for developing an injury. So, that leaves us with this:
A whole-body approach to effectively trying to impact the areas we have that may carry larger amounts of body fat.
- Healthline; April 09, 2020
“Where Does Fat Go When You Lose Weight?” https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/where-does-fat-go-when-you-lose-weight#where-it-goes ↩︎ - Military.com. Good Nutrition. https://www.military.com/military-fitness/losing-fat-and-showing-muscle-requires-total-body-effort-and-good-nutrition?amp= ↩︎
