THE HETA BLOG

You might not be familiar with the term “spot reduction,” but I’m sure plenty of people still believe it’s possible, even today. Maybe even you!

Spot reduction is a fitness myth claiming that exercising a specific area can reduce fat in just that part of the body. For example, if someone has belly fat, they might believe doing lots of crunches will target and burn fat in that area. This idea was hugely popular in the fitness industry during the 80s, so much so that many industry icons, built part of their fame by promoting the spot reduction myth.

Tony Little, remember him? The fitness celebrity who called himself “America’s Best Trainer” was famous for promoting spot reduction workouts. His program, “Target Training,” was a massive hit. I even had the tapes. What can I say… back in the 80s, the theory seemed perfectly logical.

You’re probably wondering two things: First, if spot reduction is a myth, why are crunches still recommended? And second, if spot reduction isn’t real, then how do you actually lose fat?

To answer the first and part of the second question, crunches are still a great exercise for building strong abs. If your goal is to have washboard abs in the future, you’ll need to strengthen your abdominal muscles and reduce body fat, so those muscles become visible. That’s why crunches remain a solid choice. Just remember, there’s a right and wrong way to do them, so be sure to research proper form to avoid injury.

For our second question, fat is reduced evenly across the body through a combination of exercise, a proper diet, and adequate rest. As simple and amazing as it may sound, that’s the winning formula. Here at TheHetaBlog, we’ll be talking about this a lot.

Now, please, pay attention (especially if you are very fat or obese):
DO NOT, let me say that again, DO NOT START A HEAVY WORKOUT TRAINING WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION. This is your life we are talking about.  Do the right thing and check your condition first and choose your training later.  If you are too out of shape, probably it will be something simple like walking, but let’s someone who understand the condition of your body do the call.

So, there you have it! You can’t lose fat in just one spot, just like you can’t lower the water level from only one corner of a pool by scooping water out there. The water level will drop across the whole pool, just like fat loss happens throughout your entire body.

Now that you know, the next time that you see someone talking about “spot reduction” or just saying something like “I got these exercises that will take away the fat from insert spot here“, do that person a favor and teach him.

Or better yet… Say to look for the answer here at     http://www.thehetablog.com        🙂