Spot Training for Fat Reduction

Many people still think that it is possible to "spot train" for reducing body fat. You will often see people doing exercises for certain body areas where they want to lose fat. The main region targeted is the abdominal region. People have the belief that the key to getting a set of "6-pack" abs is doing abdominal exercises such as crunches. While "spot training" will help to build muscular strength and size in specific areas, this does not work for fat reduction. Doing a million crunches might help strengthen and develop the abdominal muscles, but it will do little to reduce the body fat that is on top of those abdominal muscles. To lose fat, the reality is that you must burn more calories than you consume. In order to burn one pound of fat, you must be in a caloric deficit of 3500 calories per week - equivalent to burning approximately 500 calories more than what you consume per day. Your genetics will determine where the fat stores will be depleted first. If fat in your target regions such as the abs, thighs or butt does not seem to go away, then the primary areas that you need to address are diet/nutrition and cardiovascular training. Doing those extra crunches won't melt that abdominal fat!

Changing Your Workout Routine

A question that I'm often asked is "How often should I change my workout routine?" In general, it is important to change your workout periodically to prevent getting stuck on a plateau. If you do not, then your body and muscles will become used to the exercises that you are doing. Your body adapts to the stresses that you place on it, so it makes sense that you need to change those stresses over time to continue making progress. Typically, you should make changes to your workout at least every 4 to 6 weeks, or even as frequently as every week. The types of changes you can make include:

• Changing the exercises
• Changing the weight/training intensity
• Changing the number of repetitions or sets
• Changing the repetition tempo
• Changing your training frequency
• Changing the muscle groups that you train together
• Utilising supersets, pyramid sets, circuit training and vertical/horizontal loading