Sit-ups to lose belly fat? Local training = local fat burning?

The body seems to have its own ideas about how to use and store fat. Which parts will lose weight first and which parts are not easy to lose weight are all determined by nature and cannot be changed by local exercise.

Local weight loss is probably the biggest myth in the history of fitness, no doubt about it. Because people believe in the possibility of local weight loss, "abdominal machines", "7-minute core training" and "arm exercises to eliminate wiggle sleeves" are so popular. Everyone wants to be a body sculptor, removing unwanted parts and enlarging desired parts. But is partial weight loss really possible? Is this just wishful thinking? Let me share some insights from empirical science.

Sit-ups to lose belly fat?

I found a paper from 1983 that was designed to test whether the claim that "local exercise can reduce local fat" is true. The researchers recruited 13 men and asked them to do sit-up training, 5 days a week, for 27 days. On the first day, the boys did 10 sets of 7 sit-ups, with 10 seconds of rest between sets. 70 times a day is not bad, it sounds acceptable.

The good times didn't last long. The researchers increased the intensity of the training every day. By the 27th day, the boys had done 14 sets of sit-ups, 24 in each set, with 10 seconds of rest between sets. This is the veritable "sit-up hell". In 27 days, these subjects did a total of 5,004 sit-ups, and they must have developed solid six-pack muscles.

Surprisingly, when the researchers measured the boys' weight, body fat, waist circumference, and subcutaneous fat thickness, they found that sit-ups did not change these indicators. To put it bluntly, 5,000 sit-ups not only didn't make them thinner, but it also didn't make them grow ice cube boxes around their bellies. However, there is some good news. After the subjects' subcutaneous fat was sampled and analyzed, the researchers found that 27 days of sit-ups reduced the "average diameter of fat cells." But this change was not limited to the abdomen, and similar changes occurred in fat in other parts of the body.

According to the findings of this experiment, 5,000 sit-ups can reduce the "waist circumference of fat cells" but cannot reduce "your waist circumference."

Local training = local fat burning?

The above findings may not convince readers to give up the "8-minute abdominal exercise". I understand this feeling very well. After all, the feeling of warm and swollen abdominal muscles after exercise "should" help burn fat, right? Unfortunately, the truth is cruel. Local training will not burn fat locally. In another 2013 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, seven men and four women were given the following leg training program:

• 12 weeks, 3 times a week.

• Perform 960 to 1200 single-leg press exercises each time

• The weight is set quite light, and it is a high-rep muscle endurance training.

In short, for 3 months, the group only did endurance training on one foot, and the other foot received no training.

Assuming that local training can stimulate local fat burning, we should see the trained leg become thinner, or at least stronger! Doing leg press exercises (Leg press) for 34560 to 43200 reps should have some effect.

Single Leg Press

However, when the researchers measured after 12 weeks, they found that although the amount of fat in the upper body had decreased significantly, the fat in the lower body was as stable as a rock and did not move at all. Single-leg training not only fails to make the trained foot thinner, but also makes irrelevant parts such as the arms and stomach thinner!

Dr. Scott's 1-minute reminder

From the above two studies, we can find that training abdominal muscles may not necessarily reduce belly fat, and leg training may not necessarily reduce thigh fat. The body seems to have some ideas of its own regarding the use and storage of fat. Which parts of your body will lose weight first and which parts are not easy to lose weight are all determined by nature. If your goal in exercising is to lose weight in a certain area, local training of that area would not be your best choice. The rectus abdominis and triceps behind the arms are small muscle groups. Training them will not burn a lot of calories, nor will it necessarily have a local sculpting effect.

It is recommended that you focus on exercises that involve large muscle groups and multiple joints, such as aerobic swimming, jogging, brisk walking, or deadlifts and squats in weight training. High-intensity weight training can stimulate and accelerate metabolism, and produce an "afterburn effect" after the exercise, which has the effect of continuously burning calories. Regarding the "afterburn effect", I will give a more detailed introduction in Part 4 "Girls should also do weight training" (p.225).

At the same time, diet is indispensable for fat loss, even more important than exercise. Put away the abdominal exercise machine at home that is guaranteed to sculpt abdominal muscles! The secret to getting a good body is to find a coach or a friend and go to the gym to do weight training together!

This article is from Sancai Culture's "Dr. Scott's One-Minute Weight Loss Classroom"