By the time you read this, the 4th of July will have come and gone — as will have LOTS of hamburgers and hot dogs!
Oh, if we could only shrink that belly of ours. There’s long been a debate among fitness professionals, medical professionals, supplement companies, and the general public surrounding the idea of “spot reducing” — that is, the idea that one can actually target where fat is lost.
Do this and, wham, belly fat is gone. Do that and, wham, butt fat disappears. And, do this and, wham, jiggly arm fat is history. Oh, if it were only that easy.
The scientific consensus is that spot reducing is a myth. Is it?
According to a study published in the Journal of Obesity, “there is a particular workout that actually yielded the following results:
- Four pounds of fat loss, mainly in the abdominal area
- A 17% reduction of visceral (sub-abdominal) belly fat
- A measurably smaller waist size (as early as 6 weeks into the study)
- Significant muscle mass gains in the legs
The study was conducted on overweight men in their 20s who were instructed not to change their normal, not-so-healthy diets. That’s important. The researchers also noted that similar effects could be experienced by women, too, along with men in other age groups.
Wait, what?! A significant loss of belly fat AND muscle gains in the legs? And I can continue my crummy diet. Simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain did happen… and that’s huge (pardon the pun). Sign me up.
The study is actually valid, and the fact that the participants were asked to not change their “less-than-healthy” diets serves to only give the rest of us hope. Imagine their results if they had been asked to slightly reduce their caloric intake by a few hundred calories a day.
So, what’s the catch? Doing a thousand crunches a day? Running 10 miles a day with weights on my back? Flexing my core while rewatching all four seasons of “Yellowstone?” (I threw that last one in as wishful thinking).
Oh, before I reveal the secret workout (yes, I’m making it available right here), it’s really encouraging to note that the participants trained only an hour per week with three 20-minute workouts. In related studies, participants did steady-state cardio — jogging or light cycling — for an hour per day and experienced about the same results, minus the new fat-free mass in their legs.
Think about that — that’s one hour per week versus seven hours per week to get better results? Again, sign me up!
So, the moment you’ve been waiting for. Here’s the workout: As an example, let’s use an exercycle, although you can do almost any exercise (swimming, jogging, rowing, etc.). Peddle hard (sprint) for 8 seconds. Then, back off and peddle lightly (recover) for 12 seconds. Repeat this alternating effort for 20 minutes. To mimic the study, do these 3 days per week for 12 weeks. (You’ll actually see and feel results sooner.)
According to T-nation.com, “If your main goal is fat loss, this style of high-intensity intermittent exercise will save you a ton of time… if you can hang in there for 20 minutes.” Eight seconds of sprints paired with 12 seconds of “rest” is pretty brutal.
Wanna try it? You could follow the same workouts given to the study participants, but don’t sweat the details. Instead, pick any cardio machine, go hard for a while, back off, catch your breath, and go hard again.”
In other words, follow the “spirit” of the workout as opposed to the “hard and fast parameters” of the study.
Tell you what, give it a try (please ensure you have a doctor’s clearance before attempting any new exercise regime) and in six to 12 weeks shoot me an email and let me know how it worked for you. In return, I’ll let you know what John, Beth, and the rest of the Dutton Yellowstone clan have been up to.
If you enjoyed reading this, then please visit my website daybreakpersonalwellness.com where you can find more fitness information, my workout e-book, listen to my latest podcast on Spotify, and check out a number of remote/online personal wellness programs.
Have a fitness question? Send them to me, Your Personal Trainer, at [email protected] and write ‘Ramona Sentinel’ in the subject line.
