Spot Reducing
02-13-2011, 08:58 AM
#1
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Wetaskiwin, Alberta Canada
Posts: 360
Spot Reducing
Okay i've heard you can't spot reduce an area. that being said then why do crunches & such work on abs? why do walking lunges shrink my behind & thighs? why do bicep curls tone my biceps? okay & lastly why do tricep dips tone under my arms? aren't those all forms of spot reducing? or am i missing what is meant by the term 'spot reduce?'
02-13-2011, 12:28 PM
#2
FitDay Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,742
When people talk about "spot reducing" they are generally trying to get rid of belly fat. You can certainly tone up your abs by doing crunches and core exercises, and you will increase the muscle tone with all the other exercises you've mentioned, but you can only get rid of the belly pooch by reducing your % body fat. One time I read a quote by someone that equated losing fat to draining the water out of the basement, that you just can't drain it one room at a time. Personally I think losing weight is a whole lot more like melting a snowbank, because my edges are downright scrawny, while my middle still has insulation on it.
02-13-2011, 12:34 PM
#3
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Slidell, Louisiana
Posts: 8,232
Okay i've heard you can't spot reduce an area. that being said then why do crunches & such work on abs? why do walking lunges shrink my behind & thighs? why do bicep curls tone my biceps? okay & lastly why do tricep dips tone under my arms? aren't those all forms of spot reducing? or am i missing what is meant by the term 'spot reduce?'
