Hits and Myths About Spot Reduction
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  1. Hits and Myths About Spot Reduction

    With our temperatures warming up the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk around the studio from our clients about wanting to “get rid of the Jiggle” around the triceps, abdomen and upper chest area-near the shoulder. Clients are asking to “target” these troublesome areas as they don their summer attire-shorts, tank tops and bikinis. This is frequently referred to as “spot reduction”.

    Spot reduction is simply the idea that if you work a specific muscle group you will decrease the amount of fat in that area. The most common example of this is people focus on abdominal exercises in an effort to lose weight in their stomach area and get those 6-pack abs.

    In reality, there is no such thing as spot reduction. You will never attain a flat stomach just by performing abdominal exercises nor firm the chest and arms by weight training. The reason for this is simple: a muscle does not own the fat that surrounds it. Sit-ups or crunches for example, will definitely strengthen your abdominal muscles, but ab work alone will not get rid of the layer of fat that is covering the muscles. To lose fat anywhere on your body you need to create a caloric deficit through either a proper diet, exercise, or a combination of both-which we highly recommend. The only thing you need to do in the end, to improve the appearance of those trouble spots is to diet and exercise. Strength training helps you build a solid base of muscle, and that can help you look trimmer. But don’t neglect regular aerobic exercise and attention to your calorie intake, too. Your trouble spots might be less troubling if you build and tone your muscles … but not if they’re hidden under a layer of body fat .

    So why is it when someone loses weight, you see their stomach fat decrease or their arms tone into arms like Kelly Rippa’s? Yours look different. In short, everyone has their own unique body fat distribution. Some might carry it like saddlebags on the side of the hips, or have a stubborn spot on the belly. When these folks lose weight, it may appear that they’re actually spot reducing – but it’s just that they’re losing from those areas where their fat happens to be. If you look at how people’s bodies change with weight loss, what really happens is that they pretty much stay the same shape – they just get smaller.

    Men and women do have different issues when it comes to their trouble spots. Due to hormonal differences, women – at least before menopause – tend to store their fat in the hips and thighs, while men tend to gain weight around the middle. And men naturally carry less total fat than women do. With less fat overall – and most of it around the middle – it’s no wonder that men seem to have an easier time achieving washboard abs than women do. But spot reduction, it’s not.

    So to combat those trouble areas, continue exercising and limit your calories to the right amount for YOU and remember : Fat is not a moral problem. It’s an oral problem.

    Read facts written by MD: http://blogs.webmd.com/pamela-peeke-md/2012/03/hits-and-myths-about-spot-reducing.html

     


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Doddridge Plaza
3765 S. Alameda, Ste 102
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 857-5087 info@ypbtrainingstudio.com