Letterkenny-based fitness trainer Emmet Rushe looks at the common beliefs about fat loss, and why they aren't true.

Spot reduction is where people try and use certain exercises to burn fat from stubborn areas of the body. 

An example of this would be people who do loads of sit ups to try and burn tummy fat, or those influencers on Instagram who tell you to do loads of exercises to try and burn fat of and build your booty. 

If this was possible, it would make our jobs as coaches much easier. 

But fat loss isn’t as specific as this and unfortunately you can’t burn fat from one area of your body. 

When you are starting to lose weight, fat loss occurs from all over the body. 

You cannot pick an area where you would like to burn fat more than another and just put the focus there. 

You also won’t burn any fat if you aren’t in a calorie deficit. It doesn’t matter how many sit ups or glute bridges with bands you do. 

This can be frustrating for some who have areas where they tend to hold more weight and would like those areas to come down faster to see more progress. 

This is where consistency comes in. 

If you let the slower progress of stubborn areas dishearten you to the point of giving up, you will never make any long-term progress. 

For most of you all reading this fat loss isn’t and will never be a 4-, 6-, 8- or 12-week process. 

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This is the mindset however and this is due to weight loss clubs and products and short-term transformation programs that all base their model on short term fast results. 

The issue with these types of results is they are rarely kept long term and you end up back to where you started. 

So, when you are trying to drop bodyfat and focus on stubborn areas, consistency is hugely important, and you really need to stop thinking in a short-term mindset.

Now, for some good news on spot reduction. 

While you cannot burn bodyfat from one specific area of the body. By using resistance training you can make an area look better by building the muscle underneath. 

Stubborn areas of bodyfat could be because the fat in those areas is more concentrated than other areas. This prevents good blood circulation to those areas. 

Resistance training can help improve blood flow to these areas and allow for better fat dispersal when you start to burn it off with your diet and by being in a calorie deficit.

This way, as your bodyfat starts to drop, you will notice even better changes in your stubborn areas. 

So, to round things up for you again. 

  • You cannot Spot reduce Bodyfat
  • Bodyfat will reduce from all over your body 
  • Stubborn areas will be the slowest to come down
  • You need to be consistent with your training and diet
  • You must be in a calorie deficit for fat loss to occur
  • Training stubborn areas can help with fat dispersal and making the area look better. 
  • Consistency is key to success. 

If you really want to have success in your fat loss goals, the above is your key to reaching your goals. 

If you need help being consistent with your diet and don’t know where to start, our Lean 21 Nutrition System will show you how to plan out your diet for success. 

You get it free when you sign up to the lean 21 program and you can join our September waiting list now through the link below. 

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